PCS and HMRC worked together with external partners to organise and deliver a very successful Learning At Work day on 18 November 2014.

The day was supported by PCS ULRs from Trinity Bridge House where the event was held and also from nearby Albert Bridge House and Ralli Quays.

Resources and activities were provided by Unionlearn, PCS, HMRC, and a range of external partners. HMRC gave the ULRs release to plan and support the day, and gave each employee an hour to access the event. Topics covered included higher education, health and wellbeing, creative writing, careers advice, "speed mentoring" and there was also the opportunity to engage with Unionlearn's Value My Skills and Match Up cards.

336 people signed in and 140 PCS Learning Surveys were completed. The main needs identified were for IT, CV writing and interview skills. Barriers identified included time, confidence and work-life balance (such as childcare issues). The union was keen to promote the onsite learning centre as somewhere that employees can go to access learning before or after shift or at lunchtime, and to promote informal and distance learning and cultural opportunities as ways to overcome these issues.

Fifteen people took advantage of the speed mentoring dipping in and out of the session and speaking to different people who had been nominated as mentors including managers and ULRs.

Approximately 20 people undertook full career reviews using the questionnaires and/or "Value My Skills cards". IT skills once again came up as a key development area, although a range of other topics came up including creativity and confidence building.

In addition 14 people accessed a fully laid-out set of Match Up cards which showed them where their qualifications sat in the current National Qualifications Framework and with each person this also generated a discussion about progression and plugging skills gaps. This gave a rich picture of the accredited and experiential learning of those who took part.

Findings from these two activities included:

• People qualified to Level 6 holding degrees in a range of areas. Some had already secured promotion and higher level roles whilst others were looking to progress and use their prior learning or supplement it with additional skills
• Apprentices who had taken Foundation Degrees and were already thinking about topping up to a degree once their Apprenticeship had finished
• People at Level 2 but looking at Level 3 study;
• An employee at Level 3 via an Access programme but plugging skills gaps with Level 1 study and now considering higher education;
• One person who is at Level 7 but doing some Level 3 internal accredited training provided by the employer.

Feedback comments on the card exercises included:

• "Well worth doing – I found four things for work and four for personal development"
• "I can use my work based projects as well as formal learning to improve where I want to"
• "Really happy now I know where I am up to and what my options are"
• "Nice to know my experience can help me progress as I do have qualifications but they are from a while ago"
• "I am surprised what it has made me think about and how much I can already do"
• "Pleased to know I already quite a long way up the qualifications ladder"
• "I am looking to see how I can balance my work and home life as financially I cannot retire altogether just yet, this has given me some food for thought"

As a response to the confidence issues raised Unionlearn has supplied the ULRs with the Confidence Toolkit from the University of Bolton (developed as part of the NWUA Higher Level Skills Partnership in which Unionlearn and he University worked together in 2011).

The PCS Branch is also considering engaging their financial partner Lighthouse Temple to advise some older members on their possible future pension and working arrangements.