Terry Henderson has been running the learning room at Peterborough Mail Centre since 2015, and in that time has built up an impressive range of resources and learning opportunities to staff at the site in Cambridgeshire.

Terry is the Lead Union Learning Rep in the Communication Workers Union Eastern Region No 5 and over the last five years has run a wide range of initiatives locally and in the CWU Eastern No5 Branch area, these include:

• Reading Ahead Quick Reads 2017,18,19,20 and planning now for 21 with books and materials sent out to workplaces in the Branch area
• A ULF fund assisted refurbishment of the Learning Room in February 2017
• British Heart Foundation Call, Push Rescue training offered to everyone in the Branch Area.
• Lots of Mental Health campaigns and the training of 27 Mental Health Awareness/ First Aid Reps.
• Online Courses for members in Maths, English and IT up to level 2, and lots of other courses from Learning providers including, Sigma UK,CWU Leftclick, Skills Network, Wranx and Unionlearn
• Classroom and online training for Reps that have included CWU Industrial and H&S training, Equality ,Public Speaking and Mental Health
• Organ Donation resources advertised and shared throughout the Branch Area.
• Lots of raising awareness on issues around digital exclusion, child online safety, scam awareness and cyber security.

Though things at the learning room have been quiet over recent months Terry is still active and explained:

Unfortunately Covid 19 has forced the closing of the Learning Room for safety reasons since March 2020, but lots of online resources continue to be shared.”

The Mental Health campaigns at the centre have been very important to Terry, and were started though personal experience as he explains:

It was the sudden suicide of a close friend and work colleague that made me see that members really needed support in the work place, that’s why I tried to get at least one Mental Health Awareness trained reps in each of the branches work places.” 

Workplace learning and the role of trained union learning reps in signposting, supporting and organising learning opportunities is something that unions are uniquely able to do.

Terry feels his role can be a benefit to colleagues in a number of ways. He said:

I do what I do because of the difference it makes to the people I work alongside. Bringing them back to learning again, seeing their confidence grow. Building better understanding of equality at work, better mental health, and better understanding of health and safety at work.

Encouraging them to think about the health of their own heart and organ donation - looking after yourself and others too. It has become a passion for me, but only because it makes such as difference."

The Learning Room at Peterborough Mail Centre is just one of hundreds of workplace learning centres that trade unions run, often in partnership with employers.

If you think you might be interested in setting up a learning centre at your own workplace and want to find out more about what it involves just download the recent “Setting Up a Learning Centre” publication from unionlearn.