Unite has been using its network of Union Learning Reps (ULRs) across Bristol City Council to support workers, and boost skills in the city. The union is supporting a council project to improve functional skills amongst its workforce.

The first step for Unite has been helping workers in Bristol City Council Reablement Services. They have been doing their initial assessments as they start on an 11-week English course organised by Learn with Unite working with the Council's management and HR, and delivered by N-Gaged Training.

Learning Organiser Matt Gillett said:

It's part of a major project to give workers throughout the Council access to functional skills - English, maths and ICT courses - especially in those areas where training and learning is sometimes less available'. 

Unite and our colleagues in other unions have long identified the need for access to functional skills of English, maths, ICT and in many cases ESOL, especially in those areas where the workforce do not tend to enjoy the same access to training for example cleaning, caretaking and health and social care."

Matt said that Unite has been negotiating with management and holding information sessions in a number of areas to offer workers the chance to do functional skills courses. 

They have been working closely with their provider N-Gaged. N-Gaged is designing contextualised courses which will embed the learning within material they are familiar with, such as reports they are required to write for their jobs.

Matt said the role of ULRs has been very important: 

We are promoting courses through our ULRs, whose contribution in talking to their colleagues is vital to the success of this initiative, and working with the other unions to get the message out.

Time and time again learning has been a way to demonstrate the relevance of our union, and help grow union membership."

Bristol City Council has been very positive about the work it is doing with the union to support learning across the council – and has praised the work of Unite's ULRs.

Naz Hussain from Bristol City Council's HR Strategy & Policy team said:

Union Learning Representatives are an invaluable resource as they already work with and support the often hard-to-reach staff groups that could benefit from functional skills training. 

ULRs are able to verify the potential target workgroups identified through mapping and can help allay any employee fears or concerns related to learning. ULRs are committed to working jointly to deliver Functional Skills training to Bristol City Council staff."

Nigel Donnelly, Unite ULR in Bristol City Council added:

Unite the Union has demonstrated that it is able to work in a collaborative way with the employer and bring both opportunity and value to workers that has increased membership and demonstrated that Learn with Unite can be an integral part of the solution to delivering lifelong learning."