Unionlearn is a new initiative partnership formed by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Department for Education and Skills, which also has Government backing and a £4.5m initial startup funding boost. Unionlearn will also takeover the management of the Union Learning Fund, which is currently more than £14 million, from the Learning & Skills Council from April 2007.
Chancellor Gordon Brown launched the partnership and other speakers included the Education Secretary, Ruth Kelly, and TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber, with TV personality June Sarpong hosting the event.
Unionlearn will provide support and advice on lifelong learning and workforce development across England. It will focus on literacy and numeracy skills and Level 2 qualifications amongst the seven million adults in England who lack basic skills, as well as Continuing Professional Development. The initiative also aims to encourage greater employer support for training and strengthen union membership.
Unionlearn will also provide support to workplace Union Learning Representatives (ULRs), whose main role is to raise awareness of learning opportunities and to help workers access suitable courses. There are currently 14,000 trained learning representatives in the UK, and By 2010, unionlearn aims to have recruited 22,000 learning representatives, and will help 250,000 workers into learning each year.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber commented:
"This is a great opportunity to showcase the crucial role of trade unions in boosting UK skills and productivity. Employers need to step up to the challenge of workplace learning, with more support for learning reps, time off to train and a decent wage for apprenticeships."
Unionlearn Director Liz Smith commented:
"Unionlearn will deliver a new skills partnership between unions and employers. For individual workers, it will bring opportunities to develop new skills and ambitions. For employers, it will demonstrate the benefits of a better-trained workforce and higher productivity. Unionlearn will place union's at the centre of skills development."
Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Education and Skills also commented:
"I am delighted to wish unionlearn the very best of luck for the future. You have an unprecedented opportunity to build on your previous successes and contribute to our drive to promote adult learning, putting learning at the very heart of the union movement. And in turn I am confident that you will put trade unions at the very heart of the Skills Strategy - where it is right that they should be."
The project will be delivered through the six English TUC regions, with Scotland launching its own similar initiative. It will complement union specific projects and support a network of learning centres based in colleges, at workplaces and union offices across England.
A copy of the unionlearn prospectus is available on request, alongside learning at work case studies. For further information or interview requests contact Andrew Pakes on 07980 55122, email: apakes@tuc.org.uk or Mike Power mpower@tuc.org.uk on 07900 914322.
The Unionlearn website can be accessed by clicking the following: Unionlearn
