Call to Learn

CALL TO LEARNTUC unionlearn South West

Collective Action for Lifelong Learning

Introduction

Collective Learning Fund (CLF)

Managed by jointUnion Management Learning Committee

Collective Learning Funds Collective Learning Funds (CLFs) are union-led initiatives to stimulate co-investment in primarily personal development. They pool contributions from employers, unions, employees, and providers to make learning affordable for the entire the staff at a workplace at a time when state subsidy for adult learning has rapidly declined. Such contributions can be in the form of cash but most are in-kind contributions such as time and facilities.

CLFs were piloted by TUC Unionlearn in 23 sites across North West and East Midlands England 2008 -2010 funded by central government (the former DIUS and then BIS). The evaluation revealed very positive outcomes not just in terms of the learning opportunities taken up but for learning centres established. Other important outcomes included increasing union visibility and credibility over learning and initiating partnership working between unions and management through joint union management learning committees.

The Call to Learn Project The Call to Learn project is an extension of CLFs to workplaces in the South West, funded through TUC Unionlearn. The project is managed and funded by Unionlearn in the South West with the support of a Call to Learn Stakeholder Group which includes representatives of unions, sector skills councils and learner providers.

The objective was initially to leave a legacy of ten new sustainable CLFs in the region by February 2014. Seven workplaces met the project’s criteria and became pilots. The project provided £6,000 funding to kick-start them.

An important dimension to the project was to strengthen partnership strategies for tackling equality issues within learning. It does this by asking for workplace equalities information to be gathered, for it to be used to review the

uptake and success of learning opportunities, and for these approaches to be embedded into the CLF constitution and learning agreement.

Five workplaces have completed the pilot stage and are running CLFs successfully:

❚ GMB/ Nicholas and Harris (Salisbury, Wiltshire) ❚ GMB/ Daido (Ilminster, Somerset) ❚ PCS/ Avon DWP (Bristol) ❚ RCM/ St Mary’s Maternity Hospital (Poole, Dorset) ❚ GMB/ ULN Dairies (Westbury, Wiltshire)

Unionlearn has presented the union teams with awards that recognise the project’s different challenges and achievements; The Pioneer Award; The Explorer Award; The Navigator Award;

EmployerFacilities, equipment, cash, paid time to learn, union learning representative (ULR) and management time.

UnionUnion learning representative and project worker time and training. support, cash, equipment.

LearnerStudy time, fee and learning costs contribution.

Learning providerTaster courses through subsidies, facilities, other discounts.

The Innovator Award and The Cooper’s Hill (Sprinters) Award.

Two of the pilots for various external reasons were uncompleted:

❚ PCS/ DWP Gloucestershire (Gloucester, Gloucestershire) ❚ GMB / South West Water (Devon and Cornwall)

The GMB SWW pilot was not completed due the absence and subsequent role change of key staff, the resignation of the ULR and management delays. Although the CLF was not established, participation in the project was certainly the catalyst that got the employer on board with the learning agenda and a learning agreement being signed during the project term. The partnership continues and a CLF may be developed in the future.

The PCS DWP Gloucestershire project aimed to take best practice from its sister project with the CLF being aimed at all PCS members and civil service staff in the

Gloucestershire area. The team was successful in putting in place a constitution, which included agreement for equalities monitoring and review and accounting guidelines were in place. A learning survey was also started before the project ran aground due to staffing difficulties. Despite branch and regional learning organiser support the project was not able to continue. It is possible this project may be resurrected by the branch once a new ULR can be recruited.

The pilots have only been running for 12 months which has meant that in most cases the CLF s have not been fully operational and as such it is too early to evaluate the outputs such as learner take up. The case studies of the completed pilots do however provide a useful insight into why and how the CLFs were set up and union and management perception of their benefits, challenges and sustainability. The headline findings are set out in the overview. The case studies in this pack are derived from in-depth case studies which can be accessed on www.unionlearn.org.uk/southwest

Overview of the PilotsAlthough the workplaces were diverse, ranging from food manufacturing to midwifery, and their employees had differing learning needs there was a common framework to the pilots (learning needs analysis, learning agreement, statement of intent, equality and diversity process, joint learning committee and CLF constitution). This was the result of the tight specification of the Unionlearn Call to Learn project and the use of supporting templates and other resources such as the Unionlearn toolkit. All the unions stressed the importance of the supportive role of the Unionlearn project team.

Engaging with the employerIn all the case studies there had been union engagement with the employer over learning before the CLF was established. These learning partnerships had led to learning agreements and the establishment of joint union / management learning committees. The partnerships had then been given more structure through a CLF; with a statement of intent to establish a fund with the employer, a constitution agreed and with a joint learning committee running and monitoring the fund.

Engaging with the learners and providersAll the projects conducted learning needs analysis using an online or paper-based questionnaire to ascertain needs, often with management support. Some projects went further and

refined this through using taster courses and learning days involving information, advice and guidance sessions (GMB ULN and RCM Poole).

In some cases it was the union that decided on and directly brokered provision with the college or private providers (RCM Poole, PCS Avon). In other cases the union had persuaded management to change providers (GMB Nicholas & Harris).

Co-investmentMost of the projects had only recently set up CLFs and it is therefore not possible to predict precisely what the contributions were likely to be when the funds were fully operational. It is however possible to build an overall scenario based on previous co-investment by the learning partnerships and the views of the unions and management.

Unions had made significant contributions to the CLF in addition to the £6,000 startup provided by Unionlearn. One region had put £4,000 into the fund (PCS Avon). In other cases the unions indicated that future cash contributions were likely. There was strong evidence of union regional support in the three GMB projects (through two project workers funded by the regional Union Learning Fund) and also significant support from the PCS regional learning officer.

One project with limited external support had adopted an innovatory self-funding model method (RCM Poole). The project raised funds through certain learning activities in order to cross subsidise other more costly learning activities.

Overview of the Pilots

All the employers’ commitment was in the form of in-kind as opposed to cash contributions. As expected they all provided the ULRs with facility time. All the employers had or were going to provide learning facilities like a training room with some equipping them with laptops / desk computers.

Only in one workplace did the company provide paid time off to their employees to do the learning (GMB Nicholas & Harris). The union negotiated an innovative arrangement whereby workers study free courses outside work time at the GMB learning centre in Southampton where most them reside. The company pays them overtime for the two hours of study after or before their normal shift working. Some of the learners were contributing to the fees although in one pilot the provider was fully subsidising those courses that were being run outside working time (GMB ULN).

Learning opportunitiesThe learning partnerships had been primarily concerned with personal development. But some had also covered work-related training. The CLFs however were set up to fund courses for personal development. The greatest demand throughout all the pilots was IT courses for those whose job did not involve computers. Other courses included ESOL, English and maths, foreign languages and sign language. In one pilot the provision had been focused on health and wellbeing which had been interpreted widely to include alternative therapies and the setting up of a community choir (RCM Poole).

Role of ULRsAll the ULRs were active in the projects. The ULRs in projects where there were project workers funded by the GMB Southern Regional Fund had a mainly supportive role (Nicholas & Harris and ULN) with the exception of Daido where the ULR played a very pro-active role. Two ULRs were actually running or planning to run IT clubs / training sessions themselves (RCM Poole & GMB Daido).

Some of the ULRs were experiencing difficulties in obtaining sufficient facility time and were carrying out much of their tasks in their own time. In one case the national employer had reduced the facility time that had been in the previous national agreement (PCS Avon).

Equality and diversityThere was not just a strong commitment to promote equality and diversity in all the projects but robust procedures put in place to meet that objective. This included matching the equality surveys with the learning survey with the learning committee charged with taking any necessary action to target under-represented groups. In two of the cases ULRs had attended the South West Unionlearn equality workshop which they found very helpful.

SustainabilityChallenges to the CLFs included lack of ULR and management time and no paid study time for the learner. But there were positive messages from both unions and management in all the pilots that the CLF should continue after the Call to Learn project ended.

“ There was not just a strong commitment to promote equality and diversity in all the projects but robust procedures put in place to meet that objective”

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Benefits to the Union All the CLFs and the learning partnerships before them ensured that non-union as well union members could take up the learning opportunities. This was necessary if management was to support the partnerships and it also offered an opportunity for the union to recruit members. One learning partnership had actually led to a union recognition agreement (GMB Nicholas & Harris).

Increasing union recruitmentIn all the pilots the unions believed that union membership had increased through the learning partnership.

“ Union learning is a good engagement tool for the union.”Agnieszka Zamonski GMB Project Worker

The partnerships had encouraged particular groups of learners to join the union such as migrant workers who wanted access to ESOL courses.

“ The learning activities in the past such as ESOL for migrant workers had gained the union a lot of members because the workers felt that the union was doing something for them by negotiating such opportunities with the company.”Martin Pritchard ULR / Shop Steward (GMB ULN)

Such learning activities could also recruit new categories of workers such as maternity support workers:

“ We have certainly increased union membership particularly through recruiting maternity support workers; a category of staff that have only relatively recently been admitted into RCM

membership. We have raised the awareness of this group of workers to the fact that they can join the union ... Some staff who had been reluctant to join the union because they were worried what their manager might think were joining the learning activities. That concern about getting involved in the union was not there anymore and it has changed staff’s perspective about what the union is there to do.”Sara Fripp Union Learning Rep (RCM Poole)

Raising the union profileThere was much evidence that the union increased its profile with the workforce, particularly through ULR contact with potential learners and through taster events and learning activities. There was also national union recognition of the work of two ULRs when they were nominated by the RCM nationally as the “members’ champions” – the first ULRs ever to have been awarded this honour at the union’s annual awards ceremony.

The unions saw great benefits of CLFs to the workforce:

“ The main advantages of the CLF are that you are learning at the workplace without having to spend time and money travelling to the local college; you also avoid cumbersome enrolment; and you are learning with colleagues who you know. Everything is provided on a plate.”Peter Synowiec GMB Project Worker

Improving industrial relationsAll the pilots had been in workplaces where there had been co-operative industrial relations in the recent past and the CLF was likely to strengthen the partnership.

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“ The relationship had been a bit old school; “them and us”; but with my modern union training it became more about working with the company. This approach has really improved relations in here and the company now sees having unions here as a benefit and we do work together very well and co-operatively.”Matthew Monk ULR (GMB Daido)

The partnerships had also increased both employee and management recognition of the role and work of ULRs.

“ The CLF has shown that the union is about things other than industrial relations or industrial action and about improving the members’ opportunities... It gives management the opportunity to work with ULRs which is a positive thing and opens the door for engagement in the future.”Phil Britton Lead ULR (PCS Avon)

The learning agreement underpinned the partnership and the learning committee ensured that the unions were given equal status to management in the decision making. Bringing something to the table in terms of cash, ULR support and union time meant that the unions were treated as equals and helped to lever in resources from the employer.

Strengthening relations with other branches and unionsThere was co-operation between unions within the two workplaces where there was more than one union but it was after the lead union had established the learning committee and CLF that the other unions had become involved. One pilot had strengthened its relations with another branch through

opening its learning activity to their members and at the same discounted rate (RCM Poole).

Disseminating the model to other branchesThe pilots were seen by unions as a way of disseminating learning partnerships as exemplars to other workplaces within the branch or region.

“ Daido is the first workplace within the Somerset branch which has a project of this kind. As branch secretary I want to use this almost as a guinea pig and use its success as a case study to get similar projects running in Somerset.” Matthew Monk ULR (GMB Daido)

“ Great though it would be to set up such CLFs in every branch across the nation we can at least use these models of co-operation in terms of trying to set up new ULRs in the workplace and getting them the time. We could cite these projects as positive models and hopefully get management to understand the potential benefits they could bring to their particular workforce.”Jack Davies PCS Regional Learning Organiser

Securing sustainability In all the pilots there was strong union commitment to develop the CLF and increase both the type of the learning opportunities and the number of learners it was to fund. This would further enhance the union role in offering learning to its members.

“ Some of the learning activities such as a learning day at the learning centre had led to the recruitment of union members.”

Benefits to Management Employers supported the learning partnerships and CLFs primarily because they could improve the wellbeing of their staff as well as promoting good industrial relations. In most of the workplaces management did not have the time to give priority to delivering learning which did not affect the company’s bottom line. So they relied on the skills of the ULRs and project workers to organise learning needs surveys, provide employees with front line advice and guidance and negotiate with relevant providers. Two ULRs had even run IT sessions (GMB Daido & RCM Poole) .The managers saw themselves as having a supportive role as opposed to the day-to-day running of the CLFs.

Promoting good industrial relationsThere was clear evidence from all the pilots that management working with the ULRs and project workers, particularly within the joint learning committees both reflected and promoted co-operative culture:

“ The project demonstrated my commitment to staff development in Bristol Contact Centre and provided an opportunity for collaborative working with trade union colleagues. I wanted to improve staff engagement across the centre and the Spanish class provided an opportunity for staff at all grades to come together. We were all learning something new and the level playing field helped break down barriers. The benefits, whilst not directly related to telephone work, were tangible in the improved culture and working relations.” Mandy Howell DWP Contact Centre Manager (Avon)

Enhancing the wellbeing of the workforceOne pilot had health and wellbeing at the heart of its activities (RCM Poole). Managers in others felt that there was an indirect effect:

“ Our main objective in supporting the CLF is to try and make the company a better and more fulfilling place to work through activities at the lunchtime or after working hours… staff learning together could be fulfilling for them socially.” Robert Jones Training Manager (GMB ULN)

A framework for personal developmentThey also felt that the CLFs would provide a framework for learning:

“ The CLF will help put an organisation and structured processes for learning in place… this will help further strengthen the links with the union in deciding on training providers, collaboration which has been very effective in the past.”Frances Brayford HR Manager (Nicholas & Harris)

Improving communication with staffThere was a common view amongst the managers that the learning partnerships had improved communications with staff and also increased their morale:

“ The learning activity has improved morale amongst the staff. We have a good relationship with the ULRs who have done a fantastic job in a short period of time.” Belinda Doe Midwifery Matron (Poole)

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Improving company performance The purpose of the CLFs was not to improve the vocational skills of the workforce in order to increase production. But in two of the pilots management felt that non-job related IT courses could possibly lead to operatives acquiring skills necessary for higher tasks in the future and possibly aiding their job progression (ULN and Daido).

“ Providing operatives with IT skills could benefit the company in the future. As time progresses more and more machines will be operated by computers with operatives performing a quality standards role by entering data into the computers.” Robert Jones Training Manager (ULN)

Another positive effect on company performance was that of ESOL courses increasing the confidence of migrant workers to take up vocational training such as NVQs in food manufacturing as well as health and safety courses.

“ Staff were asking us about when they could start an ESOL course not us having to ask them... Not so many asked about other courses… because they felt that they first need to get a certain level of English language skills before they could benefit from such courses.”Maciej Kasperek ULR (Nicholas & Harris)

A sustainable modelAll the managers held the view that the CLFs were likely to be sustainable although some had needed to be convinced at the early stage:

“ Personally at first I was sceptical that the project would fly and that it would continue but speaking to the GMB project workers and colleagues I am really hoping that even if we only get two people doing a course at the start after work that others will see the benefits and the take up will grow... Once we have got the CLF started regardless of the £6,000 start up contribution it will continue in the long term.”Robert Jones Training Manager (ULN)

Future sources of funding was linked to sustainability:

“ I would like to hope that the CLF would be sustainable. As far as the amount of training we are putting in some of that would depend on the funding available elsewhere. As a business I have not got an endless budget for personal development which is quite small compared to the number of people we employ. The CLF structure however will help us take us forward.”Frances Brayford Training Manager (Nicholas & Harris)

One manager felt that its future was secured by the fact that it was generating money from the courses and activities which made it financially self-sufficient (RCM Poole).

“ Our main objective in supporting the CLF is to try and make the company a better and more fulfilling place to work.”

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PCS / Avon DWP BackgroundMost of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff in the branch work in call centres in the Bristol Contact Centre office or in other job centres in the West of England area which act as satellites. Staff handle claims for social security benefits for people of working age and provide advice and information about benefits and benefits entitlement. DWP Avon branch has 1054 members (a high union density of 78 %). There are 8 union learning representatives (ULRs) distributed throughout the region as well as Union Equality Reps. There had been little learning opportunity for non-managerial staff.

Contributor Cash contribution In-kind contribution

DWP None Learning facilities / ULR facility time

PCS £4,000 from region ULR and regional learning officer time

Unionlearn £6,000 start up costs Regional team support

Learners Part payment of course fees Studying in non-work time

Engaging with the employerThe PCS Branch saw the concept of a collective learning fund as an opportunity to improve staff engagement on learning and to further promote learning within the union. The lead ULR and other reps met with management to get them on board. This was followed by management signing a statement of intent to supporting the setting up of a CLF. There is provision

PCS /Avon DWP C A S E S T U D Y

in the CLF constitution for a joint union / management steering committee to manage the fund.

There was no branch learning agreement as there had been a new national learning agreement between PCS and the DWP in May 2010 which aimed to “develop a culture of lifelong learning throughout the DWP” which set out the roles of ULRs and regional learning co-ordinators. But it was not renewed by the Cabinet Office in 2012 which has now issued guidelines on how facility time will be reduced as part of cuts in the Civil Service.

Engaging members and providersThe purpose of the CLF is to provide funding to the membership and staff to finance their personal development and learning and to purchase other services that will support the membership and staff during their learning. It would be open to all PCS members and DWP staff in the Avon branch area.

A questionnaire identified a strong demand for foreign language and IT courses. As a result the ULR approached a number of providers to run foreign language courses. A private tutor was chosen because of his competitive cost and availability.

Co-investmentThere has been cash contribution from the union side but none from the DWP side whose contributions have been in-kind since Government departments cannot use public monies to subsidise such activities. A contribution from the learner has been necessary to pay part of the course fees and they have no paid study leave. Management has provided flexible working around study times.

The CLF constitution stipulates that the fund must be used on non- work related learning which involves providing courses at reduced rates for all learners. There is a further reduction for union members in recognition that the regional PCS had made a cash contribution to the fund. The union is also considering purchasing laptops.

Courses fundedThere was negotiation with the provider whereby twelve learners were enrolled on an Introductory Spanish course in 2013. A Sign Language course was being run in April 2014 for which there was considerable demand. The lead ULR is also considering the running a Tablet training course.

Role of ULRsULRs carry out learning needs surveys, broker courses with providers and consider applications from members. There is a problem in ULRs having insufficient time to carry out their roles as a result of the Cabinet Office cut in facility time.

Promoting equality and diversityThe lead ULR had requested from management equality data on the workforce from the biennial staff survey in 2013 as well as obtaining the PCS branch equality report. This data would be compared with the demographics of those who responded to the learning survey and those who were taking the courses in order to identify any under-represented groups of potential learners. The equality reps were involved in discussions on the CLF though their attendance at the branch meeting.

Benefits The union feels that overall management have gradually seen the benefits of ULRs at the workplace.

“ The CLF has shown that the union is about things other than industrial relations or industrial action and about improving the members’ opportunities ... It gives management the opportunity to work with ULRs which is a positive thing and opens the door for engagement in the future.” Phil Britton Lead ULR / Branch Co-ordinator for the DWP Avon Branch

DWP management has also seen tangible benefits from the project:

“ The project… provided an opportunity for collaborative working with trade union colleagues. The benefits, whilst not directly related to telephone work, were tangible in the improved culture and working relations.” Mandy Howell DWP Contact Centre Manager, Bristol

ChallengesThe main obstacles to CLFs are the reduction in facility time for ULRs and the termination of the national learning agreement which very much limits what PCS can negotiate at branch level.

Sustainability There was a strong feeling from the branch that the CLF would continue to fund learning after the end of the Unionlearn start-up funding as long as there was continued funding from the PCS region.

“ The union is about things other than industrial relations or industrial action and about improving the members’ opportunities.”

GMB / Nicholas & Harris BackgroundNicholas & Harris is a speciality bakery business based in Salisbury. The company employs 275 employees most of whom are in operative jobs with the vast majority being of Polish nationality. Most of the employees work in the production process but some have jobs in dispatch, warehousing and maintenance.

There had been a learning partnership agreement between the union and management since 2009. The Call to Learn project established in 2012 however formalised the funding of the learning delivered by the partnership. The learning partnership had been very much supported by the GMB Southern Regional Learning Project which had been funded through the TUC Union Learning Fund. This has taken the form of two project workers who had been very proactive in delivering the partnership.


Company Where possible Learning centre / ULR facility time / Some off-the-job training / Payment of overtime for those studying non-vocational courses (ESOL) outside working hours

GMB When available ULRS and regional project workers time (through ULF Regional project) / Laptops for the learning centre


Learners May contribute to fee costs Studying non-vocational courses (ESOL) outside working hours but paid as overtime

Engaging with the employerThe learning partnership agreement between the company and GMB Southern Region was to encourage staff within the company to participate in lifelong learning. It included the company making a commitment that all members of staff would be given reasonable covered time off for training and for a learning centre to be established within the workplace. The agreement established a joint union / employer learning partnership committee. Its main responsibilities included identifying and prioritising the learning needs of both the staff and the employer and monitoring the provision available.

Management recognised that closer engagement with the union through a CLF model could help identify good providers:

“ The CLF will help put an organisation and structured processes for learning in place… this will help further strengthen the links with the union in deciding on training providers, collaboration which has been very effective in the past.” Frances Brayford HR Manager

Engaging members and providersA learning survey was sent out to all employees in 2013 with the highest requests being for courses in ESOL, literacy, numeracy, CV writing and communication skills. A service level agreement between GMB / Nicholas & Harris CLF and Yeovil College was signed in January 2014 to provide courses funded through the CLF.

GMB / Nicholas & Harris C A S E S T U D Y

Co-investmentThe CLF constitution provided that the fund would be used to finance or contribute to the direct cost of personal development and learning for all staff that was not fundable through any other means.

Courses fundedThree years ago ESOL courses had been provided on site during working time but this had been difficult to sustain. So the union arranged free courses at the GMB learning centre in Southampton where most of the Polish workers reside. The company pays them overtime for the two hours of study after or before their normal shift working. Courses under the learning partnership that had been undertaken by 70 employees not just included ESOL and numeracy but work-related NVQ courses which are not to be funded through the CLF.

Role of ULRsThe two ULRs who are both Polish are relatively new to the role and are soon to begin their ULR training. They hold “surgeries” with potential learners before or after shifts. They were involved with the project workers with the learning needs survey which was in Polish and in explaining the course provision to the potential learners.

Promoting equality and diversityThe learning agreement recognised the importance of equal opportunities and stated that the committee would make every effort to ensure that the learning needs of specific individual employees are taken into account. An equality workplace survey was carried out by the union and the results provided the right set of data to assess the needs of all employees effectively.

Benefits The learning partnership established through the ULF regional project had led to union recognition by the company and this in turn led to the statutory recognition of the ULRs. Some of the learning activities such as a learning day at the learning centre had led to the recruitment of union members. The partnership also had a positive effect on industrial relations.

“ Management sees a value in learning and that it is an investment rather than a cost to them. In general the union relationship with management has thus been good. There have been challenges in the past but this project has helped in improving the relationship.”

Peter Synowiec GMB Project Worker

Management identified the main benefits as the union providing valuable advice about providers and brokering provision, the strong communications between the ULRs and the Polish workforce on identifying learning needs and the proactive work of the union in organising the surveys and setting up the CLF.

ChallengesThe company had not been able to give as much time to the CLF as it would have liked. A major challenge will be how the union will continue to support the CLF once the regional project is completed. This will require even more support from the ULRs.

Sustainability It is too early a stage in the project to assess how sustainable the CLF will be but there is clearly support from the union and positive messages from management.

“ Management sees a value in learning and that it is an investment rather than a cost to them.”

RCM/St Mary’s Maternity Hospital Poole BackgroundThe care at St Mary’s Maternity Hospital is shared between midwifery and medical staff. The 250 staff at the maternity hospital are mainly midwives and maternity support workers (represented by the Royal College of Midwives). The relationship between the RCM branch and management at the hospital is a co-operative and supportive one which has underpinned the success of the project. There are now two union learning reps (ULRs) in the hospital who report to the branch. A Union Learning Fund project had been run by the RCM nationally which had helped to raise awareness of learning opportunities and understanding of the role of ULRs at the hospital.


Hospital Trust On a “when needed” basis Use of classroom at weekends ULR facility time

RCM branch Income through fund raising ULR time

RCM national Paying some of the ULRs incidental expenses Initial support from RCM Learning Officer

Unionlearn £6,000 start up costs. Support for learning events such as free learning day

Regional team support

Learners Fee contribution Taking part in non-vocational learning in own time

Engaging with the employerIn 2011 the ULR approached the new Head of Midwifery and informed her of what was needed, what she could contribute and what had been agreed by the Trust. Once learning activity began and discussions on a CLF had been held then a learning agreement was signed with the management and a CLF constitution and a joint union / management learning committee was established.

The constitution provides that the fund will be used to finance or contribute to learning that supports employee health and wellbeing which would be available to non-union as well as union members. The learning committee decides on applications for funding of learning activities from individuals or groups of employees.

Engaging members and providersIndividual learning needs were ascertained through surveys at learning events and an overall survey of staff needs was undertaken online which had a high response rate. A Celebration of Learning day event was organised by the union in 2012 and supported by Unionlearn in the South West. It included taster activities such as web design, digital photography and a singing workshop which very soon led to establishing the RCM Bournemouth and Poole Community Choir.

RCM/St Mary’s Maternity Hospital Poole C A S E S T U D Y

Co-investmentAlthough the branch had not been asked for contributions in the early stages the committee meeting would be discussing what contributions that the branch could make in the future. The project’s £6,000 startup money was being used to subsidise the choir. The Trust had provided facilities and incidental expenses to support the learning activities.

Courses FundedThere were no formerly brokered courses and providers were engaged on an ad hoc basis. It was done on what a ULR described as a “you ask: we give” basis. The amount that the CLF decides to subsidise an individual on a course will depend on the merits of the application and also on the balance in the CLF.

“ We want people to have access to learning and to enjoy the experiences without us having to be like a business. At the same time, we want to keep the fund ‘topped up’.”Jillian Ireland ULR

Role of ULRsThe ULRs were nominated by the RCM nationally as the “members’ champions” – the first ULRs ever to have been awarded this honour at the union’s annual awards ceremony. They won the category and publicity generated as a result had hugely increased the profile of the work of the ULRs within the hospital and generated a great amount of interest from the workforce.

Promoting equality and diversityThere was a strong commitment from the ULRs to equality and diversity and one of the ULRs had attended a Unionlearn equality training course which she had found very useful.

Under the constitution the learning fund committee will obtain and review equality data on an annual basis in conjunction with the employer and then decide what actions might be necessary such as targeting groups.

Benefits The dedication and enthusiasm of the ULRs had significantly raised the profile of the union leading to positive outcomes such as recruiting maternity support workers. The CLF project had strengthened relations with Bournemouth RCM branch which benefitted from enjoying the learning activities at the same discount. Management had been clearly supportive to the CLF and recognised its value:

“ The learning activity has improved morale amongst the staff. We have a good relationship with the ULRs who have done a fantastic job in a short period of time.” Belinda Doe Midwifery Matron

ChallengesTime was identified as the biggest challenge. It has taken about two years for staff to become aware of the role of the ULRs. It was more difficult for the ULR who was a midwife working by herself in the community and having to rely a lot on email communication than her colleague who was a maternity support worker based in a ward and who had a lot of support from her team.

Sustainability There are positive signs that the CLF will be sustainable through its self-sufficiency. Both the ULRs and management felt that the fact that some of the courses were making small profits ensured that the CLF would break even on funding activities overall. The ULRs were hoping to identify other sources of funding which could be used for learning in the future.

“ The dedication and enthusiasm of the ULRs had significantly raised the profile of the union leading to positive outcomes such as recruiting maternity support workers.”

GMB / Daido Industrial BearingsBackground Daido Industrial Bearings Europe Ltd is a Japanese owned company based in Ilminster, Somerset which manufactures bearings for automotive, marine, rail traction and industrial engines. The company employs 200 staff whose jobs mainly cover a range of engineering tasks. Daido is committed to supporting the development of its workforce and has been focusing on the provision of NVQs and apprenticeships as well as health and safety and leadership training within the workplace.

Almost half the workforce are union members and belong to GMB or Unite. Both unions work harmoniously together in the Joint Shop Stewards Committee and have a recognition agreement with Daido.


Company None ULR facility time / ULR time in running IT club / HR department time / Training room

GMB branch Likely in the future ULR time

GMB regional None Project worker support funded by regional Union Learn Fund Project / Desktop computers


Learners None Taking part in non-vocational learning in own time

Engaging the employerAn important catalyst for establishing the learning partnership at the company was the GMB Southern Regional Learning Project which had been funded through the TUC Union Learning Fund. A learning agreement with the company was signed in 2012 and a joint union / management learning partnership committee established.

GMB / Daido Industrial Bearings C A S E S T U D Y

It was the GMB ULR with the support of the union’s regional project worker who was funded by the ULF project who spearheaded the CLF. A statement of intent concerning the partnership was signed by the GMB project worker and the HR director. The constitution setting up the CLF was agreed by the learning committee and adopted in October 2013.

Engaging members A joint union / Daido learning needs survey was sent out with every employee with their wage slip. The greatest demand for non-work-related courses was IT for those whose work did not involve computers. There was also a demand for numeracy and literacy courses. The survey also revealed a need for vocational training although this would be the responsibility of the company not the CLF. The HR and training officer was very much involved with the pilot through the learning needs analysis, identifying and engaging with individuals who required ICT or functional skills training.

Co-investmentThere had been considerable in- kind contributions from both the union and the company. The company provided a training room and HR and ULR time but not cash. The union contribution was very significant and in the form of ULR support and time.

Courses to be fundedThe CLF had not yet funded any learning and the Learning Committee would decide which courses for personal development should be funded. It was likely that initially these would be IT courses for employees who do not require these skills in the job. It was planned to set up a free “IT club”

run by the ULRs in the company training room outside the normal hours.

Role of ULRThe lead ULR who was also a shop steward had been very proactive in driving the project with strong support from the union project worker. He had first worked on the shop floor for many years and had put himself on a considerable number of courses to develop himself. He had been very active in the Learning Committee particularly in problem solving as well as engaging with potential learners and promoting the CLF.

Promoting equality and diversityThe HR department will publish the outcome of an equalities survey and the Learning Committee will gather equalities data for all course enrolments, completions and learning progression which will be reviewed annually to identify access issues and necessary actions.

Benefits Several employees had been recruited to the union as a result of its learning and training activities.

The ULR felt that the industrial relations culture has continuously been developed through the partnership:

“ This approach has really improved relations in here and the company now sees having unions here as a benefit and we do work together very well and co-operatively.”Matthew Monk ULR and shop steward

The company felt that the learning was a catalyst for opening up different types of learning other than engineering manufacturing to the employees:

“ The IT training arising out of the project improved the employee’s confidence in using these skills such as email and spreadsheets and Word in work as well as outside work and this could possibly aid their progression to team leader roles.”Jacquie Mahoney Training / HR Officer

ChallengesThe ULR felt that a possible obstacle to the project was lack of learner time. Another obstacle was the fact that many of the workers had been in the same jobs for a long period of time without being engaged in learning. This could result in them having little motivation to take up courses.

SustainabilityThe positive feedback from the existing learners however meant that the project will probably continue but the ULR recognised that longer term sustainability was dependant on supply and demand.

The GMB project worker felt that now that the organisation was in place it was possible to have fund raising activities at the workplace or the branch and possibly broker subsidies with providers. The lead ULR wanted to disseminate the CLF model in other workplaces within the GMB branch.

“ The company felt that the learning was a catalyst for opening up different types of learning other than engineering manufacturing to the employees.”

GMB / ULN (UK) Ltd BackgroundULN (UK) Ltd. is a wholesale dairy products company located in Westbury Wiltshire as a British subsidiary of a world leader in the dairy industry, the French company Bongrain. The company employs about 100 full-time staff. The operatives mainly work in cheese production and cold storage with office based staff working in sales and distribution. Their training has been related to food manufacturing such as food handling hygiene, health and safety, as well as warehouse skills such as forklift truck training.

About 50 staff are members of the GMB which has union recognition. The shop steward described the industrial relations in the company as “quite good” with the unions working co-operatively with management.


Company Where possible ULR facility time / Training officer time / Training room equipped with laptops and desktop computers / Part paid time off for certain courses

GMB branch Where possible ULR time

GMB regional When available Project workers support funded by regional Union Learn Fund Project / Laptops


Learners May contribute Taking part in non-vocational learning in own time

Provider Where possible Free IT courses that were taken in learners’ time

Engaging with the employerAn important catalyst for establishing the learning partnership at the company was the GMB Southern Regional Learning Project which had been funded through the TUC Union Learning Fund. A learning agreement had been signed with the company in 2009/10 and a learning partnership committee

GMB / ULN (UK) Ltd C A S E S T U D Y

had been set up by the unions and management before the CLF had been established.

Over the years the union had been involved with company over NVQ training, ESOL and English and numeracy. These courses were run by the local FE college and were free under the last Labour Government’s Train to Gain scheme.

“ When the Train to Gain funding had ended then problems started and we had to find an alternative way to fund the training which was required by the workforce. That was one of the reasons why we decided to set up a collective learning fund.”Peter Synowiec GMB Project Worker

The Learning Committee discussed the Call to Learn project and a Statement of Intent to set up the CLF was signed and a constitution agreed.

Engaging with members and providersA learning needs survey was carried out. It indicated interest in IT courses for those who did not use computers in their job and more advanced courses such as Excel for those who were already using computers in the job. Other learning needs identified were English and maths and leisure courses such as photography. The survey was followed by an Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) day run by Yeovil College to identify learning needs.

Courses fundedEighteen people had expressed an interest in taking on an IT course and the Learning Committee was discussing this with

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management. No courses had yet been funded through the CLF which would be decided by the Learning Committee.

Co-investmentThe company saw no need as yet to put cash into the CLF but it had made a significant contribution in the form of refurbishing and providing a dedicated training room with both laptops and desk computers. It was also possible that the company would consider providing some time off to take courses that they might find advantageous to the company in the future. These could include IT for those employees who do not use these skills in their current job and also English and maths. The college would provide the IT courses free at no cost to the learner of the company provided that the training was done outside company time.

Role of ULRsThe ULRs were the link between the employees and the Learning Committee as well as with the training officer. One of the shop stewards had been a ULR for a number of years and had been involved in the learning survey and in encouraging colleagues to become aware of the learning opportunities, particularly ESOL.

Promoting equality and diversityEquality data gathered by the company had been regarded by the learning committee as insufficient and a new equality survey was carried out by the ULRs.

Benefits The ULR / shop steward indicated that membership had grown since the learning partnership had been established.

Management felt that although there could possibly be some long term productivity benefits the social benefits were more important:

“ Our main objective in supporting the CLF is to try and make the company a better and more fulfilling place to work through activities at lunchtime or after working hours… staff learning together could be fulfilling for them socially.” Robert Jones Training Officer

ChallengesAccording to the training officer the biggest challenge was to get management’s time and commitment to allow the union to set up learning which was not necessary to drive production forward. A big advantage was that the training would be done at the workplace not at Yeovil College, although staying on to do the training could initially be a challenge to some employees.

SustainabilityThere was however considerable optimism from the union and management that the CLF would be sustainable. When more and more employees saw their colleagues benefitting from the learning activities they themselves might sign up to the courses.

“ The company made a significant contribution in the form of refurbishing and providing a dedicated training room with both laptops and desk computers.”

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Call to Learn Project unionlearn, South West TUC Ground Floor Church House, Church Road, Filton, Bristol BS34 7BD

Tel: 0117 947 0521 Fax: 0117 947 0523

[email protected] www.unionlearn.org.uk/southwest

Published March 2014

Research and text by Bert Clough. With thanks to Jeff Latham, Union

Support Officer, NW TUC for his support to the Call to Learn Project.

The Pioneer Award (GMB – Nicholas & Harris CLF) For stepping out in front, being the first to overcome the obstacles and still coming in for a great finish

The Explorer Award (GMB & Unite Daido CLF) For pushing into new ground, the distance travelled and for coming in for a great finish

The Navigator Award (PCS – DWP Avon CLF) For finding new routes, getting there first and leaving a path for others to follow

The Innovator Award (St Mary’s Maternity CLF – RCM, Unite and Unison) For seeing differently whilst keeping it in tune and going at a great pace

The ‘Cooper’s Hill’ Award aka The Sprinters Award (GMB Nicholas & Harris CLF) For making challenges look easy, for doing it in double-quick time and for your team approach

Call to Learn Awards

Call to Learn

Documents

Transcript of Call to Learn