This is the fifth in a series

of newsletters that has

been produced to keep

unionlearn staff, unions,

project workers, union

learning reps (ULRs) and

other reps up to speed

about:

developments in the

area of a publicly funded

careers service that will

affect existing structures

and networks

how unionlearn are

Introduction

National Careers Service Update The Department for

Business, Innovation and

Skills (BIS), through the

Skills Funding Agency,

will operate the National

Careers Service which

will offer information,

advice and guidance to

adults through face-to-

face sessions, telephone

and online support to

young people and

adults.

As adults do not have

consistent access to

careers guidance, the

National Careers Service

will provide face-to-face

careers guidance for

adults, through a

network of public,

private and voluntary

sector organisations. The

adult face-to-face service

will be delivered under

the current Next Step

contracts. The timetable

for the new service is set

out below.

September 2011

Single points of access to online

and helpline

services in place

Trials for enhanced co-

location between

Next Step and

Jobcentre Plus

April 2012

National Careers Service launched,

covering online

and helpline

services for young

people and adults,

and face-to-face

guidance for

adults:

- redesigned website

- single point of access

for young people and

adults to obtain online

and telephone support

- new brand developed

September 2012

Duty on schools to

secure access to

independent, impartial

careers guidance

commenced.

ISSUE 5, NOVEMBER 2011 SUPPORTING LEARNERS NEWS

SUPPORTING LEARNERS NEWS

Inside this issue:

Education Bill

Concessions 2

Sign up now for

your free Lifelong

Learning Account

2

It’s good to talk 2

New matrix

Standard going

from strength to

strength

3

Information Advice

and Guidance

Qualifications for

ULRs

3

Contact Us 4

responding to the

changes to ensure that

union learners at all

levels receive the best

possible information and

advice to help them

progress in learning and

work

other news,

developments and

resources that will help

support members as

learners.

The term ‘Supporting

Learners’ is used by

unionlearn to describe

the activities of ULRs and

other union reps when

they are working with

members to help them

make choices about

learning, to take up

learning opportunities

that are right for them

and help them to

progress in their jobs

and careers. Whilst

these activities involve

all levels of learning and

some elements of

information and advice,

they also include

mentoring, coaching,

signposting and

facilitating learning.

There is a Supporting

Learners area on the

unionlearn website, for

information visit:

www.unionlearn.org.uk

/advice

The union learning Climbing Frame

The free website for ULRs

Register today at:

www.climbingframe.unionlearn.org.uk

highlight key outstanding

issues that need to be

addressed in the

Education Bill to ensure

young people get the help

they need to make

informed decisions about

careers choices and routes

into further and higher

education and into the

world of work.

At the House of Lords IAG

debate on Monday 24th

October, Lord Hill made a

significant concession in

indicating that he would

issue statutory guidance to

schools. This will

emphasise the importance

of securing face-to-face

careers guidance “where

it is the most suitable

support, in particular for

disadvantaged children

and those who have

special needs or are

learners with learning

difficulties and

disabilities”.

The guidance issued will

also highlight to schools

“how they can be

Education Bill Concessions

Page 2

SUPPORTING LEARNERS NEWS

Sign up now for your free Lifelong Learning Account

The cuts to youth services

extend to career guidance

provision, where monies

are not being specifically

allocated to schools to

provide these services,

despite schools soon

having a statutory duty to

do so according to the

provisions of the Education

Bill.

The TUC has been working

closely with UNISON , the

UK Careers Sector

Strategic Forum and other

careers sector bodies to

A new free online service,

launched in September,

will help adults to get

improved access to jobs

and career development

opportunities. Lifelong

Learning Accounts will

empower adults to take

more control over their

learning by providing

clear information and

advice on skills, careers

and financial support all in

one place.

Account holders will have

free access to a number of

online tools, including:

a skills diagnostic tool

to identify their interests,

strengths and needs

localised course and

job searches

a CV builder

an ‘eligibility checker’

to identify Government

funding available to them

a facility to store all their

personal learner

information – CVs, skills

tests, job and course

searches

As well as improving

access to careers

information and personal

data, the accounts will

encourage users to link

with other learners to

share knowledge and

experiences. Account

holders will be signposted

to relevant learners’

forums and communities

via social media such as

Facebook and Twitter.

Lifelong Learning

Accounts support and are

supported by the Next

Step careers service, and

from April 2012, the new

National Careers Service.

For more information, and

to sign up for an account,

please visit http://

direct.gov.uk/

lifelonglearningaccount

It’s good to talk To find out about new

career opportunities, new

challenges, learning new

skills and funding contact

the unionlearn Learning

and Careers Advice Line

on 08000 92 91 90 (free

from a landline). The

advice line is available

between 8am and 10pm

daily and can be accessed

in nine different

languages. The service is

operated by Next Step

advisers who understand

the needs of ULRs, other

reps and union learners.

Try out the advice line

today, find a landline

phone so that it will be free

and ask a union friendly

adviser a question. See

how useful the service is

by asking one of the

questions below:

“My colleagues at work

want to learn Spanish. How

can we find a course that

will fit with our shifts?”

“I really like the IAG side

of my role as a ULR. How

can I get some

qualifications and who will

pay for them?”

enormous database and

can call back at a time that

is convenient. If it works

tell other ULRs or reps

about the unionlearn

Learning and Careers

Advice Line.

“I want to help a group of

Polish workers at my

workplace to improve

their English. How can I do

this?”

“A member is taking

redundancy and would

like a career change into

teaching. Where can they

get some face-to-face help

from a professional?”

Remember a question can

be asked about individual

development needs or on

behalf of members. The

adviser will find

information from an

confident that the external

support they are buying is

of the desired quality”.

As for ensuring the quality

of career IAG, the

guidance will “contain a

clear description of the

quality standard for

careers guidance for

schools in commissioning

independent advice and

support for their pupils”.

In addition, Lord Hill gave

a commitment to consult

on this guidance.

08000 92 91 90

New matrix Standard going from strength to strength

- Level 3 Certificate in

Advice and Guidance

- Level 4 Diploma in

Advice and Guidance

Both are relevant

throughout the advice and

guidance sector, from

ULRs to housing advisors,

who provide general

support in addition to

advice and guidance

about learning and work.

The other qualifications

are:

- Level 3 Award in

Careers Information,

Advice and Guidance

- Level 4 Diploma in

Careers Information and

Advice

- Level 6 Diploma in

Career Guidance and

Development

Unionlearn has been

working with White Rose

Training (WRT) to

develop a package of unit

combinations to

complement the full

qualifications suitable for

those who may not wish to

go for the full

qualification. WRT has

trained over 1000 learners

including ULRs from

UNISON and Unite who

said that the knowledge

Information Advice and Guidance Qualifications for ULRs

A new raft of Information

Advice and Guidance

(IAG) qualifications

introduced this year has

led to some confusion. All

new qualifications are

superseded by the

Qualifications and

Curriculum Framework

(QCF) and are divided

into two groups. Those for

advisors offering generic

Advice and Guidance

(similar to the old NVQs),

and those, specifically

working in the Careers

IAG sector.

Page 3

SUPPORTING LEARNERS NEWS

gained has enhanced and

added to the

effectiveness of their

delivery.

WRT are currently going

for the unionlearn Quality

Award and are

committed to working

with trade unions to help

ULRs progress in their

supporting learners role.

If you would like more

information on IAG

qualifications please visit

the WRT website at: www.whiterosetraining.co.uk

The matrix Standard has

been revised following

extensive consultation and

trialling to ensure it

remains fit for purpose for

the wide range of

organisations that use the

Standard to quality assure

their information, advice

and/or guidance services

(IAG).

Unions have been strong

supporters of the matrix

Standard since its original

launch in 2002 and since

that time a significant

number of union services,

such as learning centres,

have successfully used the

Standard to develop their

offer to members and

subsequently been

accredited. A testimony

to this commitment has

been the number of union

-led organisations that

have achieved national

awards to recognise their

outstanding use of the

Standard.

The matrix Standard

(2011 version) has been

developed following a

review of the quality

assurance arrangements

for IAG commissioned by

the Department for

Business Innovation and

Skills (BIS), which

reported that the matrix

Standard should continue

to be the recognised

standard for IAG services;

but there were areas

within the Standard that

could be strengthened, in

particular staff

competence and use of

technology.

The Standard now more

explicitly requires

organisations to consider

the client outcomes that

their service intends to

achieve and ensure the

resources and services

delivered enables the

achievement of those

outcomes. Continuous

quality improvement

remains a key feature of

the Standard to ensure

that positive

developments to the

service are constantly

considered and

implemented.

The matrix Standard

(2011 version) now has 4

elements focusing on:

Element 1 - Leadership

and management

Element 2 - Resources

Element 3 - Service

delivery

Element 4 - Continuous

quality improvement

The matrix Standard

(2011 version) replaces

the previous Standard

(2005 version) in autumn

this year, but this in no

way devalues or

invalidates current

accreditations. There are

deadlines when the last

assessments of the

previous Standard can

take place, the following

key dates/activity may

help;

30th November 2011 -

The last assessment day,

for any onsite

assessments against the

previous Standard

31st January 2012 - The

last assessment day for

second stage assessment

or retaining accreditation

review against the

previous Standard

Bookings against the

matrix Standard (2011

version) are being taken

now.

emqc Ltd are

responsible for the

management of the

matrix Standard and can

be contacted at:

info@emqc.co.uk

Registered matrix

Advisers are all trained

and quality assured by

emqc and can provide a

range of support for

organisations using the

Standard. Contact emqc

for contact details of your

local Adviser. For a range

of information in relation

to the matrix Standard

visit:

www.matrixstandard.com

If you require further information on any of the topics in this newsletter then please

contact your Regional Supporting Learners contact:

SUPPORTING LEARNERS NEWS

Contact Us

Midlands region

Paul Humphreys

phumphreys@tuc.org.uk

0121 236 4454

Northern region

Dave Storrie

dstorrie@tuc.org.uk

0191 227 5561

North West region

John Halligan

jhalligan@tuc.org.uk

0151 236 2321

Southern and Eastern region

Jon Tennison

jtennison@tuc.org.uk

020 7467 1342

South West region

Rob Garrett

rgarrett@tuc.org.uk

0120 961 1604

Yorkshire and the Humber region

Sharon Burke

sburke@tuc.org.uk

0113 200 1073

Or

Ian Borkett

Quality and Standards Manager

iborkett@tuc.org.uk

020 7079 6940

Louisa Shaw

Climbing Frame Development

Officer

lshaw@tuc.org.uk

020 7079 6934

For more information about unionlearn please visit:

www.unionlearn.org.uk

Unionlearn

Congress House

Great Russell Street

London

WC1B 3LS

Phone: 020 7079 6920 Fax: 020 7079 6921

Email: unionlearn@tuc.org.uk