Update - Southern and Eastern Region magazine (Autumn 2011)

updateAUTUMN 2011

Southern and Eastern Region

Peakepractice

Maxine Peakeon where herlearning journeyis heading next

INSIDE

DigitalchampionTina Hobley

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You are thechampions

Holby City star TinaHobley has become ourlatest unionlearn DigitalChampion, committed tospreading the messageabout the benefits of theonline world to the 8million-plus people in

the UK who are not yet hooked up.As she says in our interview with her in this

edition, using the internet is often the easiestand also the cheapest way to find and applyfor a job, book train and plane tickets, andshop for food, clothes, books and music. And, of course, as ULRs and learners across

the region know from personal experience, theinternet also offers a massive range of learningcourses and resources, through partners ofunionlearn such as learndirect, UK onlinecentres and The Open University (OU).We’re really pleased that Tina has agreed to

become a unionlearn Digital Champion, andtake part in initiatives such Go ON: Give AnHour, the nationwide push this autumn inwhich the millions of us who already use theinternet will be giving up a little of our owntime to show people who aren’t yet using theinternet what they’re missing.But you don’t have to be a famous face on

national television to become a DigitalChampion. All you need are some basiccomputer skills, a working knowledge of theinternet, the ability to build a good rapportwith people, and the patience to supportpeople learning something new. That soundslike pretty much every union learning rep I’veever met.If you’d like to become a unionlearn

Digital Champion, all you need do is sign on at the Race Online 2012 website:http://raceonline2012.org. The site includesmore information, and more resources, to help you make your own personal dent in that 8 million figure.

Barry Francis, Regional Manager

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Book yourticketsnow for

With just a few weeks to go before London hosts the UK’s biggest ever showcase for vocational skills, it’s time for union learning reps (ULRs) to register for tickets (if they haven’t already) and make the most of the freelearning resources.Taking place from Wednesday 5 to Saturday 8 October,

WorldSkills London 2011 will see almost 1,000 young peoplefrom across the globe compete for gold, silver and bronze medalsin skills as diverse as hairdressing, hospitality, floristry andgraphic design.As many as 150,000

visitors are expected toattend the event andallocated visitor slotsare fast running out soULRs should confirmtheir attendance toavoid disappointment. “WorldSkills London

2011 will provide aunique, amazing andinspiring experience tovisitors,” promisesChris Humphries,Chairman of WorldSkillsLondon 2011.“As well as well as

seeing skills in action,visitors will actually beable to try skills theymay never haveconsidered in anexciting, dynamicenvironment,” he says.Alongside the competition, the event has been designed to

ensure that young visitors learn about the skills on display andget the chance to ‘Have a Go’ at what’s on offer before finding out exactly how to go about ‘Making it Happen’ as a career choice by talking to employers, colleges, universities and training organisations.For further information on WorldSkills London 2011 and to

register for tickets go to: www.worldskillslondon2011.com/visit

Team UK members are hoping home advantagewill help them top their medal haul at theprevious WorldSkills (above) in Calgary, 2009


Southampton MPs John Denhamand Dr Alan Whitehead helpedlearners and learning reps at CityCollege Southampton celebratetheir achievements by presentingthem with their certificates at aceremony this summer.

City College’s Trade Union EducationCentre provides training for trade unionreps and union learning reps (ULRs), tohelp them play a key role in increasingskills in the region.

“Union learning reps trained by TUCEducation here at City College havechanged people’s lives through learningand opened up opportunities for themto develop their skills and theirknowledge,” commented SouthamptonTest MP Dr Whitehead.

Southampton Itchen MP JohnDenham said TUC Education courseshad helped hundreds and thousands ofpeople all over the country engage withlearning at work through the innovativeapproach of trained learning reps.

“ULRs are such a successful and cost-effective way of promotinglearning: they are everybody’s bestfriend in the workplace,” he pointed out.

Unionlearn Regional Manager BarryFrancis took the opportunity to launchProgression Pathways, a new TUCEducation booklet that provides adviceand guidance to learners and unionreps on how to recognise and developtheir own skills.

“Unionlearn is launching ProgressionPathways to help reps and learners get

more out of education: it will empowerpeople to progress, encourage them tothink about using their skills to coach,mentor, or teach and furnish them withthe information they need,” Barryexplained.

City College Vice-Principal IvanGregory said he was proud of thefantastic success the college had hadwith learners from all backgrounds andfrom a wide range of starting points.

“I know this booklet will be of greatuse not just to learners here but topeople all over the UK,” he added.

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MPs saluteSouthampton learners

City College Southampton learners celebrate theirachievements with local MPS Alan Whitehead(sixth left) and John Denham (ninth right)

Photo © Rob D

unning/Solent Studios

“ULRs are such asuccessful and cost-effective way ofpromoting learning:they are everybody’sbest friend in theworkplace.”


Feature interview

What was your experience oflearning while you were at school?I went to Westhoughton High School inWesthoughton, which is a little semi-ruralsatellite town of Bolton. The school didn’thave a great reputation at the time (althoughit’s completely pulled itself round sincethen). We were quite a boisterous bunch, theteachers had their work cut out: it was morecrowd control with us.I loved the social side of school: I never

bunked off because I was frightened ofmissing out on something. For me, it wasabout sitting on the back row with yourmates and having a good gossip. I enjoyedEnglish and drama and art but I wasn’tparticularly studious at the time. I was a bitof a class clown, to be honest.For most people, school was about getting

a job at the end of it: you weren’t reallypushed to do anything out of the ordinary.The teacher who was really inspirational tome was Mrs Mohaccson: she encouraged meto do A Levels. I did a Diploma in Performing Arts at

Salford College of Technology (now part ofthe University of Salford) that had A Levelsattached but I didn’t do very well in thembecause it was all about the acting for me. When I realised my mistake, I went to

Canon Slade School in Bolton and I said: “Ihear you’ve got a really good sixth form: can Icome and do my A Levels again?” It was a bitcheeky, but they said: “We’ve never donethat before, but okay, fair enough.” And theywere fantastic.

When and where did you go todrama school?When I left the sixth form I tried for dramaschool but I couldn’t get in anywhere. Mypoor grandad used to drive me all roundthe North-West to different companies toaudition and I didn’t get anything.I had a lot of people tell me that I wasn’t

cut out for it and I wasn’t what an actresswas or was expected to be, but I keptgoing: I knew I had to do it. I did lots ofother part-time jobs: I was a lifeguard foryears, I cleaned, I did all sorts of bits andpieces to keep going.

And then after three years of trying, I gotinto the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art(RADA) at the age of 21. RADA has thistradition and all these alumni: it wasintimidating to see all the names of thepast winners of bronze, silver and goldawards, but it was exciting to be part ofthat as well.The first year was quite tough. Eight or

nine of the 30 people in my year hadalready been to university, which meantthey had a vocabulary that I didn’t have,and I felt a little bit out of my depth. Forthe first time in my life there were teacherssaying I was a bit quiet! But then you think: “It’s only big

words,” and you catch up. Then once itbecame more practical in the second year, I was fine.

What was it like getting your bigbreak into TV in Victoria Wood’ssitcom Dinnerladies?I did Dinnerladies straight out of dramaschool. They were very warm andembracing, although some of them thoughtI was some kid Victoria Wood had picked upoff the street (some people still have aperception because of the accent).

Is there anyone you’ve workedwith who is your mentor?Marjorie Yates, who played my mum CarolFisher in Shameless. She’s just fantastic: Ican ring her about anything, she’ll comeand see all my shows, she’ll give me reallyhelpful notes. Marjorie’s got a real theatrebackground and I could listen to herstories all day about the people she’sworked with.

I think we all need a mentor, someoneyou can trust to push you in the rightdirection. RADA runs a buddy schemewhere third-year students get in touch withpeople who’ve left. I’m mentoring twoyoung actresses at the moment: one ofthem is playing the young MargaretThatcher in the forthcoming film The Iron Lady with Meryl Streep – she doesn’t really need my advice any more, I think I need hers!

Would you like to return to learn? Actors are learning continually becauseyou’re researching different periods intime, you’re forever reading – and that’sbeen brilliant, that’s been my education –but I’m beginning to think I’d like to domore. Something connected to literaturewould give me a bit more confidence,more of a grounding: I’d really like to do an English degree, perhaps through TheOpen University.

She took her A Levels twice, and spent three years tryingto get into drama school before winning a place at RADA.Now actress Maxine Peake reveals where she’d like to gonext on her learning journey.

Peak

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Actors are continually leabecause you’re researchidifferent periods in time, forever reading – and thabeen brilliant, that’s bee education – but I’m begito think I’d like to do mor

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keof her powers ©

Manuel H

arlan

Maxine PeakeCVBorn in Bolton in 1974, actressMaxine Peake was turned downby every theatre educationcompany she applied to, untilshe finally won a place at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Artin London at the age of 21.Since playing Twinkle in

Victoria Wood’s BBC sitcomDinnerladies, and Veronica inChannel 4’s drama seriesShameless, Maxine has takenon a wide range of parts fortelevision, including MyraHindley (See No Evil), TraceyTemple (Confessions of a DiarySecretary), Miss Wade (LittleDorrit) and Elizabeth Liliburne(The Devil’s Whore).This summer, Maxine starred

in Loyalty at Hampstead Theatre,Sarah Helm’s dramatisedaccount of her marriage to TonyBlair’s chief of staff JonathanPowell in the run-up to the GulfWar (main picture).

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learning ching me, you’re

that’s een my

eginning more.

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© Jess H

urd/reportdigital.co.uk

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“I’m delighted to receive this awardfrom unionlearn with the TUC: therereally isn’t a better buzz thanhelping people,” he says.Born in Ireland, Tom fell in love with

London when he visited the capital onholiday in the early 1960s, and latermoved here with his wife Noreen, whomhe’d met at a hotel in Killarney whereshe was working.Tom began working in the public

transport industry in 1967, starting as aconductor before switching to become adriver. He has been a member of whatwas then the Transport and GeneralWorkers Union (now part of Unite)throughout his working life.Following the launch of the Union

Learning Fund in 1998, Tom helpedfound the Learning on the Move initiative

at Metroline, which has enrolledhundreds of staff at the London buscompany over the past ten years.“We persuaded the company a

learning bus would be ideal for Metrolineas it is now: I think the company sold usthe bus for £1,” he recalls.A partnership between Metroline,

Unite, unionlearn and the College ofNorth East London (CONEL), Learning onthe Move has been one of the biggestsuccesses of the workplace learningmovement in recent years.“We must have more than 2,000

accreditations alone in IT and I can thinkof lots of people who have, as a result ofgoing on the IT courses, gone on tobecome supervisors and inspectors andsome of them are garage managersnow,” Tom reckons.

In his role as ULR, Tom has helpedencourage hundreds of his fellowworkers to develop themselves at theworkplace, and used his soundjudgement to identify potential newlearning reps, such as Cynthia Skervin.“Tom approached me and said: ‘You’d

be a good ULR because you have a goodrapport with people’. I said: ‘I’ll give it atry’ – although I didn’t know what alearning rep was at the time,” sherecalls.The initiative has made an enormous

difference not only to Metroline staff butalso to the wider community, she pointsout.“When Tom came in with the

programme of learning it was really greatbecause it built the drivers’ confidence,and the drivers’ families and children,

© Jess H

urd/reportdigital.co.uk

One of the longest-serving learning reps in the region, Unite activist TomO’Callaghan picked up a special award at unionlearn’s national conferencethis summer for all he has done to promote learning in the workplace.

Tom O’Callaghan (centre) collects hisspecial award from unionlearn BoardChair Mary Bousted and Unite Headof Lifelong Learning Tom Beattie

A fond farewell to Tom


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Actress Tina Hobley, best known for her role asno-nonsense ward sister Chrissie Williams inBBC TV hospital drama Holby City, has becomethe latest unionlearn Digital Champion topromote the benefits of getting online.

and people in the community: I know forsure even now some drivers who haveleft the company are still in educationbecause of what Tom did,” she says.On World Book Day 2008, Tom drove

the double-decker learning centrethrough the gates of Downing Street sothat ULRs and learners from the companycould join the then Prime MinisterGordon Brown for tea, alongside QuickReads authors Adele Parks and ColinJackson.And a year later, Tom was awarded an

MBE for services to lifelong learning inthe transport industry.

Although he has now retired, Tom stillspends two days a week at the Metrolinegarage in Cricklewood helping peoplereturn to learning.Unite Head of Lifelong Learning Tom

Beattie paid warm tribute to Tom whenhe presented him with his award at theunionlearn conference.“Tom O’Callaghan is an outstanding

example of the trade union learningethos: his dedication to spreadinglearning in his workplace, organisingcourses and learning activities andalways going that extra mile provides aresounding example not only to Uniteunion learning reps, but to everyone,”Tom said.TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances

O’Grady summed up the significance ofthe special award on behalf of the labourmovement in which Tom has played sucha vital role through his working life.“This award is merely a small token of

the high esteem in which he is held byunionlearn and the TUC and I wish himall the best for his retirement,” she said.

Through the Race Online 2012project, supported by unionlearn,Digital Champions are helpingspread the word about theinternet to the 8.7 million adultsin the UK who aren’t currentlyhooked up. “Everything from looking for and

applying for jobs, booking train orplane tickets, banking, courses andshopping can be done online: it isoften easier and cheaper to do so,”Tina says.“But, more than that, the internet

can open up a world of understandingand fun. It allows you to keep in touchby email with friends and family allover the world; you can catch up onnational news, or the latest plotlinesin Holby City; and you can use it topursue hobbies such as tracing yourfamily tree or learning about localhistory.”Tina depends on new technology to

help her run her hectic life with afamily of three and a full-time job onone of the nation’s favourite soaps.She is often to be spotted on setlearning her lines with the help of heriPad, and the Apple tablet also servesto distract her three children frombackseat car squabbles , she says.

“There are still members of the castand set of Holby City who need help:I’d say we are half high-tech and halflow-tech,” she says.Between Saturday 22 October and

Tuesday 6 November, Tina will betaking part in the national initiative GoON: Give An Hour, which will be urgingthe 30 million of us who already usethe internet to give up some of ourown time to transform other people’slives by showing them the wonders ofthe web.“If I want to think of things to do as

a family, I can look up what is goingon; the world is at my fingertips: Ihope to pass that message on,” shesays.“If I can use my celebrity as an

actress to support charities and as aunionlearn Digital Champion, I hopethat I can help others.”You don’t have to be famous to

become a Digital Champion: all youneed is the knowledge andenthusiasm to encourage and inspirepeople to try something new. Find out more at:

http://champions.go-on.co.uk/

Holby starbacks onlinecampaign

“When Tom came in withthe learning programme,it was really greatbecause it built thedrivers’ confidence, andthe drivers’ families andchildren, and people inthe community.”

Tina Hobley is passingon the message that theinternet brings the worldto your fingertips


Contacts

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Unionlearn Southern and Eastern Region

Congress HouseGreat Russell StreetLondon WC1B 3LS 020 7467 1251

Regional education office 020 7467 1284

Outreach office

Community and Trade Union Learning Centre 020 3288 5520

Regional Manager

Barry Francis [email protected]

Regional Coordinator

Jon Tennison [email protected]

Community and Trade Union Learning Centre Manager

Phil Spry [email protected]

Senior Union Support Officers

Mick Hadgraft [email protected] Barber [email protected]

Union Support Officers

Adrian Ryan [email protected] Oreleo Du Cran [email protected] Lucyszyn [email protected]

Field Worker

Jane Warwick [email protected]

Regional Education Officers

Rob Hancock [email protected] Daly [email protected]

Administration

Sonia Dawson [email protected] Garcia [email protected] Ghtoray [email protected] Nelson [email protected] Owusu [email protected]

Cover photo of Maxine Peake in Loyalty at Hampstead Theatre by Manuel Harlan

There are a number of regional and local networks andforums taking place this autumn, and we’re urging ULRsand project workers to book their places now.All of the meetings will give you the opportunity to meet other

reps, share best practice and discuss changes in policies andfunding. There will also be guest speakers providinginformation on a wide range of issues from a variety oforganisations.

The East of England Regional Networkmeets on Tuesday 27September at Cambridge Professional Development Centre(10.30am–3.30pm).

The South East Regional Networkmeets on Thursday 29September at Ruskin College Oxford (10.30am–3.30pm).

The Cambridgeshire and Bedford Forummeets on Monday 3October at Perkins in Peterborough (10.30am–3pm).

The Hertfordshire and Essex Forummeets on Monday 10October in Letchworth (venue to be confirmed)(10.30am–3pm).

The Southampton Local Networkmeets on Tuesday 11 Octoberat City College Southampton (10.30am–1pm).

The Suffolk and Norfolk Forummeets on Monday 24 October atBury St Edmunds Library (10.30am–3pm).

The Gatwick Area Local Networkmeets on Wednesday 26October at Gatwick Airport (10.30am–1pm).

To find out more and book your place, please [email protected]

This autumn’s regional events

Make a dateThe sixth unionlearn Southernand Eastern annual conferencewill be held on Tuesday 1 November 2011 from 9.30am to 3.30pm at TUCheadquarters in CongressHouse in London.A wide range of workshops

will offer participants thechance to pick up the latestinformation on initiatives including:

� Skills for Life � Green skills � Health, work, and well-being � Working with the community � Equality and diversity.To book your place, please contact Sonia Dawson

by Friday 7 October 2011. Email [email protected] Tel: 020 7467 1251


Update - Southern and Eastern Region magazine (Autumn 2011)

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Transcript of Update - Southern and Eastern Region magazine (Autumn 2011)