TUC Learning Services: National
Case studies and projects (500 words)
issued 8 Nov 2002
rap with your rep
Learning representatives are the key to lifelong learning
and workplace development says Steve Roden, development
worker at Birmingham/Solihull IAG
[glossary explanation] Network Workforce
Development, lifelong learning, basic
skills [glossary explanation] needs, employed learners,
career decision making - just some of the buzzwords used by
government policy makers.
Everyone agrees that policies to boost the skills levels
of employed people are important, but it’s not always
clear how they link together.
It can seem that we’re several policy initiatives short
of a coherent strategy when it comes to enabling working
people to learn. But there is one development in the
workplace that links all of these ideas together - the
learning representative.
Learning representatives have a unique role to play in
promoting learning in the workplace because they are
ordinary staff members, independent of both government and
the employers, who act as the link between working people
and official policy on learning.
It ’s why Birmingham and Solihull IAG partnership has
been developing strong links with the learning
representatives in its area.
These started following a regional conference for
learning representatives in Birmingham last year which was
also attended by the co-ordinators of the West Midlands IAG
partnerships, and staff from local network organisations.
It was agreed that local learning representatives would
benefit from being linked to the network of information,
advice and guidance
[glossary explanation] organisations in the Birmingham
and Solihull area and would be able to use network
organisations as sources of information and refer on members
who needed specialist or in-depth help.
As a result TUC Learning Services launched the Birmingham
and Solihull ULR
[glossary explanation] Network at the Birmingham TUC
Learning Centre.
The network partnership came up with the idea of a pack
of information contained in a bag with the network logo. The
pack contained a referral directory listing approved local
advice and guidance providers, the local LSC
[glossary explanation] guide to learning opportunities
for adults in the area, and details of the network hub, the
Learning Shop.
The pack was presented to a group of learning
representatives at the launch of the Birmingham and Solihull
Union Learning Representative network, by TUC Learning
Services, at the Birmingham TUC Learning Centre in May.
Fifty packs have now been given out to local learning
representatives and Unison lifelong learning advisors.
The challenge now is to keep the momentum going. Where a
learning centre has been set up, it can join the network as
a full or associate member. Most learning representatives do
not have the luxury of operating in this way, and what ’s
needed are ways of supporting them in their workplace.
The partnership has two strategies for dealing with this:
- developing a ‘buddying
’ system that gives each representative a network
staff member at the end of a telephone who can help them
find information and support them in their work with
clients
- inviting representatives
to workshops on advice issues (such as working with
refugees and asylum seekers).
Contact: Steve Roden.Tel:0121 248 8071 email: steve.roden@cebp.co.uk
