Unionlearn will provide support and advice on lifelong learning and workforce development across England and play a key role in meeting the Government's Skills Strategy. 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.
The project is a partnership between the Department for Education and Skills and TUC, and the Government has provided £4.5 million funding for initial costs. From April 2007, unionlearn will also takeover the management of the Union Learning Fund, which is currently more than £14 million, from the Learning & Skills Council.
Unionlearn will also support workplace Union Learning Representatives (ULRs). There are currently 14,000 trained learning representatives in the UK. By 2010, unionlearn aims to have recruited 22,000 learning representatives, and will help 250,000 workers into learning each year.
Unionlearn Director Liz Smith said: '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.'
Unionlearn brings together TUC Education, union learning services and skills research. 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. Online learning opportunities will also be available through www.unionlearn.org.uk .
Text from TUC press notice