UNISON has always had a proud tradition of providing learning opportunities for our members. The Union Learning Fund allowed us to extend our reach to non-members as well, meaning that we could help thousands more public services workers improve their skills and knowledge. In councils, schools, hospitals, call centres, universities, to name only a few of the plethora of workplaces the Union Learning fund reaches, union members and non-members alike have benefited. Subjects as fundamental as English, maths, and IT open doors that may have remained locked since a worker left school.
Those opportunities are life-changing for those workers. An event supported by the Union Learning Fund can start a journey that might lead to a worker returning to education, becoming eligible for promotion, or even being able to read a bedtime story to their children for the first time. But we all win when the people who deliver the public services that we all rely on have the skills they need to do their jobs, are happy and fulfilled at work, and have the opportunity to develop themselves and reach their full potential.
That’s why we’re joining the TUC’s campaign and urging all our members to speak up in support of union learning.
Sign the petition to Save Union Learning
Write to your MP:
Tweet your support using the #SaveUnionLearning hashtag
If you’ve experienced the benefits of union learning for yourself and want to share that with other people in your workplace, you might be interested in becoming a UNISON learning rep. This is a really rewarding role that allows you to advocate for and empower others to reach their full potential – through learning.
We’re holding a webinar in November to explore more about the role and answer your questions.