north west collective learning fund
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NORTH WEST COLLECTIVE LEARNING FUNDS -
A CASE STUDY
Contents2 Contents
3 Introduction
4 Merseytravel
6 UsdawCheckoutLearning
8 UsdawAndArgosWidnes
10 PCsAndOfficeNationalstatistics
12 TgWUAndArgosHeywoodDistributionCentre
14 CWUandTheRoyalMail
16 AmicusandManchesterAirport
18 UsdawandUnichem
3
It is widely recognised that the future prosperity of
the United Kingdom within the global economy is
dependent on increasing the skills of the workforce.
In response to this the Labour government has
sought to promote and facilitate Lifelong Learning
since coming to power in 1997. significant progress
hasalreadybeenmade.Over1.7millionadultshave
gained literacyandnumeracyqualificationsthrough
theskillsforLifeprogrammeandmorethanamillion
adults have achieved the platform of employability
skillsthroughalevel2qualification.Yet,theambitious
targets outlined in the Leitch Report ‘Prosperity for
AllintheglobalEconomy:WorldClassskills’ indicate
thattheseachievementsneedtobeconsolidatedand
extendedfurtheriftheambitionofjoiningtheworlds
‘premierleague’forskillsistoberealised.
Onewaytodothisisthroughnegotiatedagreements
between trade unions and employers to set up
collective arrangements to pool resources and
increase value for money in support of learning in
theworkplace.Withthisinmind,theDepartmentfor
Innovationandskills(DIUs),theTradeUnionCongress
(TUC) and unionlearn are working together on the
North West Collective Learning Fund (CLF) Project
to identify, pilot and evaluate a number of different
approaches forpooling resources,bothcashand in-
kind,providedbythestate,individualemployeesand
employers.Thefindingswillbebroughttogetherina
reporttoproviderecommendationstoMinisters,that
setoutsomerealwaysofworking inpartnership to
support the development needs of both individuals
andbusiness.
I hope you find the case studies below useful in
providing an early outline of the partnerships, co-
investmentmethodsandactiontakenbytradeunion
colleagues, to test innovative ways of resourcing
effectivelearningpartnershipsintheworkplace.
FrankHegarty
ProjectCo-ordinator
Introduction and Background
NORTH WEST COLLECTIVE LEARNING FUNDS A CASE STUDY
4 5
co-investment action
The Partnership
The Union Learning Representative
ThekeyfunctionsundertakenbytheULRstoimplement
theCLFpilotaresetoutbelow:
worktowardsbuildinganeffectiveco-investment
approachacrossMerseytraveloperations
actasinitialpointofreferenceforallCLFenquiries
encouragethestaffwithintheMerseytravelto
investinworkforcedevelopment
provideaccesstopersonaldevelopment
opportunities
continuetodeveloplearningresourcescentre
withintheworkplace
assistinimplementingthegovernment’scurrent
learninginitiatives
workonpartnershipwithotherorganisationssuch
astheunionlearnandtheLearningskillsCouncil
toensurethepartnershipisasuccessandcanbe
sustained
Employer contributions - courses currently run
under the remit of personal development will be
identified for budgeting purposes
Trade union/individual contribution - how will
the trade unions at Merseytravel raise their
contribution towards the fund? Including, the
feasibility of non-members paying into the fund
A CLF Constitution - application/approval process,
i.e. what criteria will applications be considered
against - rules to be eligible to make an application
for support and programmes that can be funded.
Appeals process if application is refused.
Financial management of the fund - will
Merseytravel Accounts Department be able to
support?
Who will operate the fund on a day-to-day basis?
What responsibility will the ULRs have?
How will the CLF link into other training funding
initiatives, including the services provided
through the Government’s Train to Gain?
Merseytravel is an organisation that has developed a
partnershipapproachtolearninganddevelopment.It
haswellestablishedstructuresonthelearningagenda
throughbodiessuchasthejointlearningforumwhere
managementandtradeunionlearningrepresentatives
meetonaregularbasistotakeforwardlearningwithin
the organisation and oversee the operation of the
LearningCentres.
As an employer, Merseytravel has supported a wide
rangeofdevelopmentactivitiesoutsideofwhatwould
normally be provided through standard workforce
development.Theseinclude:
Well-publicised skills for life agenda with full time
given/timebackinlieuforallskillsforLifelearning
ICTforstaffinNonICTrolerangingfromswitch-On
toECDL
Language training with open college network
coursesrunningofaneveningandduringlunchtime
onMerseytravelpremises
Tastersessionsonalternativetherapies
Digitalphotography
Through a mixture of employer support and other
fundingsourcesithasbeenpossibletoprovidethese
programmesfreeofchargetoMerseytravelstaff.
Due to changing in funding regimes it is proving
increasinglydifficultforfundingtobeprovidedforstaff
toundertakesuchcourses(withtheexclusionofskills
forLife)freeofcharge.
In order to receive employer financial support it has
always been necessary to link the programmes to
specific business benefits, e.g. upskilling all staff in
ICT helps a smother implementation of IT in new
areas,provisionof languagetraininghelpstosupport
LiverpoolbeingEuropeanCapitalofCulture,provision
of aspiring supervisors programme assists with
successionplanningintheorganisation.Howeverthis
hasrestrictedtherangeofcoursesithasbeenpractical
tooffer
Due to the structures already in place within
Merseytravel it was felt that the creation of a
Collective Learning Fund (CLF) would be relatively
straightforward. A decision was taken to create
a sub group of the Joint Learning Forum (JLF),
comprising of both Managers and union learning
representatives to oversee the creation of a co-
investment pilot
6 7
co-investment actionThe Partnership
Usdaw Checkout Learning
The Union Learning Representative
ThekeyfunctionsundertakenbytheULRstoimplement
theCLFpilotaresetoutbelow:
active participation within a network of other
tradeunionULRsacrossLiverpoolCityCentreand
Knowsleytopromoteandsupport learningwithin
theirstore
pilot thenotionofa‘Mobile’ULR topromote,co-
ordinate and organise the learning activity and
supportanddevelopthein-store’ULRs’
engagingwithlocalemployerstoactivelysupport
thecheckoutlearningprojectCLFpilot
developing new and innovative ways of making
learning accessible and affordable for their staff,
includingTraintogain.
identifying learning or training needs at the CLF
steeringgroup
promoting the value of investing in learning and
encouragingindividualcontributions
negotiating with employers to introduce suitable
co-investmentapproacheswithintheworkplace
The overall aims of the Collective Learning Fund
Pilot will be to raise awareness amongst employers
and employees within the retail sector about the
importance of training, development and broader
learning and the impact it has on both business and
the individual.
Also, the pilot aims make a broad range of vocational
and personal learning available to those employees
in the sector to ensure they can meet the demands of
the sector and fulfil their own potential.
It will do this through:
Working with a network of providers in Merseyside
to make available a range of accessible and
affordable learning beneficial to the individual, the
sector and the local economy.
examining the possibilities of a retail learning
voucher, or Collective / Individual Learning Account
designed to make learning affordable for retail
employees and redeemable through the network of
providers
developing a network of Union Learning Reps
(ULRs) across the region to promote and support
learning within their store
identifying and pilot the notion of a ‘ Mobile’ ULR
to promote, co-ordinate and organise the learning
activity and support and develop the in-store’ ULRs’
engaging with local employers to actively support
the checkout learning project and contribute to
making learning accessible and affordable for their
staff, including Train to Gain.
linking with appropriate regional/ national bodies
including Skillsmart, LSC, RDA to identify ways of
funding development within retail
ensuring the promotion of the project is an integral
part of Full Time Officer’s work within the region.
developing a range of publicity and promotional
materials to support the pilot
The pilot will run for 12 months and will be managed by
Usdaw and Union via ‘Retail Collective Learning Fund Steering
Group. Membership of the group will comprise of:-
Usdaw Lifelong Learning Project Worker / co-
ordinator
Mobile Union Learning Representative/s
Union Learn Project Worker
Representatives from each of the partner providers
L.S.C
Skillsmart
Next Steps
Employer Representative – where possible
The group will meet on a quarterly basis and will be
responsible for advising and guiding the development
and delivery of the project.
Given the priority status of retail and the recognised
need to attract and upskill employees in the sector, it is
proposed that a portfolio of learning and development
is devised and made available to retail workers in the
region.
To access the portfolio a ‘Learning Voucher’ redeemable
at partner colleges in the area will be introduced.
Administration of the voucher will be via the Mobile
ULR or ‘in store’ ULR and the learning offer would cover
a range of subjects both vocational and personal which
includes:-
Skills for Life (delivered in a variety of contexts)
Introductory ICT
ECDL / CLAIT
Internet & e Mai
Introductory Language courses
British Sign Language
NVQ in customer care, food hygiene – or other
appropriate vocational qualifications.
Usdaw’s accredited ‘return to learn’ course
RetailhasbeenidentifiedasoneofMerseyside’spriority
sectors,both in termsof recruitingandup-skilling it’s
growingworkforce
Usdawistheprimaryretailingunionwithrecognition
agreementsinfourofthe‘bigfive’foodretailersinthe
sector,i.e.Tesco,sainsburys,Morrison’sandsomerfield,
aswellasnumberoflargenon-foodretailers.
The retail sector in general is relatively low paid and
low skilled and employees on the whole have few, if
any,qualifications.
Despite Usdaw’s success in developing learning
strategiesandrecognisedlearningagreementsoutside
ofretail,whichhaveencouragedover20,000members
backintolearning, ithasprovenextremelydifficultto
formallyengageretailemployersintheagenda,despite
theintroductionofstatutoryrightsforULRs.
Usdawbelievetheyhaveadutytoensuremembersin
theretailsectorhaveaccesstoaccessibleandaffordable
learningtogainandvalidatetheskillsthatwillsecure
theiremployability,aidtheirprogressionandimprove
theirqualityoflife.
Making learning accessible to the retail membership
isnowanUsdawpriorityanddevelopingsustainable
models for retail to enable access and encourage
individualandemployer‘buyin‘hasbeenattheheart
ofourstrategyindevisingthe‘RetailCollectiveLearning
FundPilot’.
8 9
co-investment action
The Union Learning Representative
ThekeyfunctionsundertakenbytheULRstoimplement
theCLFpilotaresetoutbelow:
engaging with on-site company managers to
actively support the implementation of the CLF
pilotattheWidnessite
developing new and innovative ways of making
learningaccessibleandaffordableforstaff,including
Train to gain and other government sponsored
initiatives
Identifyinglearningortrainingneedsandappropriate
fundingroutes
promoting the value of investing in learning and
encouragingindividualcontributions
negotiatingwiththeemployertoestablishsuitable
co-investmentapproacheswithintheworkplace
Develop a collective model of good practice with
employer,unionandproviders todelivera rangeof
accessible and affordable learning which meets the
needsoftheindividualandtheorganisation
Identifygapsincurrentmodelincludingfunding
Establish a programme of personal and vocational
learningtobedeliveredthroughtheon-sitelearning
centreincludingIAg
Examine current and future funding model for
learningandidentifyhowitcanbeimproved
UpdateexistingLearningAgreement
Identify ways of utilising government initiatives to
enhancethelearningoffere.g.Traintogain
Establishcurrentlearningtrendsoflearningandways
ofattractingnew/progressionlearners.
Measureimpactoflearning–Individual&Employer
Internalpromotions
Absenteeism
staffretention
Qualificationsgained
The Partnership
Usdaw and Argos Widnes
‘Home Retail group’ is a call centre site, employingapprox 1200 people dealing with the full range ofArgosandHomebasecallsandadministration.Usdaw have approximately 90% membership on siteandthelearningcentre‘TheLearningCurve’,establishedapproximately5yearsagohashelpedinthis.The site has well established union and learninginfrastructure which provides support for the ‘TheLearning Curve’. The centre offers a range of coursessuch as Basic Maths, English, IT, Languages and NVQs/ Apprenticeship training. It also boasts a joint sitelevelLearningCommitteeanda recognisedLearningAgreement, 9 trained ULRs and 2 ULR Learning Co-ordinatorsarefundedbytheCompany.
The partnership approach to learning at the site issupported by a robust relationship with KnowsleyCommunity College, providing vital input to theLearningCommitteetohelpmakelearningaccessibleandaffordable.
The NW CLF Project presented the site with theopportunitytolookmorecloselyattheeffectivenessofthepartnershipandhowitworks,particularlyinrelationtotheprovisionofvocationalskillsandindividualsownlearninganddevelopmentopportunities.Itencouragedthe site to evaluate the contributions of each of thepartners including the Company, Union, College andtheindividualsandtore-examinethepotentialofstatefunded support such as Train to gain which wouldotherwiseremaininguntapped.
InsummarytheoverallaimoftheCLFinitiativeatArgosistomaximisetheusageofthecollectivecontributionsandresourcesavailablewithinthepartnershiptoensurethe skill and learningneedsof thecompanyand theindividual were being met in the most effective way.Andsubsequentlytoimprovethelearningagreement,infrastructure,resourcesandprovideamorecohesiveframeworkofopportunitiestomeetthoseneeds.
10 11
co-investment action
The Partnership
The Union Learning Representative
ThekeyfunctionsundertakenbytheULRstoimplement
theCLFpilotaresetoutbelow:
meeting with ULRs from other government
Departmentstoexplorejointcollectiveapproaches
withinthelocalarea
identifyinggaps incurrentapproach to resourcing
learning at the Birkdale site including funding
issues
establishing a programme of personal and
vocational learningtobedeliveredthroughanew
on-sitelearningcentre
implementing effective information and guidance
processes
examining present and future plans for funding
learning at Birkdale to consider how better
collaborationbetweenULRsandtheemployercan
supporton-sitelearninganddevelopment
drawingupabusinesscasetomanagementforthe
LearningCentre
encouragingandsupportingalearningculturethat
establishes individual and employer investment
withinONs.
analysinglearningortrainingneeds
providing information or advice about learning or
trainingmatters
arranginglearningortraining
promoting the value of learning or training and
encouragingindividualinvestment
consulting the employer about carrying out new
and innovative approaches to resourcing learning
througheffectivecollaboration
Through the CLF pilot work is in place to build on
and develop the early successes by exploring new
ways to:
set up joint ventures/on-site learning centre with
othergovernmentDepartmentsinsouthport
supportotherfundraisingeventsfor‘learningatwork’
day
explore feasibilityof‘videoconferencecourses’with
otherunionbranches/ONssites
exploresettingupvideoconferencelearningevents
withlocalFEcolleges
build concrete CLF arrangements into learning
agreementwithmanagement
developeffectiveevaluation/reviewmechanismsto
informnextsteps;and
set up a ‘learning account’ for use by all sites and
learningpartners
develop a collective model of good practice with
employer,unionandproviderstodeliverarangeof
accessibleandaffordable learningwhichmeetsthe
needsoftheindividualandtheorganisation
Over900peopleworkatONssouthport,mostofthem
inthegeneralRegisterOffice(gRO).gROadministers
the registration of births, deaths and marriages in
England & Wales and maintains the National Health
service Central Register (NHsCR), an administrative
serviceprovidedtotheDepartmentofHealthandthe
NationalHealthservice.TheDepartmentalsohasasmall
numberofpeopleworkinginInformationManagement
andHumanResourcefunctions,providingsupport to
gRO.
Although part of ONs, the work of gRO is distinctly
non-statistical in nature, with most jobs having an
administrative,customerservicesorlegalfeeltothem.
PCs has been working to establish effective learning
partnershipswithONsatthesitesinceJuly2005when
theRegionalLearningservicesOfficerfirstvisitedthe
sitetoaddresstheBranchExecutiveCommittee(BEC).
since then five Union Learning Reps (ULRs) have
undertaken training and have conducted a staff
Learningsurvey,coordinatedreadinggroups,organised
twoLearningatWorkdaysandarrangedon-siteclasses
inspanishandBritishsignLanguage.ADepartmental
LearningAgreementhasbeennegotiatedandworkis
underwayonlocallevelagreements.ULRssitontheBEC
andattendTrainingLiaisonOfficerNetworkmeetings
soarethoroughlyinvolvedinthebranch.InAprilthis
year the employer demonstrated its commitment to
learningintheworkplacebysigningthegovernment’s
skillsPledgetohelpalleligibleemployeesbenefitform
supportaimedataddressingskillsforLifeneedsanda
firstfullNVQLevel2.
PCS and Office National Statistics
12 13
co-investment action
The Partnership
The Union Learning Representative
ThekeyfunctionsundertakenbytheULRstoimplement
theCLFpilotaresetoutbelow:
representing the views of employees at the CLF
steeringgroup
promoting the value of learning including the
benefitsandencouragingindividualcontribution
supporting and encouraging employees to
undertakeLifelongLearning
keepingup-to-dateonLifelongLearning initiatives
toadvisemembers
assistingwithemployerrequesttopromoteagreed
skillsdevelopmentactivity
receiving and communicating information about
Lifelong Learning activity and initiatives to all
employeesonsiteonaregularbasis
actingasexpertpointofreferenceforallenquireson
theCLFpilotanditsconstitution
buildonanddevelopearliersuccesswithrecenton-
sitelearningactivity
reviewexistingfundingarrangementsprovidedbythe
companytosupportlifelonglearningcourses
exploreinnovativewaystoencouragewiderindividual
contributions
considerhowacollectivefundmightenhanceexisting
union/employersupportforULRdevelopment
highlighttheadvantagesinapproachusedthrough
nationallearningagreementbetweencompanyand
unionsandlocalcollaborationsatsitelevel
exploretheissuesraisingbarrierstoinvolvementin
thegovernment’sTraintogainprogramme
explorelinks/possiblesupportbythesectorlead
(skillsforLogistics)
ArgosdistributioninHeywoodiscommittedtoworking
alongsideTgWUtomakeaneffectivecommitmentto
Lifelong Learning for all employees at the Heywood
site and to the agreed policy set out in the National
Learning Agreement. This was highlighted when
the senior ULRs and management team gave their
full agreement and commitment for a CLF pilot to
take place. A sub group of the Learning steering
Committeewasformedtoagreeadevelopmentplan
and agreement was gained for the CLF account to
bemanagedbythecompany in linewith itsexisting
accounting standards. This allows the company to
collect individual contributions to learning through
thestaffpayrollsystemsandreimburselocalproviders
throughthesamesystems.Aspreadsheethasbeenset
uptomonitorcourseattendanceandtheinformation
is used to highlight learning trends for discussion at
CLFmeetings.Throughthepilotthepartnershipcarried
outareviewofexistingfundingarrangementsandhas
alreadycarriedoutsomechangesatthelocallevel.One
exampleofthisiswhereunderanexistingarrangement
theCompanyhadoriginallyagreedtopaycoursefees,
approved by the learning partnership, on successful
completion of the course i.e. certification awarded.
FollowingdiscussionattheCLFsubgroup‘success’has
nowbeenredefinedasnothavingtopassandreceive
acertificatebutinsteadasdemonstrating‘willingness
tolearn’whichcanbeevidencedasattendanceatthe
fullcourseandcommitmenttolearningwhilethere.
Both the T&g and the Company believe that
Personal and Career Development complement
Job-specific Training and Development. Through
better collaboration and collective working both are
committedtomakinglearningasaccessibleaspossible
forallemployeesregardlessoftheirage,sex,race,and
disability or employee status. The Heywood on-site
learning facility is one example of this.The CLF pilot
aimstoharnessandmaximiseopportunitiesavailable
throughexternallocalandnationalinitiatives,suchas
accreditedlearningandtradeunioneducationandthe
UniversityforIndustry,aswellasopportunitiesavailable
throughinternalCompanytrainingprogrammes.
TGWU and Argos Heywood Distribution Centre
14 15
co-investment action
The Partnership
The Union Learning Representative
ThekeyfunctionsundertakenbytheULRstoimplement
theCLFpilotaresetoutbelow:
analysingindividuallearningortrainingneeds
managingCLFfunds
providinginformationoradviceabouttheCLFpilot
constitution
encouraging innovative approaches to support
sustainabilityoflearning
arranginglearningortrainingandprovidingfollow-
upsupport
promoting the value of learning and encouraging
individualcontributions
consultingtheemployeraboutincreasedpartnership
workingandsharedplanningforlearningactivity
TheCreweCLFpilotaimstobuildontheinitialsuccess
ofthelearningcentrebydevelopingfurtherlearning
opportunitiesforthe500membersonsiteandaround
150membersinthesatelliteunitswithinthesurrounding
area.Theactionplanincludesexpandingtherangeof
learningopportunitiesavailabletostaffthroughplans
involvingtheuseoflaptopsfordistancelearning.
ApproacheshavebeenmadetoRoyalMailtoenterinto
discussionsaboutaformalLearningAgreementatthe
sitetounderpintheco-investmentpartnership.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has
7 learning centres and over 100 Union Learning
Representatives in the North West. The Crewe CLF
pilot is a partnership between the CWU, and Royal
MailandiscentredintheLearningCentreattheRoyal
MailAutomatedProcessingCentreinCreweandinthe
satelliteoffices in the surroundingarea.RayAtkinson,
Regional Learning Project Worker recognised that
althoughdevelopmentofthecentrewasstillatavery
early stage, improved partnership working through a
CLFpilotwouldadd realvalueandcouldexpandon
the range of opportunities available at the site and
surroundingarea.
The partnership has already had early some success
withlearningfocussedaroundEsOL,spanishandBasic
Computing. some of these courses have been run in
partnership with other trade unions includingTgWU
Unite and the Fire Brigades Union and others with
largelocalemployerslikeCrewe&NantwichBorough
Council.
CWU and The Royal Mail
16 17
co-investment action
The Partnership
The Union Learning Representative
ThekeyfunctionsundertakenbytheULRstoimplement
theCLFpilotaresetoutbelow:
engaging with MAA HR team to actively support
theimplementationoftheCLFpilotattheAirport
developing new and innovative ways of making
learningaccessibleandaffordableforstaff,including
Train to gain and other government sponsored
initiatives
identifyinglearningortrainingneedsandappropriate
fundingroutes
promoting the value of investing in learning and
encouragingindividualcontributionsbypromoting
thebenefits
negotiatingwiththeemployertoestablishsuitable
co-investmentapproacheswithintheworkplace
increase the number of ULRs on site through
informeddialoguewithothertradeunions
FocusonManchesterAirportgroup(MAg)Personal
andself-developmentscheme(PAss)andinparticular
exploreissuesrelatingto:
individualcontributionsfrommembers
setupofCLFmanagementprocesses
improvedlinkswithotherunionsoperatingatthe
Airport
improvedlinkswithMAgmanagement
improvedsharingofresourcesatthesite
A Union Learning Fund Project has supported the
development of the learning agenda at Manchester
Airport for several years and through it a number of
ULRshavebeenrecruitedandtrained. Theemployer
operates a company Personal and self Development
scheme (PAss) designed to provide grants of £150
foranyemployeewishing toundertake learning that
can be linked to activity at the Airport. Importantly,
thelearningdoesnothavetobelinkeddirectlytothe
day-to-day job role of the applicant but instead the
application needs to demonstrate how the learning
mightbenefittheairportonawiderandmoregeneral
basis.However,theschemewasnotwidelypromoted
and historically uptake was extremely low. Through
the CLF pilot it was decided to address this issue by
promoting the existing scheme more widely with
union members and also develop a parallel union-
led PAss would focus it’s funding on non-vocational
learning and personal development activity that
might be ineligible through the company scheme,
but could be seen to meet the requests for learning
bymembers. ACLFsteeringgroupwas formedand
it was agreed at the first meeting to focus the initial
activity on the Airport’s Engineering Division, where
employees had traditionally had little opportunity
forpersonaldevelopmentactivityand, insomecases,
limitedscopeforjobrelatedtraining,Bydoingthisitis
intended to better utilize the employer contribution
and leveradditional funding fromother tradeunions
andindividualstowidenparticipationinlearningand
engagehardtoreachlearnersacrossthesite.
Amicus and Manchester Airport
18 19
co-investment action
The Partnership
The Union Learning Representative
Ayub says,” We have two ULRs at UniChem, Bharat
Vaja,who isadriverandme,AyubPatel, thePutaway
supervisor.OurULRroleissharedwithourdayjobs.We
were approached by our union shop steward, shaun
griffith.Heapproachedmanagementwiththeideato
openalearningcentreinourworkplacewiththehelp
ofthetradeunionwhichisUsDAW.
I wanted to be a ULR because I have knowledge of
manydifferentlanguages.Wehavealargepercentage
ofpeoplewithethnicbackgroundswhomaystruggle
withEnglish,sothismywayofhelpingthemandgetting
themintoeducationtoimprovetheirprospects.
AsULRsweweretoldbyshaunthatwewouldbegiven
fulltrainingtodoourduties,whichIamhappytosay
thatwehavebeengiven.Wewentona5daycourse
ontheroleofULRsattheUsDAWofficesinWarrington.
UniChemgaveustimeoffandsupporttodothisand
alsoanytimeweneedtodoourdutiesasrequired.
We have a steering group which we are part of and
wehaveregularmeetingstodiscussourplansforthe
LearningZone.
OurrolesasULRsistoprovideinformationandguidance
to our employees which is done by group briefing,
one to ones and displaying posters with the help of
unionprojectworkers,managementandourlearning
providers.Webelievethatworkinginpartnershipwith
UniChemhasbeenthekeytooursuccesssofar. We
nowwanttobuildonthisandthroughtheCLFpilotput
theskillswehaveacquiredtogooduse.Wewillhavea
leadingrole,workingalongsidethecompany’sHRstaff,
in looking at different ways to bring in the resources
neededtosupportthelearningcarriedattheLearning
Zone, including some new ideas on how we might
involveworkersatneighbouringcompanies.”
Pilotwill:
considerhowaCLFcancomplementtheexisting
plansfornewlyopenedsitelearningcentre
set-upspecificaccounttosupportthepilot
identifyjointfundingresourceacrossemployer,TU
membersandthestate
workwithproviderstoencourageon-sitelearning
delivery
explorecollectiveimplicationsforcompanynational
learningagreement/arrangements
establishlearningpartnershipswithother
businessesontheindustrialpark
UniChem Preston is a Regional Distribution Centre for
Pharmaceuticalproducts.ItdeliverstoChemists,Hospitals
andDispensingDoctorsonatwicedailybasis.Itcurrently
employs over 250 staff within a wide variety of roles
andshiftpatterns.Therolesincludedrivers,warehouse
operatives,administrationstaff, andmanagement. The
companyinrecentyearshasexpandedandadaptedto
thePharmaceuticalmarketandcontinuestobealeader
inthisfield.In2006thecompanymergedwithBootsthe
ChemisttobecomeAllianceBoots.
The company holds corporate IIP status and is
committed to thedevelopmentof itsemployees. As
partofthis,regularonetoonesarecarriedoutwithall
staff,internalpromotionisencouragedandsuccession
planning has been adopted in order to ensure that
ourpeoplehaveasmanyopportunitiestoprogressas
possible.
In 2007 UsDAW shop steward and UniChem driver,
shaungriffith,hadtheideaofopeningalearningcentre
whichwouldbea jointprojectbetweenUsDAWand
UniChemandwouldbeavailabletoallemployees.He
approached the general Manager, Alan Danson, with
theidea.Alanembracedtheconceptandtookittothe
Board.seeingthebenefitstoboththecompanyand
itsindividualstheBoardsignedoffthemoneyneeded
tosetupthestateoftheartlearningcentre.UsDAW
matchedthefunding.
UniChemLearningZoneisaperfectexampleofTrade
Unions and Employers working closely together to
achieveasharedgoal.sincethelaunchoftheLearning
Zone the support of other partners has also been
enlisted.LancashireCollegeandCarterandCarterare
now an integral part of the steering Committee and
theyperformthevital rolesof learningprovidersand
specialists in their own fields. All parties have learnt
fromeachotherandworktogetherharmoniously.
We are currently offering both vocational and non-
vocational courses as we believe that personal
development reaches further than just vocational
qualifications and we recognise the return on
investment from allowing employees to take up
courses that they will enjoy. Both the employer and
employees are contributing towards this learning as
we believe that more commitment from learners is
gainedthisway.
The NW CLF Project has provided the Unichem and
Usdawcollaborationwiththeopportunitytoexamine
how the balance of funding and other contributions
including a variety of in-kind contributions to the
LearningZonecanbebroughttogethertoensurebest
valueinmeetingtheneedsofbothindividualsandthe
company.Thepilotwillalsoexplorearrangementsfor
allowingwideraccess to theLearningZonebyother
companiesandtheirstaffrepresentedontheindustrial
park.
UNICHEM AND USDAW
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