Steve CraigUCATT

National Project Worker

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TUC ‘Advocating for Apprentices’ Conference16th April 2010

Mentoring & Organising Apprentices

• Construction - traditional ‘Apprenticeship brand’

• Age-weighted workforce & membership• Organising imperative – FTO’s & Reps• Business case - economic, moral, ethical...• UCATT as a ‘lifestyle’ choice• Inheritance & legacy• Apprentice Activists • Linking ‘Learning & Organising’ (IAG)• Employer Engagement• Equality/Diversity & inclusion

Mentoring & Organising Apprentices – A strategic Approach

• ‘Mapping’ – The 5w’s• Coaching & Mentoring FTO’s & Reps• ULF & UMF Projects• ‘Decent Homes – 1 in a £Million’

- Nottingham City Homes - Wakefield & District Housing - Lincoln City Council- Swansea City Council- Constructionskills (SSC)- Capital Training (SW) Ltd- FE Colleges/Schools- Women in Construction

‘Value added’ - Mentoring-Coaching-Organising

‘Decent Homes – 1 in a £Million’• Engaging Public/Private Sector• Collective bargaining/Agreements• Procurement & Tendering

- P&T Committees/CPG’s- Sub-contractors- Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE)

• Employee Rights & Responsibilities• Access, advocacy, dialogue & practice• FTO’s & All Reps – ‘Apprentice focus’

'Vulnerable workers' are defined as people with little knowledge of their rights, who find it hard to access advice and do not have the ability to

protect themselves against rights abuses.

(Definition taken from directgov)

Some observations...

• Age – ‘equality common-denominator’• Mentoring – ‘Buddy systems’• ER&R – All workers• Inclusion = ‘Ownership’ = Protection• Trade union principles, values &

politics• Partnerships…?• ‘Talking about my generation’ – Who?• Share experience/best practice• Re-define ‘union narrative’…