Six Book Challenge at work - Unions and libraries promote reading

Six Book Challenge at Work Unions and libraries promote reading

Contents

Introduction

Introduction 1 Impact 2 What next?

3 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 4 Warburtons Stockton and Newburn 6 Tameside Council 8 Transport for London 10 Fabrick Housing Group Middlesbrough 12 McVitie’s Stockport 14 Spreading the word 16

People are eagerly swapping books over their coffee break. Parents are finding that their children love the local library which the family is using for the first time. Workers are starting a book club in the learning centre. All signs that the Six Book Challenge is catching fire as an inspiring catalyst for new workplace reading and learning activity.

•Read six books.

•Fill in a reading diar y.

•Get a certificate. ou’ve done the •Y Six Book Challenge. ii

At The Reading Agency, we run the Six Book Challenge as an annual national incentive scheme for less confident adult readers. The Challenge invites them to read six books and chart their reading in a diary. At the end they get a Six Book Challenge certificate.

We’ve been thrilled by the success of this deceptively simple scheme, now in its third year, and often moved by tales of how it is transforming people’s

confidence and engagement with reading. Ten thousand people now take part through libraries, colleges, adult and community education, prisons and workplaces.

This booklet is for employers, trade unions and union learning reps (ULRs) and shows how you can use the Six Book Challenge to make a real impact in your workplace.

Do please • look at www.sixbookchallenge.org.uk • talk to us to find out more – contact David Kendall at mail@davidkendall.co.uk or on 07814 060572 • link to your local library – we can put you in touch.

The Reading Agency

“ Reading is food for the brain. “ It’s always brilliant when It is the key unlocking the door you find someone who really to a better world. Reading ‘gets’ and supports your makes life more fun and more work. Linking with unionlearn sociable; it helps people get on has been like that. We’re at work; it helps people understand delighted to have a new Memorandum the world and control their lives. That’s why of Understanding to seal our long-term unions want to help working people become partnership and signal our intention to work more confident readers and why we are together to harness the power of reading for glad to support The Reading Agency’s the benefit of workplaces across the country.” Six Book Challenge.”

Miranda McKearney, director, The Reading Agency

Tom Wilson, director of unionlearn, TUC

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Impact

What next?

So why should ULRs promote the Six Book Challenge to their colleagues?

The Six Book Challenge has focused attention on reading in the workplace and created an expectation that something should be going on even when the Challenge has finished. How can ULRs achieve this when funds are tight and many workplaces have yet to establish a learning centre on site?

Because it works. The impact of the scheme has been overwhelmingly positive since its launch in 2008. Research carried out that year found that • 94% of respondents had a sense of achievement; • 88% felt they gained something – a new or renewed interest in reading, use of the library, new things to read, progress with their reading and writing;

For employers, the Challenge is a tried and tested way to engage people in a learning activity.. As well as the benefits noted above, participation in the Challenge can lead to so much more:

You can read whatever you like to do the Six Book Challenge. Quick Reads, the series of short books by wellknown authors published every year since 2006, are very popular. Some workplaces hold collections of these in their learning centres. Others work with their local library - over two-thirds of library services across the country support the Six Book Challenge each year. They’ve got much more than books to offer too:

• improved communication;

• informal book groups;

• greater awareness of other learning opportunities;

• family reading events;

• a more productive and motivated workforce.

• Summer Reading Challenge for children;

People taking part have spoken about a willingness to improve their skills and having gained confidence to support their children with reading and writing.

ULRs have used the Challenge successfully to promote the use of workplace learning centres and encourage colleagues to take up further courses. These are all priorities for employers and trade unions at a time of financial constraint when maintaining and improving employees’ skills is crucial.

• the internet, magazines, newspapers, DVDs and audio books;

• 60% said that their literacy skills had improved – and tutors agreed.

• a friendly space for all kinds of learning.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has taken the scheme on board at several depots, including Mount Pleasant in London where Quick Reads author Lola Jaye visited Royal Mail workers on Learning at Work Day. The Reading Agency has been working with Andy Sorton, North East regional project worker for the CWU, on a strategy for ULRs to use reading to promote different aspects of learning throughout the year. A key element of this is linking to the reading and learning offer from local libraries.

Here are some ideas to start: A reading calendar to include major events such as World Book Day, Learning at Work Day, National Poetry Day, book prizes such as the Orange and the Man Booker and themes such as ‘New Starts’ for January and ‘Beach Reads’ for the summer.

Internet resources are fantastic for self-directed learning. The most useful can be listed as favourites or posted by each computer, underlining a broad approach to learning with subjects such as family history, travel, finance and DIY.

A mini-saga competition is a great way of getting people to take the plunge into creative writing. Mini-sagas have a fixed word count (generally 50) and can be run on a particular theme. They make an attractive feature in a learning centre or a corporate magazine.

Book groups work best with between six and 12 people and a facilitator to make sure everybody gets a chance to speak. They need space and time – perhaps in a learning centre over a lunch break or at the end of the day. Most public libraries offer support for groups – see www.chatabout.org.uk.

Book swaps break down barriers as people talk about what they’ve read or want to pass on. They can use an area in the canteen or learning centre to leave one book and pick up another. And a Book Swap Day for the whole workplace can get things started.

“ These ideas are great. I can really see them working and supporting learning in the workplace. ULRs are quite excited by the idea of mini-sagas. It’s an excellent way of getting the whole workforce engaged in learning.”

Andy Sorton, North East regional project worker, CWU

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Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Across the North West, 12 NHS libraries have started to work with the Six Book Challenge and use it to promote their libraries as a place for all staff to use.

Debra Thornton, library services manager at Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BFWH), is convinced that the Challenge is helping them to meet their learning objectives – improving literacy and well-being in the workforce. Working with UNISON ULR Kevin Smith, the library is able to reach out to a much wider range of staff, including foreign workers. In such large workplaces it’s not easy to connect with several people at the same time.

Kevin asked Debra to come to one of the English classes that they run and give a presentation on the Six Book Challenge. It was an immediate success with half the class signing up for the Challenge straightaway.

Fifteen people have taken up the Challenge this year and Debra and Kevin are confident they can increase this substantially next year with wider promotion. Reaching out to workers has also helped the library get a better idea of what books to stock to attract more users. As well as fiction it will have books on hobbies, well-being, cooking and self-help titles.

According to Debra, the library service at BFWH has always been highly regarded as a place for study relating to work. The Six Book Challenge has helped to engage people who aren’t necessarily following a course of study at the moment and, therefore, thought the library wasn’t relevant to them. It has also offered a brief respite

from busy lives. One member of staff told her: “I enjoyed the Quick Reads as it gave me an opportunity to escape from the stresses of the job for 20 minutes.” The Six Book Challenge has also helped them to develop a close working relationship with the local public library so that together they can promote reading for pleasure to employees.

“ The Challenge has been very successful in bringing people into the library for the first time. It’s a very positive step.”

Kevin Smith, trust learning co-ordinator and UNISON ULR

“ NHS library information services in the North West have seen a lot of interest in the Six Book Challenge this year. The results have been good and it is a great scheme to show people what libraries can offer.”

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Ask your readers what books they enjoy.

David Stewart, director of health libraries North West

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Warburtons Stockton and Newburn ULR Kendra Walker had already signed up 50 people at Warburtons in Stockton and another ten at the Newburn site before the national Six Book Challenge had even begun this year. By building on the success of last year’s scheme in the learning centre at Stockton, Kendra was able to get people engaged and eager to take part.

Warburtons has donated branded toasters, umbrellas, egg cups, pens and aprons as prizes and held an award ceremony for all those who took part last year. As a company Warburtons has been very supportive, both here and at their other sites that run the Six Book Challenge such as Bolton and Oldham. At the Stockton site a firm partnership has been made with the library service who visit once a week with the mobile library. Not only do they bring in new books, they also search out books that staff have recommended to each other.

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It’s a winner for management too.

Get them on board.

New readers have been brought into the Challenge. One member of staff hadn’t read any books since school.

Another young mother who works in the bread shop has now joined her local library for the first time and introduced her children to reading through the library.

Kendra reports that the Six Book Challenge took over the bakery and really helped to integrate different parts of the company. She feels that the initiative has brought out a real camaraderie across departments –

not just the bakeries but engineering, admin and management.

It has been this social aspect that has made the Challenge such a success with staff swapping and recommending books to each other.

And now the scheme is over for this year there’s a move to keep that buzz going. One option is to form a book group and Stockton Library Service has already promised to support this.

“ We would actively encourage other employers and HR managers to think about running the Six Book Challenge.”

Gary Thompson, HR manager, Warburtons (Newburn)

“ It was quite difficult at the start, even reading a Quick Reads book, because I hadn’t really read since I was at school. But I’ve enjoyed the experience and I will definitely continue reading.”

Steven Dalziel, storeman, Warburtons

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Tameside Council

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GMB ULR Linda Mercer was keen to run the Six Book Challenge again in 2010 having piloted it with parts of the council workforce the year before. This had made her aware of the key ingredients for success: pro-active promotion by ULRs in the workplace, activity around the Challenge to meet people’s needs, and a strong partnership with Tameside Libraries.

Supported again by unionlearn North West, Linda set about promoting the Challenge to a workforce spread over several different sites that work with disabled service users. She also set each participant six challenges including visiting a local library and writing a book review. Promoting the scheme as a catalyst for looking at how books and libraries can enrich lives has paid off in a number of ways.

The reading group at the Town Hall now gets its books from the library and sends out recommendations to council staff. Disabled service users are now taken to the local library more regularly, and there have been two books swaps involving both staff and

service users that have generated lots of talk about favourite books. The GMB Reach Out programme has sent its bus round to areas of the council giving further advice to employees about the Six Book Challenge and offering free Quick Reads.

Use the Challenge to find out what learners need.

More than 30 people have taken up the Challenge through Tameside Council this year and the wider promotion of reading and learning, the talking about books and the library visits will continue.

The Challenge has also brought into focus the learning needs of staff. For Michael Clegg, a cook at a disability day centre, the Six Book Challenge has spurred him on to further learning and he is now taking English and Maths Level 1 and 2. He’s really enjoyed the Quick Reads, particularly the collection of true stories from the workplace Life’s Too Short. He found them ideal for 15 minutes’ relaxation.

“ I’ve loved doing the Challenge. It’s made me read different books and visit the library more.”

Lisa Chattington, activities manager, Tameside Council

“ We’ve encouraged staff at all levels to take up the Six Book Challenge, and it’s been great that we’ve had service users doing the Challenge alongside our staff.”

Linda Mercer, ULR, GMB

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Transport for London TOP TIP

Keep the message simple and people will join in.

ULRs at Transport for London have really taken to the Six Book Challenge this year. The scheme had already been run successfully in the Learning Zone with the support of literacy tutor Christine Brathwaite who links it into her regular literacy classes with employees.

But now ULRs have taken the Challenge out to different sectors of the workforce. It’s not been easy. Train drivers are an independent bunch and getting them to join in has sometimes been a ‘challenge’ in itself. But RMT ULRs Nick Smith and Lynda Aitken have been determined to make it work. They wanted to make sure that they reached out to colleagues who perhaps wouldn’t have come into the Learning Zone, so there are books in the drivers’ rest centre at Wembley Park and other places where staff will

come across them in the course of their daily routine. This has raised the profile of the Six Book Challenge amongst staff who didn’t feel they had an immediate literacy need but wanted to get back into reading or just liked the idea of being part of a wider workplace initiative.

people commenting that they haven’t read a book in years but now they’re starting again.

For performance improvement assessor Bob Cann, it’s his second year of doing the Six Book Challenge. He says he now regularly reads at least two books a month and finds it very enjoyable. He’s finished an e-learning Back in the Learning Zone, manager Joanna Ward has noticed more people grammar course and thanks to that coming in and asking for books to read, and the Challenge says he has more confidence in things like report writing not just for their learning but also and expressing things better. for pleasure. She has heard

“The response has been pretty good and I think we can make it go even further.”

Nick Smith, ULR, RMT

“ The Six Book Challenge has really inspired RMT members to read. Filling out the log book is really satisfying and work colleagues enjoy being able to chat about the latest books they are reading in the mess room. One member said that it was the first time he’d ever read a book from cover to cover.”

Teresa Williams, project manager, RMT Learning

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Fabrick Housing Group Middlesbrough More than just a housing association, Fabrick Housing Group is a leading housing provider and key regeneration agency based in Middlesbrough. The organisation has a raft of departments spread over a range of locations across the town, including its headquarters, Centre North East. With employees spread over a wide area, UNISON ULR Michelle Davies had to think carefully about how she could maximise her resources and involve staff members from across the Group in the Six Book Challenge.

Following an email to all staff members, Michelle asked ULRs across the Group to put up posters around specific areas such as bookshelves used by employees. That initial contact led to 12 people wanting to take part – but Michelle’s personal visits to offices meant the list immediately doubled.

Books and Six Book Challenge materials were placed in kitchens across the offices where they could easily be seen. Now 50 people have taken part from departments including communications, finance, people and organisational development (POD), and reception and customer contact centre staff. As well as boosting their own enjoyment of reading, some people even got family members involved by taking books home to encourage them to read.

When Michelle took up a secondment, she ensured the challenge would continue by handing over the reins to Natalie Hunt in the POD team. “The Challenge has been great for everyone – including me,” she says. “I used to like stories at school but I let the reading slip afterwards. I’m glad to get back into reading again.”

“ It has given me an appetite for reading. Undertaking the Challenge at work made sure I got involved and using the Quick Reads has been great.”

Sue Rimington, communications officer, Fabrick Housing Group

“ It’s actually been quite hard to find the time to read as I’m doing exams as well but it has made me realise I don’t read as much as when I was younger. I really enjoyed the fact this was a challenge at work and liked being able to talk about the books with the girls.”

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Talk about the Challenge everywhere you go.

Sameena Khaliq, receptionist, Fabrick Housing Group

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cal Link with the lo wider a t e g to y r a r b li s. choice of book

McVitie’s Stockport McVitie’s first ran the Six Book Challenge in 2009 and it has had a profound effect on the learning centre and the area around it. McVitie’s in Stockport are lucky. They have a great learning centre right next to the canteen. It’s open plan and people eating their food can see right in. This makes learning something you can see taking place whilst you eat rather than something that goes on behind closed doors.

The Six Book Challenge has added a focus on reading to the mix. Last year 35 people took up the Challenge. This year it will be over 50. Now bookshelves snake all around the learning centre and into the canteen, with a more relaxed atmosphere and comfy chairs to accompany them.

McVitie’s have also forged a strong partnership with Stockport Libraries.

Librarian Eddie Hornby visits once a month to refresh his display of books loaned from the library, stamp Six Book Challenge diaries and bring in the results of the various book searches that employees have set him.

Eddie is keen to give a friendly and

personalised service that is tailored to the reader – anything from Catherine Cookson to obscure local history.

Having Eddie there gives a huge boost for people who still feel that public libraries are ‘not for us’. It’s not just a one-way relationship though; Eddie is hoping to put together a ‘McVitie’s collection’ of books that have proved popular with workers which will then tour the local libraries.

Books are everywhere, say the ULRs, and this new reading activity is also supported by other departments in the company such as HR and Training & Development.

“ The reading appetite has grown and is a vital part of our plan for the sustainability of our learning centre.”

Jonathan Waterhouse, ULR coordinator, Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers

“ The Six Book Challenge is another important step into establishing a culture of learning.”

Lesley Flood, training coordinator, McVitie’s

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Spreading the word

Thank you

At least 90 workplaces are now involved in the Six Book Challenge. Support from unionlearn regions in the North West, North and Yorkshire has led to more activity in these parts of the country but others are joining in as the scheme catches on.

The Reading Agency is an independent charity working to inspire more people to read more. Core funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and Arts Council England, it has close links with the public library service and also works with schools, adult learning providers, prisons and workplaces and with partners such as the BBC, publishers, Niace and the Campaign for Learning. The work to deliver reading for pleasure through trade unions to employees is supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and unionlearn.

It’s fantastic that so many people have built on the Challenge for a third year, among them Stephen Miller (Unite) at Corus in Scunthorpe who has kept the Challenge going despite redundancies and restructuring affecting the workforce. Alan Oakes and Mick Neville at Fletchers Bakeries in Sheffield and Lucy Dunn at Manor Bakeries in Barnsley continue their support and we’re grateful to BFAWU Learning Services for always inviting us to promote the Challenge at their conferences. Thanks also to Martyn Warwick at USDAW for being a one-man mission to link ULRs with their local libraries and to USDAW ULR Tracy White for being unstoppable in rolling out the Six Book Challenge across stores in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Lots of ULRs, such as PCS ULR Angela Shepherd at CPS Wakefield, have been surprised by the range of books people are reading for the Challenge – everything from Quick Reads like The Dare to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

We’re delighted that so many hospital staff have taken part this year, and special thanks to UNISON ULR Giannina Maina at West London Mental Health Trust for getting 51 staff and service users to sign up at St Bernard’s Hospital in Southall what a great model for everyone.

In terms of participant numbers Terry Dean, USDAW ULR and learning pad co-ordinator at Shop Direct in Oldham, must have been one of the most successful having got 112 people to sign up for the Six Book Challenge in a very short time.

“ The Six Book Challenge has been a fantastic initiative.

It’s added another dimension to our workplace learning promotions and has really captured the imagination of our members. Literally hundreds have been introduced or re-introduced to reading and this wouldn’t have happened without the Six Book Challenge and of course without the encouragement and support of our ULRs.” Ann Murphy, national co-ordinator for lifelong learning, Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers

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The Six Book Challenge is run by The Reading Agency as part of its integrated work for adult learners, particularly those with literacy needs.

See www.sixbookchallenge.org.uk for more information and www.readingagency.org.uk/shop to purchase Six Book Challenge materials.

Contact David Kendall for more information about the Six Book Challenge in the workplace mail@davidkendall.co.uk

Unionlearn provides a strong and supportive framework for unions to maximise their members’ life chances by providing access to high quality learning and by strengthening the union voice at work through the effective training of representatives and professional officers.

See www.unionlearn.org.uk Contact Joe Fearnehough for more information jfearnehough@tuc.org.uk

The Reading Agency would like to thank all those public libraries which are supporting the Six Book Challenge in the workplace. We would also like to thank the following We have worked with the Campaign for Learning to provide trade unions: Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, a prize draw to workplaces running both the Six Book Communication Workers Union, Fire Brigades Union, GMB, Challenge and Learning at Work Day activities. The winning Prison Officers Association, Public and Commercial Services organisation will be offered a visit from a top author Union, RMT, Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, UNISON, courtesy of Transworld Publishers.

Unite and Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers.

Printers College Hill Press Please see www.unionlearn.org.uk if you would like further copies of this booklet.

July 2010

Project manager David Kendall Editor Genevieve Clarke Photographs Justin Sutcliffe Design Cog Design 2011

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