Unionlearn Strategy for Supporting Learners (2014)

Unionlearn Strategy for Supporting Learners Providing quality information, advice & support for learning

April 2014 to March 2017

Contents

Page

1

Introduction

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Purpose

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Background and context

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Unionlearn model for Supporting Learners

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5

Key achievements

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6

Key themes and priorities for Supporting Learners

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7

Timescale, monitoring and review

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8

Consultation

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Introduction This strategy for Supporting Learners has been developed to support the delivery of impartial learning and careers advice services to union learners.

This is the second three-year strategy since unionlearn was launched. It is an underpinning strategy for all unionlearn activity with the primary aim of making all learning and progression opportunities available to all working people, particularly those who are disadvantaged in the workplace. The contribution of union learning representatives (ULRs) is vital to the success of this strategy. OFSTED has referred to the ULR movement as an ‘outstanding model of peer learning support’.

The term Supporting Learners is used by unionlearn to describe the activities of union learning representatives (ULRs) and other union reps when they are working with members to help them make choices about learning, take up learning opportunities that are right for them and help them to progress in their jobs and careers. Whilst these activities involve all levels of learning and some elements of information and advice they also include mentoring, coaching, signposting and facilitating learning.

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Purpose This strategy will further develop the unionlearn model for Supporting Learners within unionlearn, TUC affiliated unions and providers of impartial learning and careers advice both nationally and regionally in the context of developments in the learning and skills sectors. It will contribute towards the achievement of key success indicators in unionlearn’s strategic plan.

The accompanying development plan provides an overview of proposed future developments to the end of March 2017. Key milestones and internal targets are in the annual Service Team operational plan. Depending on the unionlearn core funding available to support this area of work there will also be an annual project implementation plan.

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Background and context This strategy has been developed at a time of government policies focused on austerity and significantly reduced funding for learning and skills initiatives.

Consequently there is a need for an emphasis on seeking new sources of national and regional funding and new partnerships which will enable unionlearn to support union and workplace learners. Other factors influencing the strategy are changes in the labour market, re-structuring and redundancies, particularly in the public sector, and lack of employer investment in training. This situation has resulted in a reported reduction in facility time for ULRs. Nonetheless the role of the ULR remains in the centre of this strategy, and it will be important to train and brief new ULRs and to help them to motivate and support their colleagues. The Supporting Learners Strategy is very much about setting the benefits of personal growth against those of economic growth, creating “win-win” situations for employers and employees.

The policies and campaigning priorities of the TUC nationally and regionally will also influence the implementation of the strategy. Unionlearn will also review the strategy in line with decisions made by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Skills Funding Agency and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills about support for the learning and skills needs of people in employment, and those entering or seeking to return to the labour market. The activities of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) will also influence local developments. LEPs are locally-owned partnerships between local authorities and businesses. They play a central role in determining local economic priorities and undertaking activities to drive economic growth and the creation of local jobs. What they do varies greatly and is shaped by local need. Industrial Partnerships (IPs) will also be important players in local areas or in sectors, as will the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). The strategy will also be implemented in the context of national agendas such as health and well-being in the workplace, pension’s reform and the Extending Working Lives initiative.

The Supporting Learners Strategy has been set in the context of the unionlearn strategic plan for 2014-15. The priorities for this year have been summarised as:     

Disadvantaged workers who need equal chances to learn Young unemployed who need good quality traineeships and apprenticeships Older workers lacking entry level skills, particularly ICT Migrants, those with dyslexia or similar learning needs Progression, higher learning and CPD opportunities for all 4

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Build a learning infrastructure, engaging more employers, improving quality, and establishing collective ways of working

These are all reflected in the themes, priorities and strategic plan for Supporting Learners in 2014-17.

Publicly funded impartial careers information and advice services have undergone significant changes during the period of the last Supporting Learners Strategy. The National Careers Service was launched in England in 2012. The NCS is a key partner for unionlearn and trades unions in providing free services for people in the workplace, for those entering the labour market for the first time or re-entering after redundancy or a period of employment.

However, the NCS has not developed a strategy for engaging with priority groups in the workplace, neither has there been any specific marketing of services to employers or employees except in some regional activities linked to redundancy situations. The NCS has had difficulties in effectively engaging with employers, but when unionlearn and trades unions have worked closely with NCS prime contractors in the regions, outcomes have been very positive.

The NCS has no consistent practice or guidelines about agreeing MoUs or closer working relationships nationally or locally. Unionlearn and trades unions could be instrumental in engagement with employers in a range of workplaces, sectors and in all regions.

Unionlearn tries to promote the NCS through its website, events, publications and by distributing posters and fliers for use in the workplace. Surveys regularly reveal that many people do not know about the service and are unable or unwilling to access the website or the telephone helpline while at work. “The NCS needs to develop a workplace strategy in order for the service to reach out to priority groups in the workplace. It is important that the NCS is not perceived as just being a service for unemployed people. A workplace strategy that facilitates workers to retrain, upskill or change careers can be a real catalyst for economic growth.” (Comment in a unionlearn survey) Generally speaking, there is a lack of understanding about disadvantage in the workplace, and services are often focused on unemployed people, and others who are out of the labour market. Many working people are particularly in need of high quality free careers guidance, including the development of career management skills so that they can take charge of their own working lives and overcome barriers to progression. Trades Unions and unionlearn have been successful in working with traditionally hard-to-reach groups in the workplace, and in engaging with employers. These are some of the groups in the workplace who need targeted careers support, and who unions can reach:   

Workers at risk of redundancy Older workers Low-paid workers 5

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Temporary or agency workers Part-time workers Shift workers Unqualified or unskilled workers Apprentices Migrant workers, refugees and others who may need language support Workers at risk of discrimination Workers recovering from mental illness or other long-term health issues Workers in non-unionised workplaces Highly specialised staff Working parents/ lone parents Career changers and those wishing to move from the public to the private sector

Unionlearn and trades unions are in a good position to reach all of these groups but need the active support of impartial careers services and professional advisers and other experts to promote and deliver adapted and targeted services.

Unionlearn supported the original concept of a universal, all-age service underpinned by a definition of career as a lifelong process in a dynamic and rapidly changing global labour market.

It is of great concern to unionlearn that careers advice and guidance for young people has not been included as part of an all-age service and is now the responsibility of schools, without any additional funding to ensure that this is provided consistently and is of high quality. Staff in schools may not be equipped to offer impartial and comprehensive advice on the full range of options for learning or work, particularly vocational routes to work choices, including apprenticeships. It is also of concern that schools no longer have to provide careers education as part of the curriculum and this will depend on the intervention of some inspired and informed teachers who will find a way to support young people in their journey to find and secure the right place for them in the workplace. Apprentices also require career development support in the workplace and ULRs can help to facilitate this. Unions could also be involved in supporting young people in work experience. The impact of the reduction of activity in schools remains to be seen – it can only be detrimental and will result in services to adults being of crucial importance to ensure that people can make informed choices about learning and work later in life.

It is also of concern to unionlearn that so much expertise has been lost in the careers sector after the funding for Connexions was withdrawn, and no face to face service for young people replacing it. NCS face to face staff can only reach a limited number of customers. ULRs receive a basic training which 6

includes some of the skills and knowledge needed to support workplace learners in making career choices. Many then continue to achieve nationally recognised qualifications in advice and guidance, mentoring, coaching and tutoring or facilitating learning. However, they carry out their role voluntarily alongside demanding “day jobs” and in most cases need to be able to refer or “signpost” working people to professional advisers. TUC Education courses are free to reps. E-learning modules or E-Notes have been produced for reps to improve their skills and knowledge about supporting learners. Other training and qualifications are costly and time-consuming – it is not realistic to expect ULRs to deliver a professional service, but they can support the delivery of services in the workplace if a clear, adequately staffed strategy is developed to do this.

The Union Learning Fund (ULF) has developed successful and effective models of IAG delivery, leading to engagement with learning across every sector and every level of learning from Functional Skills through to Higher Education. The ULRs are ideally placed to play a key role in supporting learners because they speak the same language as their members and have their trust. This in turn results in learners feeling fully supported in accessing the right courses for themselves or applying for a new career.

Of the latest round of ULF Projects which commenced in April 2012, a number have been particularly successful in delivering information and advice and have exceeded their profile to date. Over the entire reporting year, ULF projects have now provided 220,091 learner support referrals in total almost three times greater than the annual profile (81,729).

Unions themselves report the model as being very effective. The ULF Project 2012 Self Assessment Report found that nearly two thirds of ULF projects thought that all ULRs have appropriate training/qualifications in information and advice, and 82% replied that high quality learner support and information is offered in the workplace. The self assessment findings also reported that 90% of respondents agreed that ULF projects had offered appropriate training, development and progression opportunities for ULRs. The unionlearn network model can only function if key agencies work effectively together on a national and regional basis. There has been a focus on the NCS co-locating and joint working with Job Centre Plus. A great deal more can be achieved if the NCS developed and implemented a strategy for joint working with employers, unionlearn and trades unions, SSCs, learning and training providers and the National Apprenticeship Service. It has been suggested that the NCS takes a capacity-building role with employers – this would be more effective if it was undertaken jointly with trades unions to ensure that employees have a voice, and that services meet their needs.

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The TUC wants to maintain a strategic role in the development and implementation of the National Careers Service. Unionlearn has had a voice in the key strategic forums feeding in to the development of the service and has presented the arguments for targeting working people who are disadvantaged in the workplace. However, in spite of these and other demographic imperatives, the National Careers Service still has no strategy for delivering services to working people.

From another angle, the Midlife Career Review Project has enabled joint working with the NCS and other partners, and has been very constructive. In the context of an ageing society and an ageing workforce, with no statutory retirement age and an increase in the state pension age, unionlearn became a partner in the Mid-life Career Review Project. In the summer of 2012 John Hayes, then Minister for Skills, announced that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) would be funding the National Institute for Adult and Continuing Education (NIACE) to develop and pilot a mid-life career review process. The project commenced in June 2013 and finished in March 2014. The project involved 18 partners and the target was to work with 2,500 individuals to test and evaluate different mid-life career review models, and to develop resources to support the process. The target has been met and exceeded, and the project has laid the foundations for future work.

Unionlearn played a pivotal role in the project by engaging 15 unions, more than 45 ULRs and 770 workers in mid-life career review activities. Unions worked with more people than the other project partners and were able to demonstrate the impact and reach of ULRs in the workplace, and how their involvement can meet the needs of working people. The project fitted well with the strategic aims of unionlearn and specifically the Supporting Learners Strategy, and with broad agendas such as active ageing, extending working life, intergenerational strategies, personal financial planning, healthy workplaces and equality and diversity. For ULRs, delivering midlife career reviews has been empowering for them and their colleagues. The project has demonstrated yet again the unique value of the ULR as a trusted intermediary in the workplace, reaching those who may be disadvantaged or vulnerable in the workplace, recognising that the aspirations of all working people are important and that everyone can develop their skills and make progress in their lives.

Supporting Midlife Development is the centerpiece of this new Strategy for Supporting Learners. There is a new web page on the unionlearn website providing access to a range of resources: guidelines to the model and how to use it, an eNote, the Value My Skills card game, questionnaires and many other resources. Unionlearn intends to use the resources developed during the project to support other regions, unions and ULRs to offer midlife development reviews to their colleagues, wherever possible engaging employers in this process.

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The role of unionlearn in terms of supporting learners is to take the strategic responsibility for supporting the work of ULRs and other union reps and the network in which they are operating. It has never been intended that unionlearn will be a direct deliverer of impartial careers information and advice services. Services may be delivered in the workplace or in learning centres, or by the National Careers Service and its sub-contractors (some of whom may be unions).

Unionlearn will keep staff, unions, ULRs and other union reps informed about the implementation of the new strategy. This will be done through email alerts, the Supporting Learners Regional Working Group (consisting of representatives from all unionlearn teams and regions) and regular editions of the Supporting Learners News. Unionlearn will support TUC affiliated unions who want to deliver information and advice to their members by advising on matrix accreditation for quality assurance, by supporting development of appropriate policies and action plans and assessing organisations for the Quality Award for learning and careers information and advice.

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Unionlearn model for Supporting Learners The unionlearn model for Supporting Learners is based on the network model which builds on active working relationships with impartial careers information and advice providers. The network model recognises that ULRs and other union reps need to engage with other agencies in order to find the information they need to help their members, and to broker workplace opportunities effectively. The model builds on existing good practice in unions and unionlearn regions.

The key features of the unionlearn model for Supporting Learners are: 

Central role of the ULR or union rep, in supporting, coaching, mentoring, signposting and facilitating learning

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Working with a range of agencies who can offer services to union learners

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Agreements and joint actions for working together with the network

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Standards of service that union learners can expect of these partners

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Access to information and advice and resources for ULRs, other union reps and union learners

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Identifying and sharing good practice

Key members of the network include: 

The unions/ULR and other union reps

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Learning centres

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Other learning and training providers (Adult and Community, Further and Higher)

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The National Careers Service

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Community Learning Champions and Workplace Learning Advocates

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Employers

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Sector Skills Councils (SSCs)

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The National Apprenticeship Service 10

This model is dependent on good working relationships with others in the network, which can in part be secured by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a Service Level Agreement (SLA) the Unionlearn Quality Award and other formal arrangements.

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Key achievements The development of a unionlearn strategy for Supporting Learners has resulted in the following key achievements to date:  Widespread internal and external awareness of the unionlearn Supporting Learners agenda, model and materials, and good response to regular consultation activities  Positioning unionlearn effectively in all the national groups for advising on the development of publicly-funded services  The convening and maintenance of a Supporting Learners Working Group with representation from all areas of unionlearn’s work and regions 

Tailored backup and support for union reps from the National Careers Service

 The development of a Supporting Learners area on the unionlearn website  The development of the web-based Climbing Frame and App, including 20 Learning Themes, now with over 5,000 users  The development of the Higher Learning at Work website, including a range of PDF guides and other publications  A range of free resources and materials for ULRs and other union reps, including eNotes (short modules of e-learning) about Supporting Learners, the Climbing Frame and the Midlife Development Review process, with an eNote about higher learning at work under development  Publications including the regularly updated series of Supporting Learner Guides, a Progression Pathways guide for ULRs and other union reps, and a guide to supporting learners at 50+  Regional and national events, briefings and conferences with a supporting learners focus for ULRs, other union reps and project workers  Strong and active links with the national network of impartial careers information and advice providers

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 Partnership agreements formalised with Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with higher learning institutions including the Open University, Birkbeck, and other national and regional HE partners, some offering discounts to union learners  The inclusion of a Supporting Learners theme in the Union Learning Fund (ULF) criteria 

Inclusion of supporting learners activities in TUC Education training for ULRs and other union representatives

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A range of effective practice case studies

 The development of the unionlearn Quality Award to include learning and careers information and advice services  The development of a range of materials and resources to help ULRs to carry out Midlife Development Reviews in the workplace, following a successful pilot of the BIS-funded Midlife Career Review project led by NIACE in 2013-14  Attracted attention in EU and national conferences and provided an inspiration to unions in other countries

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Key themes and priorities for Supporting Learners: Activities relating to supporting learners weave into every area of unionlearn’s work, and are underpinned by the unionlearn values of fairness, equality, openness, solidarity and aspiration.

Themes The following underlying themes and the kinds of activity that unionlearn, working with unions, might engage in, form the basis of the key priorities in this strategy: A. Supporting learning and progression for all ages at all levels Unionlearn recognises that all learning at all levels is valuable; progression is not always linear and upwards, and not just about qualifications. Based on principles of equality and diversity, this theme is about supporting ULRs to reach and motivate disadvantaged learners of all ages in the workplace and the community, and to help to raise aspirations about what can be achieved through learning. It is about inter-generational learning. It is also about promoting the transferable skills and knowledge that can be gained from taking on roles within unions. It is also about helping working people to develop career management/employability skills and the ability to cope with change in their lives, to develop strategies to stay in work and progress at work, and to develop holistic approaches to their life, work, health and wellbeing. Activities may include: 

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Brokering and providing access to informal and formal learning opportunities in literacy, language (ESOL), numeracy, ICT skills, level 2 and 3 qualifications, and moving on to higher learning opportunities at levels 4 to 8 Supporting apprentices and advising on progression opportunities Supporting older workers to change their lives through learning by having a mid-life development review and creating an action plan Supporting progression for reps through TUC Learning Programmes to nationally recognised qualifications at all levels.

Using the Climbing Frame as a tool for informing and recording progression Supporting Union Learning Fund (ULF) projects to facilitate progression for reps and learners Making formal agreements with learning and careers advice providers (national and local), and engaging with employers to develop learning agreements

B. Supporting access to information and advice about learning and work

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Unionlearn will continue to play a strategic role in development of publiclyfunded services for adults and young people (particularly the National Careers Service) in order to encourage and facilitate access to services, learning and funding for learning for all working people, particularly those who are disadvantaged in the workplace. Information will be provided through websites, the Climbing Frame Learning Themes, e-publications and enewsletters, and events. Regional activity will ensure access to specific projects or initiatives. Activities may include:    

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Promoting use of free services (National Careers Service, Midlife Development Reviews, Skills Health Checks, Lifelong Learning Accounts, redundancy services) Assisting union learners to negotiate support for their learning from their employers and encouraging employer investment in union learning (Collective Learning Funds) Supporting unions to deliver services as NCS sub-contractors, achieving the matrix standard and qualifications for reps Agreeing MoUs and partnerships (national and regional) to provide access to discounts, voucher systems and bursaries for union members, and services delivered in the workplace, including National Careers Service Encouraging more providers to achieve the unionlearn Quality Award for their learning programmes and information and advice services

C. Supporting learners by campaigning The Supporting Learners Strategy will be underpinned by diverse relevant agendas, some fully developed as campaigns by the TUC or by partner organisations. These include generic issues such as green skills and health and well-being in the workplace, and some specific to the learning and skills sector. For example, the digital inclusion agenda is central to learning and skills strategies in making ICT more widely available through learning and skill development opportunities. For unionlearn, this particularly applies to disadvantaged groups in the workplace, and includes:     

Lobbying for high quality affordable careers advice services for working people Campaigning for high quality careers advice services for young people in schools and colleges, including apprentices/trainees Campaigning for a universal entitlement to a midlife development review at 50+ Supporting the HE part-time matters campaign Promoting digital inclusion and supporting digital participation through the use of web-based services and tools (including social media, blogs, forums, video-links), the Climbing Frame and App, and promoting on-line learning, including TUC Learning eNotes 15

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Working with employers to ensure that ESOL is provided in the workplace for employees and their families who need it

D. Supporting Learners in the wider community and promoting social inclusion Unionlearn and union representatives do not only work with union members but with all working people, their families and the wider community. This activity promotes the benefits of union membership, but is not dependent on it. Unionlearn works on joint projects with community organisations and others to extend the benefits of learning in the workplace to all. These groups include:       

Community learning champions Families of union members Unemployed union members Disadvantaged groups, for example migrants Older workers Young people in schools and colleges, and NEETs Workplace Learning Advocates and others working in non-unionised workplaces

Priorities The key priorities of this strategy that will contribute to the underlying themes are: 1. Embedding the Supporting Midlife Development model 1.1 Increase the number of midlife development reviews carried out by ULRs and other union reps 1.2 Train and support ULRs and other reps to carry out midlife development reviews, using the eNote, the Climbing Frame and other resources 1.3 Maintain and update resources 1.4 Engage new workplaces and employers in the initiative 2. Campaigning and engaging with other organisations to support workplace learning 2.1 Take a strategic role in the development of publicly-funded services 2.2 Help union learners to benefit from free, low-cost or discounted regional and local provision through national and regional projects and initiatives 2.3 Campaign to improve access to learning opportunities and careers services in the workplace for young people and adults, using a range of communication channels

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2.4 Work with unions and other stakeholders to campaign for the right to a midlife development review for working people 3. Maintaining and developing the national and regional networks 3.1 Maintain regular contact and dialogue with main delivery partners of impartial careers information and advice and with key learning and skills partners/providers 3.2 Work in partnership with other organisations to access joint project funding 3.3 Identify new partners, enter into agreements and negotiate incentives for union members to enter and progress in higher learning 3.4 Encourage more learning and skills providers to achieve the unionlearn Quality Award and monitor and maintain the standard 3.5 Identify new partners to promote and support health and well-being at work through learning 4. Supporting union learning initiatives 4.1 Work with unions to ensure that good practice in supporting learners is embedded in Union Learning Fund projects 4.2 Increase the numbers of ULRs and other reps undertaking follow-on training and attending events 4.3 Keep unions informed about the support available to ULRs and other reps 4.4 Provide support and guidance to reps and learners about funding for learning 4.5 Support ULRs to make appropriate interventions in learner journeys and to encourage progression 5. Developing, maintaining and promoting Supporting Learners resources and materials 5.1 Promote and embed the Climbing Frame into unions’ learning and skills work 5.2 Review, improve and refresh the content of the Climbing Frame 5.3 Review and refresh the Supporting Learners area of the website 5.4 Work with TUC Education to promote the use of the four Supporting Learners eNotes 5.5 Review, improve and refresh all guides and resources to reflect changes to the learning and skills landscape 5.6 Produce and disseminate case studies for all levels and ages of learners 6. Making the case for workplace learning and facility time 6.1 Conduct a ULR survey on workplace learning and facility time and disseminate the findings to key stakeholders 6.2 Produce a briefing paper for reps on making the case to employers for learning 17

6.3 Develop a Climbing Frame learning theme on making the case for learning and facility time 6.4 Produce and promote a model facility agreement 6.5 Produce some FAQs for reps on the unionlearn website.

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Timescale, monitoring and review This strategy covers the period April 2014 to March 2017. Progress against the development plan will be reviewed twice yearly by the Service Manager.

The Service Manager will engage in discussion with the Strategy Manager to ensure that specific questions relating to Supporting Learners activity are included in generic evaluation projects.

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Consultation: The development of this strategy has been informed through discussion, consultation and feedback from unionlearn staff and unions.

Key to areas of responsibility in the following Development Plan:

SM CFDO SLDO SLWG TUC Ed DT RS SUSO USO APP WO StratM OA

Service Manager Climbing Frame Development Officer Supporting Learners Development Officer Supporting Learners Working Group TUC Education National Staff & REOs Delivery Team (ULF, Regions, Learning Centres) Regional Secretary Senior union support officers Union support officers Apprenticeship Team Web Officer Strategy Manager Office Administrator

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unionlearn Congress House Great Russell Street London WC1B 3LS www.unionlearn.org.uk

Š 2014 unionlearn

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