Citation
(2003), "Union Learning Fund gets extra £34 million", Education + Training, Vol. 45 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2003.00445bab.005
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited
Union Learning Fund gets extra £34 million
Union Learning Fund gets extra £34 million
The Union Learning Fund, which helps trade-union members to gain access to training and learning opportunities in the workplace, is set to benefit from a further £34 million in government funding over the next three years. The fund, now in its fifth year, has supported over 350 projects from more than 50 unions, encouraging a large-scale take up of learning at work. The extra money will help trade unions to build on this success and give members more access to quality learning and training opportunities.
The minister for adult learning and skills, Ivan Lewis, said: "The Union Learning Fund is playing an important part in giving workers across all sectors of the economy the chance to improve and update their skills. That is why we are building on the success of the fund with this cash boost and increasing our commitment to the vital role played by the trade unions. Recent successes of the fund mean that more new learners than ever are currently participating in some 120 projects. More external funding is being attracted thanks to productive partnerships. And there are now more union learning representatives than ever who are making real strides in helping the lowest-skilled workers to improve their skills."
Legal rights coming into force this spring (2003) for learning representatives at work mean that they will be able to reach many people who do not feel comfortable about contacting their supervisor directly. Many other hard-to-reach workers, such as those on shifts, will also be able to benefit from a second chance to improve their education. Some of the groups currently benefiting under Union Learning Fund projects include teachers in need of information-technology (IT) training, ethnic-minority workers who are getting help with English and IT, and workers in the home-shopping sector who have had little previous access to learning.