Leaders in Learning

How employers and unions cooperate on skills

LEADERSIN LEARNING

Introduction | 3

The turbulent times we live in make it all the more important to tighten our focus on developing the skills of the workforce. Investing in learning and training now not only means staff will become more productive and better able to deliver a high quality service or product today but also enable companies, enterprises and organisations to prepare themselves for when the market picks up again.

After all, the blunt truth is that companies which turn their back on training now are two and a half times more likely to fail than companies which invest in the development of their workforce.

That’s why it really pays off when employers, unions and union learning reps get together to build a thriving workplace learning culture.

Having worked with many businesses to help them develop the talent, on their payroll, we know that the 22,000 fully-trained union learning reps now active right across the country have a vital role to play in successful learning partnerships.

And as many of those partnerships have discovered, learning isn’t simply about doing something to help staff feel valued (although it does do that): it can also make a tangible contribution to the bottom line by improving staff retention, reducing sickness absence, enhancing customer care, boosting productivity, and saving money from the agency/contractor budgets.

I hope that this new booklet will help encourage more employers to get onboard with workplace learning. By developing more successful learning partnerships, we can help our employees and our organisations not only survive the current recession but prepare for the upturn when it comes.

Graham Bann, Executive Director, Skills and Talent, Business in the Community

Neil ScaleS iNterview 4

BOOtS lOGiSticS 6

FletcHerS BaKerY 8

BriGHtON citYServiceS 10

MetrOliNe 12

Bvt SUrFace Fleet 14

FraNceS O’GradY iNterview 16

crOwN PrOSecUtiON Service 18

JcB 20

triStar HOMeS 22

liNcOlN citY cOUNcil 24

HOrStMaNN GrOUP 26

liz SMitH iNterview 28

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Graham BannIt really pays off when employers,

unionS anD union LEaRninG REPS GET ToGETHER

4 | Interview : Neil Scales Interview : Neil Scales | 5

Why did you launch the workplace learning programme at Merseytravel?When we started back in 2002, one in four of our staff had poor literacy and numeracy skills and a lot of staff didn’t have a Level 2 qualification (equivalent to a good GCSE pass). Now over 90 per cent of our staff have got a Level 2 qualification or higher and we’ve seen some really good outcomes for the business as a result: we’ve reduced sick leave by an average of two days a year per employee; we’ve increased motivation; we’ve increased performance; and morale here is fantastic even though we’ve got a turbulent business environment.

“When we started, I didn’t know I was going to get reduced sickness absence of two days per capita; I didn’t realise I was going to get all this increased motivation; I didn’t realise I was going to unlock the potential of my staff.”

Why do you think Merseylearn has been so successful?Working with the trade unions has been absolutely fantastic – that’s certainly been one of the key planks of our success. And the Merseylearn model is not top-down, because that wouldn’t work, and it’s not bottom-up, because that wouldn’t work either – it’s a co-joined strategy, and I think it could be cloned and used elsewhere.

Has it all been plain sailing?This hasn’t been an easy journey for us by any stretch of the imagination: there was a lot of negativity at the start, a lot of fear, a lot of apprehension, which we got past using our union learning reps. But the benefits are asymmetrical – you put a bit in and you get an enormous amount back from your employees.

What do you tell other employers when they ask for your advice?When people say to me: “Hang on Neil – what happens if we train our staff and they leave?” I always reply: “What happens if you don’t and they stay?” The other thing I say is that when we started, I didn’t know I was going to get reduced sickness absence of two days per capita; I didn’t realise I was going to get all this increased motivation; I didn’t realise I was going to unlock the potential of my staff.

What’s your objective for Merseytravel?We’re trying to turn ourselves into a learning organisation and our aspiration in Merseytravel is to be world-class: we can’t do that by ourselves – we’ve got to work with a range of partners – our trade unions, unionlearn, learndirect, the GoSkills Sector Skills Council.

What makes you most proud of what you’ve achieved?The thing that really cements it for me is our annual staff awards during Adult Learners’ Week in May: seeing the look on people’s faces when they come up to get their award is really great.

workplace learning boosts the bottom line, explains Merseytravel chief executive Officer Neil Scales.

WORKING WITH THE UNIONS

HAS BEEN FANTASTIC

Neil ScaleS

6 | Case Study : Boots Logistics Case Study : Boots Logistics | 7

Since high street giant Boots began restructuring its logistics operations in 2006, its groundbreaking agreement on retraining and redeployment with retail union uSDaW has boosted staff belief in themselves and the company during some difficult times.

The agreement ushered in a three-year programme to help staff affected by the switch from a network of 18 Distribution Centres (DCs) to a centralised National Stores Service Centre and a series of regional Cross Dock Centres (CDCs).

As well as establishing union learning representatives, learning committees, learning facilities and full-time learning coordinators in each of the DCs, the agreement gave staff up to £300 each to spend on vocational learning and initiated a vocational learning programme to allow staff to gain recognised qualifications for their skills.

It also offered matched time to learn for staff who wanted to improve their English and Maths and shift flexibility to accommodate other learning, as well as setting up a process to help staff who wished to be redeployed to a local Boots store.

After the first courses were laid on (mostly in English, Maths and computer skills) to help raise the profile of learning and build members’ confidence, vocational learning followed, with staff gaining National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in subjects such as Warehousing, Distribution, Customer Service, Information Technology, Management and Supervision.

Some people took advantage of schemes to retrain them to move into retail or gain a Goods Vehicle Driving Licence; others took the chance to get the training they needed to move into a new occupation entirely or start in full-time education.

The learning partnership also helped equip staff with the skills they needed to find and apply for new jobs, with workplaces linking directly to their local Jobcentre Plus so that staff could be directly connected with vacancies in the areas and jobs they wanted.

The retraining and re-skilling agreement had an astonishing impact. In some DCs, over 90 per cent of staff took up some form of learning and overall over 50 per cent of staff gained nationally recognised qualifications.

Small wonder, then, that the learning partnership was dubbed “an excellent model of true workforce development which all employers should aspire to” by Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council Partnership Manager Suzanne Ogden.

All of this means that the company’s £800,000-plus investment in learning has paid off as company performance and staff morale have remained strong despite the loss of 2,000 jobs over three years. In fact, morale and performance has improved significantly across the DCs, with many staff saying Boots became a better place to work because of the focus on learning and redeployment.

“The benefits we have seen from employees in our sites are absolutely clear,” says Matt Burton, Learning and Development Manager–Boots UK Supply Chain.

“Employees who have enrolled on courses throughout our 18 learning centres have not only developed a skill in the specific chosen subject but have shown an increase in confidence and self-belief in their own capability.”

But the learning partnership has also made an important contribution to the business itself at a particularly difficult time.

“We have seen a demonstrable positive impact on morale, and also labour turnover, which is truly remarkable given the challenging situation our teams have been working in,” he says.

Boots was made for learningThe workplace learning programme at Boots Logistics has chalked up impressive results.

Staff turnover remained stable – avoiding significant •additional agency costs.Service to stores improved year on year.•Employee Engagement Survey results improved •from 51 per cent in February 2007 to 64 per cent in September 2008.Key learning targets exceeded: 4,286 qualifications •achieved (compared to original target of 2,400); 1,315 Skills for Life qualifications achieved (original target: 750); Vocational Training Allowance taken up by 1,030 staff (original target: 750).

overall over 50 per cent of staff gained nationally recognised qualifications

BOOTS LOGISTICSCASE STUDY

8 | Case Study : Fletchers Bakery Case Study : Fletchers Bakery | 9

The learning partnership at Fletchers Bakery has provided a long list of good news stories for a firm that used to make the local headlines only when things went wrong.

When bakers union BFAWU opened the learning centre at Fletchers Bakery in Sheffield, shopfloor morale might not have quite hit rock-bottom, but it was certainly in the same postal district.

A massive fire had ripped through the factory in July 2006, redundancies had hit the workforce after venture capital company Vision bought the bakery in January 2007, and just a few months after that, the site was caught by the floods that devastated many parts of the country that summer.

But in the midst of this near-Biblical tale of woe, BFAWU union learning reps Alan Oakes and Mick Neville got together to convert what used to be the smoking room into a learning centre, which officially opened in November 2006.

“Morale was so low because of the fire, the flood and the takeover and the workforce couldn’t really give management the time of day,” recalls BFAWU project worker Janet Goodwin.

“But management are totally onboard with the learning agenda, which has really helped build bridges between management, union and employees.”

What’s really helped develop a learning culture at the company is the Six Book Challenge which Alan and Mick launched during Learning At Work Day in May 2008, prompting 50 of their co-workers – including two who hadn’t picked up a book in 20 years – to finish six specific titles.

“We completed the Six Book Challenge, run through the learning centre with tremendous help from Vital Link, who offered help and support,” says Mick. “All of the members who completed the challenge did so in their own time, usually after an eight or 12-hour shift, making it a commendable achievement.”

The challenge is no flash in the pan. A mobile library now visits once a month, a Book Swap club is running successfully, and the ULRs have helped over 30 of their members gain Level 1 and Level 2 literacy qualifications by bringing in Northern College to run on-site literacy courses.

While management has signed a learning agreement with the union, the reps have shown flexibility in its application at a time when the global economic downturn is making itself felt in Sheffield just as much as Shanghai.

While the agreement specifies staff should get 100 per cent paid release to undertake Skills for Life qualifications, in September 2008 the union agreed to a 50-50 arrangement while times remain as tough as they currently are.

The workplace learning project is making an important contribution to the business, according to Human Resources Manager Nicci Wright.

“While we can not claim that the improved level of absence and low staff turnover has been a direct benefit from the learning partnership, I am in no doubt that it has been a contributing factor,” she says.

“Increasingly, industrial relations at the factory are improving and the learning partnership is helping this relationship to continue to grow in the right direction, and it’s aided communication on the site, which also improves industrial relations.”

an invitation to number 10Fletchers Bakery ULR Mick Neville got to meet the Prime Minister’s wife Sarah Brown when he and fellow rep Alan Oakes were nominated as Reading Heroes in a set of awards to mark the culmination of the 2008 Year of Reading.

“Receiving this award, visiting No 10 and meeting Sarah Brown has been an amazing experience: she was so personable, she really showed an interest in what we’ve achieved and in the difference that individuals can make,” said Mick.

“management are totally onboard with the learning agenda, which has really helped build bridges between management, union and employees”

CASE STUDY FLETCHERS BAKERY

10 | Case Study : Brighton Cityservices Case Study : Brighton Cityservices | 11

after boosting morale and improving performance at Brighton Cityclean, the learning partnership with the GMB general union is now extending to other parts of the Cityservices family.

With over 70 staff taking courses last year at Cityclean, the refuse and recycling arm of Brighton and Hove City Council, and more than 40 securing national qualifications, the learning partnership has become so successful that there are waiting lists for many of the courses it offers.

No wonder it’s garnered ever-more awards (another nine last year) and attracted almost non-stop local and national media coverage, including a spot on GMTV.

“Last year was the best yet in terms of the learning at Cityclean – the Learning Resource Centre is a big part of the culture now and it really feels like learning is becoming embedded,” says Cityservices Learning and Development Officer Elaine Sweetman.

In fact, learning is no longer seen as a separate part of the job. “In the same way as diversity is part of job and not an add-on, we now expect and want people to develop in their role and we encourage them to do that: management has more of a development role in staff and that’s a good thing,“ she says.

With the partnership now targeting the learning needs of the 150 staff who maintain the city’s parks and green spaces, learning is really set to blossom throughout Cityservices (which includes both Cityclean and Cityparks).

“There is an enthusiasm for learning: formal education failed a lot of people and it’s really nice to give them a second chance and for people to be able to develop themselves and build skills and confidence in and out of work,” says Elaine.

“The knock-on effect is that people are more confident, more vocal, they speak up more and get more involved – and can help their kids with their homework,” she says.

None of this would be possible without the partnership with the GMB, she says. “A partnership is best: together, we reach more people; ULRs can reach people I wouldn’t be able to reach,” she says.

“Both sides bring lots to the table. It’s win-win for everyone. And what’s lovely is that we keep all the politics out of the learning agenda and people are focussed on the learning.”

GMB Branch Secretary Mark Turner says the union now wants to replicate the success not only in Cityparks but eventually with all of the council’s 8,000 employees.

“The morale in Cityclean with the learning centre up and running and people able to develop themselves is tremendous – we want to replicate that: a lot of people are in the same position and everyone deserves opportunities,” he says.

BRIGHTON CITY SERVICESCASE STUDY

How learning pays offReduced sick leave. Sickness rates have dramatically •reduced for those staff taking literacy classes: over a two-year period, sickness is down by an average of five days per person.Happier staff. This has led to improved communication •with other staff and customers.Improved form filling. Staff are more able to fill in forms •and complete paperwork, including time sheets.Improved customer relations. The complaints to the call •centre about operative staff have reduced.Improved progression. More staff are applying for •promotion and development opportunities as a result of increased confidence and new skills.Improved communication. Staff are speaking more •clearly over the radio, are participating more in training and communication days and with giving feedback to management. Improved recruitment. Cityclean is able to offer staff more •training as a part of the job and this is leading to more people wanting to work for Cityclean.

sickness rates have dramatically reduced for those staff taking literacy classes: over a two-year period, sickness is down by an average of five days per person

12 | Case Study : Metroline Case Study : Metroline | 13

When you employ migrant workers, you can improve communications by supporting workplace learning and backing union learning reps – which is exactly what London bus company Metroline has done.

Union learning rep Joanna Szmit is a vital link between the workplace learning partnership and her co-workers at the company’s Perivale garage as well as the dozens of Polish speakers employed at the firm’s 11 sites across the capital.Joanna (universally known as Asia, pronounced Asha) originally took on the ULR role because she wanted to help Polish workers avoid the problems she faced when she arrived in the UK in 2004.

“I remember when I came here and didn’t speak English: just going to the shops was very difficult and I don’t want others to go through that,” she says.

Unite the union Learning Coordinator Tom O’Callaghan says Asia acts as a crucial conduit between the Metroline-Unite learning partnership and the staff. “She goes out and speaks to people and gives them the confidence to come and do courses,” he says.

The young Polish single mother is typical of the new cohort of younger people, women and minority ethnic workers across the country who are volunteering to become union learning reps – so much so that she was chosen as the face of the nation’s ULRs when the TUC reached its target of training 22,000 learning reps a year ahead of schedule.

Metroline Head of Training and Recruitment Neil Colston agrees that ULRs play a vital role for the company, which employs 3,800 people in the capital.

“ULRs bring education into the workplace: that stigma that used to attach to learning has now gone, and in the case of courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), it’s enhancing the skills staff have already got.”

In the ten years since it was launched to meet the changing needs of the company’s staff, the learning partnership has established a network of learning centres and a learning bus, management and union have reached a learning agreement, and the company has signed the Government’s Skills Pledge.

Working together over all that time has produced a range of concrete business benefits – not least an improvement in industrial relations at the company. “In the past, union and management were at loggerheads but the partnership has eased that away,” Tom says.

Other companies would do well to get on board with learning, Tom and Neil agree. “If they don’t do it, they are missing a huge opportunity,” they say.

Ride out the recession by investing in skillsPassenger transport employers can reduce operating costs and hold on to business by maintaining or increasing investment in training and skills, according to new research by the GoSkills Sector Skills Council.

Go Skills specially-commissioned research into its sector employers’ views on skills, employment and training revealed:

More than half of the businesses surveyed (53 per cent) •said they were experiencing skills gaps (where employees lacked proficiency in their roles).As a result of skills gaps, nearly a quarter of those •employers experienced increased operating costs (23 per cent) and nearly a fifth experienced loss of business (19 per cent).Over a quarter of employers (26 per cent) believed that •one or more new generic skills (non-sector/job-specific) would be needed in the future – especially foreign languages and job-related IT skills.

“The research clearly shows that employers need to not only maintain but increase their investment in training and workforce development ,” says GoSkills Chief Executive Peter Huntington.

“This will become even more important for up-skilling and re-skilling the workforce for the future as the UK comes out of the recession.”

more than half of the businesses surveyed

(53 per cent) said they were experiencing skills

gaps (where employees lacked proficiency

in their roles)

CASE STUDY METROLINE

14 | Case Study : BVT Surface Fleet Case Study : BVT Surface Fleet | 15

BVT Surface Fleet is developing the shipbuilders of today and tomorrow through its learning and training partnerships at Portsmouth naval Base.

The learning partnership between the company, the Confederation of Shipbuilding Unions (CSEU) and local provider Eastleigh College has been racking up excellent results since it was launched in 2002 to help improve adult literacy, numeracy and IT skills in the shipyard.

In fact, a thorough evaluation of its 2004/2005 learning programme for leading hands and charge hands revealed:

86 per cent passed the National Test in Numeracy at Level 2.•95 per cent passed Literacy Level 2. •98 per cent passed both National Tests at Level 1.•100 per cent passed the ICT courses.•

But what was most impressive about the survey was that it showed the return on the investment in the 2005 training was a massive 140 per cent (see sidebar).

But as well as offering Skills for Life courses to workers already on the payroll, the union learning centre now also offers practical help for local unemployed people through the Into Work programme, jointly run by the company, the CSEU, Eastleigh College and the local Jobcentre Plus.

The 10-day course offers literacy, numeracy and IT training plus a range of on-site preparation for work including help with CV writing and interview technique.

It’s now a crucial component of the company’s recruitment strategy, and has helped it identify 40 adult trainees, in addition to 140 young people currently on the Portsmouth apprenticeship programme.

Trainee plater Tony Brown was unemployed for over seven years before he took the Into Work course at the learning centre in 2008.

“Coming through the Level 1 literacy and numeracy course was fantastic because it gave me an opportunity to show BVT what I could do and it gave me a little bit more confidence with job interviews and writing CVs,” he says.

Around a third of the people who take the Into Work course are taken on as adult trainees, working through the NVQ programme at the on-site BVT Training Centre, into which the company has sunk more than £500,000 to kit out workshops, IT and conference suites.

“It’s a win-win,” explains Human Resources Manager Wendy Fry. “The adult trainees are committed because they’ve got this opportunity and they just give it everything, and for me I get people hitting production as soon as possible with all the right qualifications and all the right health and safety knowledge.”

How it all adds upUsing the Phillips Return On Investment (ROI) Methodology, which converts every improvement attributed to a training programme to a monetary value, VT Shipbuilding (the forerunner of BVT Surface Fleet) was able to calculate the return on its investment in a learning programme for leading hands and charge hands in 2004/5.

The major elements of expenditure in the programme were the costs of paid release for learners (just over £49,000), the tutor’s salary (£29,000) and the project management (£12,000). Including equipment, materials, administration and other costs, the total outlay came to just over £109,000.

Using the data collected on the business impact of the programme, the evaluation revealed an estimated saving of over £262,750, which worked out at just over £153,000 taking into account total expenditure or a 140 per cent return on the investment.

a thorough evaluation of the 2004/2005 learning programme for leading hands and charge hands revealed 95 per cent passed literacy level 2

BVT SURFACE FLEETCASE STUDY

Interview : Frances O’Grady | 1716 | Interview : Frances O’Grady

How can workplace learning partnerships help companies ride out the recession?It’s going to be even more important for companies to keep investing in skills and training for the future and be ready for the recovery when it comes. We recognise that a lot of employers are under pressure and that means training budgets are under pressure too, but we also know from the experience of previous recessions that companies end up paying a long-term price for short-term cuts: independent studies show that companies which don’t invest in training are 2.5 times more likely to go under in a recession than those that do.

How do you feel about so many key organisations agreeing with the TUC on the learning agenda?We’ve been pleased to work with a whole range of organisations including employers’ organisations and the Government in sending out the message loud and clear that this is not the time to cut back on training – on the contrary, this is the time when the best way to avoid closure, the best way to keep competitive, is to maintain that investment in skills. But it is a difficult time and from a union perspective we’ve got to be ready to work with agencies like the Rapid Response Service to get help where and when workers need it.

You play an important role on the Regional Economic Council: what can it do to help?The Regional Economic Council is there to advise Government and act as a sounding-board but it’s also there to test the policies that the Government has put in place to try and ensure that industry can thrive and we can protect and grow jobs. So we’re there to tell them whether a policy is working from a local and regional point of view, to give them intelligence on what’s happening in particular industries and to ask for help where it’s needed.

You’ve visited a number of successful workplace learning partnerships: what do they all have in common?They’ve got to be based on genuine partnerships – it can’t be a case of one party consulting with the other and then doing what they were going to do anyway. They’ve got to be partnerships where we don’t just have a series of good initiatives but we have them embedded in the way that employers and unions work together. And they’ve got be partnerships based on real collective agreements: we need to see skills and training on the collective bargaining agenda.

When it comes to learning and skills, do you think companies and unions can share the same aspirations?Learning is one of those genuine common causes between employers and unions. It doesn’t mean that our interests are always identical: for instance, we’re concerned that workers get training for life and not just for the task because if people do have to change jobs, when they have qualifications they’ve got proof of what they can do. Sometimes employers don’t always see it in the same way, but even if there are occasional differences, without doubt learning should be, and can be, a common cause, where the union can and does add value. And where we do work together, we know that these are the firms that are most likely to succeed.

Learning is a genuineLy common cause between unions and employers

Investing in skills now will help companies prepare for the recovery, says TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady.

Frances O’Grady

18 | Case Study : Crown Prosecution Service Case Study : Crown Prosecution Service | 19

The Crown Prosecution Service is working towards Government targets for the skills levels of its workforce with the help of learning reps from the Public and Commercial Services union.

With its brief to prosecute criminal cases investigated by the police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) needs its entire staff to secure the skills necessary to deliver such a crucial public service in this key component of the justice sector.

That’s why the CPS is working closely with the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) to develop and maintain a learning culture within the organisation.

With the help of a learning agreement widely held to be one of the best in the country, and a public commitment to the Skills Pledge, the CPS aims to ensure at least 95 per cent of staff are qualified to Level 2 (equivalent to five good GCSEs) by March 2011.

“As we move to greater career mobility, we need to use the funding that is available to ensure we meet the Skills Pledge target but more importantly to equip our staff with the qualifications they need in an ever-changing work environment,” says Vikki Holmes, CPS Skills Manager, Leadership and Learning.

“We will gain from this initiative by having a consistently skilled workforce and through demonstrating our commitment and the value we place on our staff by providing development opportunities across a range of roles.”

The CPS and the union are currently working together to encourage staff to complete an online skills survey to gain an accurate picture of qualifications within the Government department.

“It’s a great opportunity to identify some of the individual staff members who can benefit most from our support,” Vikki says.

The CPS Leadership and Learning Department has been tasked with working with unions on the skills agenda and ongoing meetings ensure that the learning agreement is under constant review to ensure best practice.

“Management is very committed and is demonstrating that it really wants the support of the union to up-skill staff,” says CPS Group ULR Coordinator Conrad Gayle.

“In meetings on the skills agenda and the Government Skills Strategy, unions have been involved to the point where we have some input on the content of courses.”

While management has had trouble in the past obtaining information from staff on their skills levels, the support of the union is now making all the difference.

“The CPS was finding it difficult to carry through alone and that’s where ULRs come into place to work alongside management,” Conrad explains.

“Our hopes for the future are that once we have a database of the skills levels of staff – and we’ll have a crucial role in building that – we can identify the needs of an individual and train them even further and negotiate to give them the time to do that,” he says.

“Learning is something that attracts many of us, and when we can gain this privilege from our place of work, it’s imperative that there is a structure whereby employees become learners to carry forward this culture.”

Taking the PledgeOfficially launched by the Government in June 2007, the Skills Pledge aims to ensure all staff are skilled, competent, and able to fully contribute in the workplace.

Led by the Learning and Skills Council, the Skills Pledge is a public commitment by an employer to invest in skills.

Part of its role is to improve skills in literacy and numeracy – as well as helping employees work towards relevant qualifications to at least Level 2 (the equivalent of five good GCSEs).

To date, more than 6,000 companies covering more than 5 million employees have made the Skills Pledge.

the cps aims to ensure at least 95 per cent of staff are qualified to level 2 by 2011

CASE STUDY

CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE

20 | Case Study : JCB Case Study : JCB | 21

Construction giant JCB has embarked on the biggest training initiative in the company’s history to help it face up to the global economic challenge.

A massive new training programme involving more than 2,000 employees at construction firm JCB aims to equip the workforce with the skills they need to survive the downturn.

“We’ve been very encouraged by the response to the training programme,” says JCB’s Head of Learning and Development Ken Stepney. “We’re working to combat the problems caused by the economic downturn and readying ourselves for the opportunities a recovery will bring.”

Plants in Rocester, Cheadle, Uttoxeter, Wrexham, Rugeley and Derbyshire are all taking part, with the backing of the GMB union.

The training combines team-building sessions with classroom learning to help employees work towards valuable qualifications, alongside a series of bespoke training courses to help 1,800 staff made redundant.

Cylinder machinist Lee Finney says he was pleased to get involved in something that helped both him and the company.

“The qualifications will certainly help and help give the JCB workforce the edge: the training has gone well and I think working in a team environment will really help me learn from others and improve in my job.”

April Hayhurst, Commercial Director at Corporate College, Derby, is impressed by JCB’s determination to weather the storm and its commitment to the workforce.

“It demonstrates a real sense of corporate responsibility: in difficult times, many companies can have a ‘head in the sand’ mentality but not at JCB – they are really doing something that will benefit the company as a whole as well as all the individual employees who take part,” she says.

Gordon Richardson, the GMB works convenor at the company’s Wolds HQ in Rocester, says the union is working with managers in a bad situation and getting the most that it can for its members.

Some staff who have taken advantage of the redundancy training have gone on to find better jobs or set up businesses of their own, he points out.

It’s not the first time GMB members at the company have played their part in helping the JCB survive the recession. Last year, staff voted for a shorter working week and thereby reduced redundancies by two-thirds.

“This is very positive because it means we retain the skills of a wider workforce who have contributed to the success this company has enjoyed over many years,” commented JCB Chief Executive Officer Matthew Taylor at the time.

“It means we retain the fundamental strength of our workforce and this is very welcome news as it puts us in a very strong position to take advantage quickly of the upturn in the market when it comes,” he said.

Re-skilling redundant workersA workforce development project set up by the union Unity (formerly known as CATU) has helped over 5,000 redundant (or soon-to-be-redundant) workers re-skill/up-skill to meet the demands of a changing job market in North Staffordshire.

The North Staffs Workforce Development Project offers Skills for Life assessments; one-to-one confidential advice by qualified advisers; referrals to specialist support organisations (eg, debt counsellors); and academic or practical vocational training leading to employment.

The project is run through the Unity Resource Centre, established by Unity as a comprehensive one-stop-shop service to support everyone from shop-floor workers to managers who find themselves out of work, due to redundancy and plant closures.

The centre works closely with the mainstream agencies such as JobCentre Plus, Learning and Skills Council, Advantage West Midlands, and training providers to help people get back into work and update their skills at the earliest opportunity.

the training programme, involving over 2,000 employees, aims to equip the workforce with the skills to survive the downturn

JcBCASE STUDY

22 | Case Study : Tristar Homes Case Study : Tristar Homes | 23

Workplace learning at Teeside company Tristar Homes is helping staff offer a better all-round service to customers.

Until the Unistar Learning project got underway at Tristar Homes in 2007, Patch Manager and UNISON ULR Marilyn Scott never had the chance to take part in any training at the Arm’s Length Management Organisation, which manages and maintains Council housing stock at Stockton-on-Tees.

But since training as a union learning rep thanks to a multi-union learning agreement between the company, UNISON, UCATT and Unite, she’s developed her professional skills and is now able to offer much more to both colleagues and customers.

Marilyn’s trained as a face painter (a skill the company needs for the fun days it organises) and has started a health hygiene course, which will enable her to provide buffets at customer open days, meetings and other functions.

She’s completed an NVQ Level 2 in IT skills and started a Level 4 Information, Advice and Guidance course. “I feel that this training will give me the skills to offer advice and assistance at a higher level to our customers,“ she says.

“I’ve worked for the company for 28 years and never had the confidence or the opportunity before becoming a ULR to enable me to do any kind of training, but I must say I have got the bug now and I love my job at the moment because my life is very full!” she says.

The sea-change which led to Marilyn and nearly half of her 300 colleagues developing themselves at work was the introduction of a new management team at Tristar, including

a new Managing Director, new Company Directors and the creation of an in-house Human Resources team, according to ULR Coordinator Paul Weston. Things were very different before all that, he says.

“The low morale at the depot was massive: the average age of a tradesman at the depot was 58 and younger people had gone because there was no chance of progression or training – no one moved on or moved up,” he recalls.

“Now we have an expanding workforce, a happier workforce and people have the opportunity to move up and are in a position to move up if they want to – it’s a fantastic success,” Paul says.

It’s all down to Tristar’s commitment to embedding the learning culture within the organisation, according to Managing Director Steve Boyd.

“We at Tristar Homes have a real commitment to embedding a learning culture within our organisation and strive to offer learning opportunities to all employees – as a modern employer, we have an ethos of ‘train to retain’,” he says.

“Part and parcel of that is ensuring that workers are confident when it comes to basic skills such as numeracy, which play a part in jobs at all levels within our organisation.”

How it all adds upThe project has saved the company over £20,000 by negotiating free or subsidised courses in the past two years, and helped employees develop their skills in locksmithing, plumbing, plastering, business skills, customer services, IT and health and safety (among other things).

In all 140 people have so far taken advantage of the learning opportunities through Unistar Learning and achievements to date include:

95 people clocking up at least six hours’ learning.•53 people on GCSE equivalent courses.•29 people on A Level equivalent courses.•Three people on university level courses.•Seven technical officers completing a City & Guilds •Domestic Energy Course at Level 3.Three tradesmen completing a City & Guilds locksmithing •course at Level 3 – saving the company £50,000 it would have had to pay sub-contractors.

95 people out of the 300 on the payroll have clocked up at least six hours’ worth of learning

CASE STUDY

TRISTAR HOMES

24 | Case Study : Lincoln City Council Case Study : Lincoln City Council | 25

The successful workplace learning project at Lincoln City Council has led to the authority taking on its first craft apprentices in 20 years.

It all began with the formation of the joint management-union lifelong learning committee in January 2004, when UCATT, the GMB, UNISON and Unite signed a learning agreement with the authority.

UCATT ULR Kev Clarke was determined to help the council workforce improve themselves through training and learning. “Everyone should be trained up to Level 2 no matter what they do,” he explains.

“In particular, I wanted to reach the sections of the workforce who had been overlooked in the training programme through no fault of their own – such as part-time and night-shift workers – who tended to under-value themselves as a result.”

The strategy has paid off: all the part-time women cleaners working nights at the town hall have now taken NVQ Level 1 and 2 courses in cleaning and maintenance, and 22 car park attendants are currently enrolled on training through the Government’s Train to Gain programme.

In addition, the authority has also just started its first three craft apprentices in two decades, after the City Maintenance Services (CMS) arm of the council agreed a new scheme with the unions, who are involved at every stage, beginning with the selection panel.

It’s proving popular with the trainees themselves. “This is a good scheme and I would definitely recommend it: I learn lots on the job, every property is different and we face new challenges everyday – no day is the same,” says apprentice electrician Grant Moyses.

It’s also lifted morale by demonstrating the authority’s commitment to investing in the future. “One of the good things about bringing in the apprentices was the fact that the morale in the workforce rose afterwards,” says Kev.

And it’s not only helping the authority – it’s helping address regional skills shortages in construction.

“The apprentice scheme does not only address our requirements: it also aims to help offset a regional skills shortage at a time when the construction industry is suffering the effects of economic downturn,” explains Training Coordinator Sally Des Forges.

In addition, 98 per cent of the CMS workforce have secured their Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards through learning at the workplace, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to reduce accidents and improve quality of work.

Senior managers at the authority support the learning agenda, according to Kev. “The higher managers – directors, heads of service – they’re all for the learning agreement and therefore the learning agenda: I haven’t come across a director yet who’s actually refused anything I’ve asked for,” he says.

And the authority recognises the value of working with the unions and union learning reps to continue to develop the workplace learning partnership, according to Sally.“ULRs provide a momentum that is sometimes missing and push and promote issues that can get forgotten, providing a voice for people to air issues that they are sometimes unsure of speaking to their line managers about.,” she says.

Expanding public sector apprenticeshipsThe Government is creating 21,000 new apprenticeships in hospitals, schools, colleges and town halls across the country in 2009-10.

In addition, all construction firms and local authorities taking part in the Building Schools for the Future programme (which is rebuilding or refurbishing the entire secondary school estate in England) will be required to take on apprentices – creating another 1,000 apprenticeship places.

“By encouraging businesses to take on apprentices we will help ensure we have the highly skilled workforce the UK needs to stay competitive through the downturn and when the upturn comes,” says DIUS Secretary of State John Denham.

98 per cent of the cms workforce have secured their construction skills certificate scheme cards

LINCOLN CITY COUNCILCASE STUDY

26 | Case Study : Horstmann Group Case Study : Horstmann Group | 27

The learning projects at Horstmann Group in Bristol are a model for SMEs throughout the country.

Five years ago, the leading domestic heating controls designer/manufacturer Horstmann Group wanted to start developing a learning culture at the Bristol company but the NVQ courses it had offered failed to reach many employees who would have benefited most.

That’s when learning reps from Unite the union at the company decided to apply for grants from the regional TUC’s Learning Works for All Fund to kick-start the Engage project (and later, Engage–Moving On).

“Management was open to the idea and they were on board when we were awarded funding,” says ULR Barrie Knight. The company signed a learning agreement and gave learners paid time off to take courses.

Fifteen laptops were bought along with an overhead projector, printers, and digital cameras, which were used to equip a dedicated learning room at the company, and courses taught by local provider Norton Radstock College.

“The results from Engage and Engage – Moving On were excellent with employees engaged from all disciplines across the business,” says Managing Director Les Woolner. “Particularly pleasing has been the involvement of many people who were reluctant to join the first initiative.”

While IT courses proved attractive at first (and still do), the projects have also run successful numeracy and literacy courses and courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

“We were aware that people struggled with literacy and numeracy but were not too sure how to engage them – after all these are people who had reached middle age successfully without having to admit to having problems,” says ULR Clive Burge.

“So we advertised a numeracy brush-up course and the people on it loved it and have told others about it who now want to enrol.”

In addition to benefiting from staff achieving diplomas and qualifications, the company has also moved forward through benefits which Les admits may be less visible but equally important.

“Less visible are the softer benefits – increased confidence, a more open attitude to learning and improvements in morale, relationships and team working,” he says.

A recent survey of learning reveals that people now believe there is a good learning culture at the company, which has signed the Government’s Skills Pledge and is planning to introduce new technical qualifications to help staff stay ahead of industry changes.

While the SME has been taken over by an Indian-based multinational, learning remains embedded in the workplace culture.

“We still have the same managing director and when it was sold the company put in training as part of its portfolio and this has been supported by the parent company,” explains ULR Barrie Knight.

MD Les says Horstmann is committed to continuous improvement in all aspects of its business.

“We aim to develop our employees to enable them to realise their potential in business and provide them with the necessary skills to cope with an ever more technically complex world in both their work and home lives,” he says.

Top marks from ofstedEmployer-trade union learning partnerships pay off handsomely for business, according to a recent inspection of U-Net, the unionlearn network of learning centres, which places it among the best providers in the country.

“Employers benefit from these partnerships, with improved staff morale, reduced sick leave and staff turnover, fewer complaints and grievances, and higher rates of internal promotion,” the report says.

The successful partnerships have produced “learning [which is] highly responsive to employers’ needs [and which] meets learners’ needs as well.”

ULRs provided “outstanding peer support” as mentors, advocates, negotiators, role models and advisers, whose input learners value highly and cite as one of the most important elements in their learning, the report points out.

fifteen laptops were bought along with an overhead projector, printers, and digital cameras, which were used to equip a dedicated learning room at the company

HORSTMANN GROUPCASE STUDY

28 | Interview : Liz Smith Interview : Liz Smith | 29

How important are learning agreements in the development of workplace learning partnerships?When employers and unions are working together to promote learning in the workplace, it’s important to make sure that’s backed up by a written learning agreement: verbal agreements tend to depend on individuals, whereas written agreements are much more likely to survive changes in personnel. And all the key players must feel they have a stake: if an agreement is drawn up in the HR department, the appropriate line managers should be signed up to it to ensure the creation of a live document that’s backed up by real-life commitments.

“We know that well-run organisations with well-trained staff do better, which is good for union members and good for their employers.”

What can unionlearn offer to help develop really successful workplace learning partnerships?We can help to train new ULRs; we can train them on specific areas to help them develop and feel more confident in what they do; and we can keep them up to date through our publications, our website and our events. We can also offer our advice about how best to frame learning agreements; we can share our experience about the best workplace learning partnerships; and we can also help to publicise success. In particular, we can help identify useful partners and the information and resources that are available which employers might not know about, and we can explain how the Government’s Skills Pledge works.

How can a workplace learning partnership help companies plan for the upturn?All our experience over the past ten years has shown that learning can thrive despite the tensions between companies and unions on other issues – and obviously there’s going to be more tension during a recession with all the pressure on budgets and so on. So learning can help keep the doors of communication open between employers and unions in the short term. But in the medium and longer term it can also help reduce absenteeism, improve customer care, enhance health and safety – all those business case benefits we know about.

The recent ofsted inspection of union learning’s network of learndirect centres was very positive: how can we take that forward?Ofsted’s inspectors obviously have to inspect all kinds of work-based learning, and they were very struck by the amazing contribution made by union learning reps in terms of the time they put in and the support they give to workers – without the union, workplace learning doesn’t happen in the same way. Their report reinforced how important ULRs can be in levering in resources from employers and encouraged us to shout about our successes.

What’s your message to employers who haven’t yet got involved in a workplace learning partnership?Don’t be afraid of working with unions: we have the interests of both the employee and the organisation that employs them at heart because we know that well-run organisations with well-trained staff do better, which is good for union members and good for their employers. So work with us – give it a go, take the leap of faith and let’s see what we can work out together.

LIZ SMITHLet’s see what we

can work out together

Union learning helps develop both the organisation and its employees, says unionlearn director liz Smith.

30 | Contacts

How to contact unionlearnUnionlearn is the learning and skills organisation of the Trades Union Congress. Unionlearn’s mission statement is: “We will increase workers’ life chances and strengthen their voice at the workplace through high quality union learning”.

National contactsUnionlearn Congress HouseGreat Russell StreetLondonWC1B 3LS Tel: 020 7079 6920Fax: 020 7079 6921 [email protected] www.unionlearn.org.uk

Director liz SmithTel: 020 7079 6922Mobile: 07887 797 [email protected]

CommunicationsMike PowerTel: 020 7079 6942Mobile: 07900 914 [email protected]

South east, london and the east of englandBarry Francis regional Manager UnionlearnCongress HouseGreat Russell StreetLondonWC1B 3LSTel: 020 7467 1251Mobile: 07880 558 651Email: [email protected]

Midlands Mary alys regional ManagerUnionlearn 24 Livery Street Birmingham B3 2PATel: 0121 262 6387Mobile: 07786 515 [email protected]

Northern Barney McGill regional Manager Unionlearn 5th Floor Commercial Union House 39 Pilgrim Street Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6QETel: 0191 227 5552Mobile: 07747 636 [email protected]

North west dave eva regional Manager Unionlearn Suite 506-510 The Cotton Exchange Old Hall Street Liverpool L3 9UDTel: 0151 235 5366Mobile: 07876 710 [email protected]

South west Helen cole regional Manager Unionlearn Ground Floor Church House Church Road Filton Bristol BS34 7BDTel: 0117 933 4436Mobile: 07887 797 [email protected]

Yorkshire and the Humberalan roe regional Manager Unionlearn33 Park Place Leeds LS1 2RYTel: 0113 245 1085Mobile: 07795 570 [email protected]

Trades Union Congress, Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS

t: 020 7079 6920 f: 020 8079 6921 e: [email protected]

www.unionlearn.org.uk

editorial: Martin Moriarty and Astrid Stubbs Photography: Jess Hurd except Neil Scales

(Colin McPherson); Boots Logistics (Roy Peters); Crown Prosecution Service (PCS); JCB

(JCB) design: Redhouse Lane. 14 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3JA Print: tbc