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Social dialogue for adult learning 61

opportunities, as well as information and guidance, through trade unions is
prominent in the UK, through UnionLearn ( ) representatives (Niace, 2008;
1
Cedefop 2008a). Trade union activity and participation in skills development
strategies is now recognised as an important feature of workplace learning
and career guidance.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) established UnionLearn to provide a high-profile strategic
framework and support for union work on skill development. UnionLearn promotes collective
action to increase learning in the workplace. Although UnionLearn representatives were well-
positioned to deliver information and advice and other support to colleagues, they were themselves
volunteers and full-time workers. As a result, UnionLearn did not seek to become a specialist
provider of information, advice and guidance, and cooperated with specialised agencies to
broker learning opportunities in the workplace.
Another catalyst for trade union involvement in learning was the Union learning fund that
aimed to build union capacity to sustain work on learning issues and make this a core activity
in trade union agendas. Unions were encouraging employers to provide for the learning needs
of their staff and sign up to a ‘skills pledge’, which committed them to training their staff to
a specific qualification level. UnionLearn argued the case for social dialogue around the way
in which costs for raising skill ambitions should be shared between the state, employers and
individuals, for increased collective bargaining over training, secured with a statutory framework,
and for sustained capacity building for unions to enable them to take this agenda forward.
(Cedefop, 2010f) ( ).
2

Trade unions have an important role to play in reaching new learners and
overcoming barriers to learning in the workplace: increasing awareness,
confidence and motivation to learn; helping workers fill their skill gaps;
identifying learning and training needs; setting up learning opportunities and
reaching learning agreements with employers. As shown by the UnionLearn
scheme, unions can form active partnerships with employers and conclude
learning agreements to tackle both company and individual skill needs and
address wider lifelong learning issues. They can also establish cooperation
with learning and guidance providers to deliver services together in the
workplace and ensure that learning opportunities are customised, relevant
and delivered appropriately. Union learning ambassadors are in the front
line of outreach strategies to promote learning in the workplace for those
most in need of developing their skills.

( ) Further information on UnionLearn can be accessed at the following
1
website: www.unionlearn.org.uk [cited 10.12.2010].
2
( ) UnionLearn, case study prepared by Lesley Haughton, UnionLearn for Cedefop conference on
Guidance for workforce development, 25-26 June 2007.