The RCN & Unionlearn Projects in England

1. The RCN & Unionlearn Projects in England

2. "We will increase workers’ life chances and strengthen their voice at the workplace through high quality union learning"

3. Unionlearn aims to help unions to become learning organisations, with programmes for union reps and regional officers and strategic support for national officers. • It will also help unions to broker learning opportunities for their members, running phone and online advice services, securing the best courses to meet learners' needs and kitemarking union academy provision to a quality standard. • Finally, unionlearn will research union priorities on learning and skills, identify and share good practice, promote learning agreements, support union members on learning and skills bodies, and help shape sector skills agreements.

4. The Union Learning Fund • Set up in 1998 • Statutory recognition of ULRs in 2002 • Disbursed £81.5m • More than 450 Union Learning Fund projects have been run, covering over 3,000 workplaces. • More than 67,000 learners access courses each year through the projects • There is an English, Scottish and Welsh Union Learning Fund • Projects in England are both national and regional

5. National ULF Projects in England The RCN, through its relationship with unionlearn, has delivered local and nationally implemented projects including: • Production of learning resources (1999-2001) • National conference to support networking of ULRs (2001-2002) • Local programme to enhance practice development skills of ULRs (2002-2004) • Local training programme to support skills development of overseas nurses (2004)

6. ULF Round 10 – 2007/9 A large scale bid was put together to amalgamate the learning from previous projects and develop, implement and evaluate a developmental pathway for RCN learning representatives. Project team: • Project lead – Linda McBride linda.mcbride@rcn.org.uk • Project coordinator – Emily Spencer-Rigby emily.spencer-rigby@rcn.org.uk • Project administrator – Peter Fairbank peter.fairbank@rcn.org.uk

8. Project 18/2007 Developing, Implementing and Evaluating a Developmental Pathway for RCN Learning Representatives Commenced April 2007 • Delayed start and commenced in earnest in Jan 2008 • Main focus was to develop a learning and development pathway for learning reps. • Also had to • Promote Skills for Life • Create a strong ULR network • Promote the role of the ULR • Gather evidence to support the role of ULRs and union learning

9. Successes • Events • Congress • LR Conference • Resources for LRs • Joint Rep Conference • L&D pathway for LRs • System for recording the l&d of ULRs • A development programme for ULRs in facilitation skills • Resources • On line LR community framed around case studies to enable sharing of experience and networking • Valuing reps campaign • Gathering evidence to demonstrate the value of the LR

10. Challenges • Time off for LR duties • Gathering evidence of LR activity • Taking time to communicate • Vocational Qualifications • Skills for Life

11. New Project - 15/2009 New Project - 15/2009 Sustaining learning and Skills in the workplace; supporting ULRs in developing learners • To contribute to the two overarching targets of the unionlearn strategic plan (2008-2011) regarding training and accrediting ULRs and supporting learners. • To support the mission, purpose, values and targets of unionlearn and the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills (DIUS)

12. New Project - 15/2009 • To support and develop our 630 existing RCN ULRs to support learners through: • Identifying their learning needs • Developing learning skills • Promoting learner progression • Engaging employers to support the learning and skills agenda • To support and enhance existing recognition/ partnership / facilities agreements with employers both in the NHS and independent sector

13. New Project - 15/2009 • To maximise the impact of the LR in relation to sustaining the union learning agenda within the workplace. • To integrate unionlearn intelligence, expertise and resources within the project. • To create resources such as case studies and digital stories to promote the union learning agenda to LRs, members and employers

14. Outcomes • LR initial training • Learning reps undertaking Module 1 (foundation) • LR follow on training • Learning reps undertaking Module 2, Module 3, LR Workshops and Masterclasses • Skills for Life • Number of learners taking Numeracy / Literacy courses • ICT courses • Number of learners taking IT courses (not ITQ) • Vocational Qualifications Level 2 • Number of learners on first full level 2 courses • Number of learners achieving a first full level 2 qualification • Vocational Qualifications Level 3 • Number of learners on first full level 3 courses • Number of learners achieving a first full level 3 qualification

15. Outcomes • Continuing Professional Development • Number of learners on CPD (provided by or accessed through union intervention) • Level 3 and above • Other • Number of learners on FE Programmes • Short term (9 hours to 1 term) • Long term (1 term or more) • Number of learners on HE programmes • Information, Advice and Guidance • Given by learning reps to learners (1-2-1, workshops, events) • Networking Events • Dissemination / networking events to promote the role of the RCN learning rep, union learning and unionlearn

16. Outcomes Quarterly Submission Apr – Jun 09 (due 31/07/09) Jul – Sep 09 (due 31/10/09) Oct – Dec 09 (due 31/01/10) Jan – Mar 10 (due 30/04/10) Apr – Jun 10 (due 31/07/10) Jul – Sep 10 (due 31/10/10) Oct – Dec 10 (due 31/01/11) Jan – Mar 10 (due 30/04/11)

17. Project Plan - Workstreams We have divided the project into 6 workstreams: • A) Governance • B) Workshops and Masterclasses • C) Numeracy Initiative • D) Gathering Evidence • E) Networking Events • F) Communications Plan

18. Project Plan - Workstreams A) Governance • Adhere to project management best practice guidelines and maintain a good audit trail of project activity. This includes: • Risk register • Equality and diversity register • Financial reporting & invoicing • Quarterly reporting through governance structures • Culminates in an external audit B) Workshops and Masterclasses • 4 regionally delivered workshops and masterclasses • Learning Needs, Learning Skills, Learner progression and employer engagement • Deliver from Sep 09 to Jan 11

19. Project Plan - Workstreams C) Numeracy Initiative • Work with an employer to deliver a numeracy initiative based around maths for drugs calculations • April to Sep, work with employer to develop workshop • Oct, deliver workshop • Nov to Jan, evaluate • Jan to Dec, role out to other organisations? D) Gathering Evidence • Supporting quarterly outcome reports by encouraging LRs to share details of their activity. Currently use LR community, LR Contact Forms and email questionnaires • Using the evidence to create resources and promotional materials to promote the role of the LR, unionlearning and the learning agenda

20. Project Plan - Workstreams E) Networking Events • Develop a series of networking events to promote the work of the RCN LR, unionlearning and the learning agenda • Workplan to be formulated F) Communications plan • Support all workstreams through a robust and active comms plan including • LR online community • RCN publications • Local networks • Steering Committee and LR Committee • Regional Boards

21. How to get involved • Sign up for one of the regionally delivered workshops • Learning Needs • Learning Skills • Learner Progression • Employer Engagement To be delivered from September 2009 • Visit the learning rep on-line community and share your experience with your colleagues • Tell us about your activity as a learning rep either through the on-line community or by sending us contact forms • Recruit other learning reps and promote your role For further information about any of the above, email peter.fairbank@rcn.org.uk