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The Union Learning Fund
[ch 2: pages 16-17]The Union Learning Fund (ULF) was established in 1998 to promote activity by trade unions in support of creating a learning society. Its primary aim is to develop the capacity of trade unions and Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) to work with employers, employees and learning providers to encourage greater take-up of learning in the workplace. It is funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). In 2014–2015 the ULF supported 30 unions to deliver 34 projects at a total cost of just over £12 million.
The ULF is a mainstream government programme managed and administered by unionlearn, the TUC’s learning and skills organisation (see below), under an agreement with BIS, which directs the level and type of learning activity that should be supported by the fund.
Total funding to unionlearn in 2014–15 was £16,746,000. This funding is comprised of £1,000,000 from the TUC; £15,367,000 from BIS; and £379,000 from other sources including the Skills Funding Agency, the Gatsby Foundation and the European Commission. ULF grants to unions totalled £12,212,360.
The following key themes and priorities for ULF projects supported in 2015-16 have been agreed:
• engaging disadvantaged learners and workers with few or no qualifications;
• equality and diversity;
• young people and progression;
• stronger learning infrastructure,
• workforce development; and
• sustainability, value for money and mainstreaming of union learning activity.
Union Learning Fund objectives
• Build union capacity to sustain and embed work on learning and skills so that this becomes a core activity for all trade unions.
• Develop the key role of Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) and learning champions in raising demand for learning, especially among workers with low skill levels and disadvantaged groups in the workplace.
• Maximise the union contribution to the development and delivery of the government's strategy to improve the skills of the workforce and the performance of the economy and engagement in learning.
• Help unions and ULRs develop a framework to provide high quality information, advice and guidance to stimulate the take up of learning and promote progression.
• Help unions to engage with the established network of union-led learning centres in the workplace, union offices, and union learning centres to offer a growing range of learning opportunities.
• Help unions to form active partnerships with employers and develop learning agreements to tackle both organisational and individual skills needs.
• Help unions to form effective partnerships with learning providers to ensure learning opportunities are customised, quality assured, relevant and delivered effectively with appropriate support given to learners.
• Develop union capacity to engage in effective partnership working with regional and national skills organisations.