Gearing up for ChangeSkills: Recession and Recovery Project

DERBY

Learning centre in the frontline

Unite worked with the Skills: Recession and Recovery project as well as U-net (unionlearn’s learning centre network) to set up an emergency learningcentre at their Derby office when print company BemroseBooth went intoreceivership. With laptops supplied through unionlearn support the union wasable to help those affected by setting up an open day for members with partnerorganisations present to give advice on benefits and careers (as employees wereleft without pay). Leading on from a series of open days, over 40 members weregiven advice on benefits, pensions and training courses on offer.

Literacy and numeracy courses were run and all learners gained an up-to-datequalification. An ICT course helped members refresh existing IT skills and learnnew ones to help them with CV writing and job applications. Learners appreciatedthe support – as one attendee told us, “This is a great way to brush up on your IT,maths and English whilst keeping in touch with your mates, meeting up beforethe course starts, catching up and sharing information about jobs!” Or in otherwords: “Anything that will help you get a job has got to be a bonus.”

Contents

Learning centre in the frontline (Derby)Working with Jobcentre Plus (Bristol)Response to redundancy support (South East)Strengthening partnerships (England-wide)Training to build financial capability (North East)Building confidence (East Midlands)Briefing unions (London and York)Higher education (Carlisle)

Foreword

Unionlearn’s Skills: Recession and Recovery project set out in autumn 2009to help trade unions and their members face the impact of the economicdownturn. The aim was to raise awareness of how important it is to keepupdating one’s skills in order to deal with change in the workplace andremain confident about current and future employment. Vulnerable workersneed support and advice about a whole range of issues, including trainingand learning how to manage personal finances. The project has doneextensive work in nurturing relationships with external stakeholders toprovide the right networks of support. This has led to finding funding for those whose jobs are at risk and highlighting sources of information and support to union officers, learning teams and reps to enable them to help union members take up new opportunities. This booklet of short case studies describes how unions and our partners have made a huge difference to people’s lives.

Tom WilsonDirector of unionlearn

Derby

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BRISTOL

SOUTH EAST

BRISTOL

Working with Jobcentre Plus

When Co-op Financial Services (CFS) announced the closure of their Tower Wharfsite in Bristol, Britannia Staff Union (BSU) sprang into action. With the help ofunionlearn they began working with Jobcentre Plus (JCP), enabling 52 members of staff to benefit from JCP advice. The information they were given included details about the nature of support offered by JCP, redundancy packs, job seeking,CV writing, information on tax credits, benefits and pension take-up. Some tookadvantage of the offer of individual follow-up sessions, which they foundinvaluable. Workplace union learning rep Ali Holly commented: “JCP were brilliant,their work really complemented the workshops we’d run”. These workshopsincluded individual information, advice and guidance sessions, skills assessmentsand enrolment on appropriate courses, and CV writing. Short courses on minute-taking, report-writing and time management were also popular.

SOUTH EAST

Response to redundancy support

During the first year of the Skills: Recession and Recovery project the RapidResponse Service (RRS) in the South East was provided in partnership by SouthEast England Development Agency (SEEDA) and Jobcentre Plus as the ContinuingEmployment Support Service (CESS). A team of brokers – some from SEEDA andsome from JCP – supported workplaces across the region and was managed bySEEDA, which has an excellent track record of providing help in redundancysituations dating from 2003, so was well placed to build on previous experiencein the recession.

To increase union officer awareness of the RRS, the Skills: Recession andRecovery project Development Worker organised three in-depth briefings earlyin 2010. The manager of CESS spoke at them all and issues raised by unionofficers and union learning reps were thoroughly discussed. Six unions wererepresented in the events.

Because of this early and effective relationship-building and the ongoingdialogue facilitated by the Skills: Recession and Recovery project, it has beena natural progression to routinely put union representatives directly and quicklyin touch with CESS brokers. In what was a win-win situation for all involved, theCESS team and their manager developed a deeper understanding of the role oftrade unions in redundancy situations. The relationships developed between theSkills: Recession and Recovery project and the rapid response service brokersfrom JCP have also enabled effective working arrangements to continue now thatthe service is provided by JCP alone.

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ENGLAND-WIDE

Strengthening partnerships

The joint work between the Skills: Recession and Recovery project and the Consumer Financial Education Body (CFEB) is an excellent lesson on howbuilding partnerships can bring benefits to union members. CFEB’s role is to offerinformation, tools and resources but not to sell any financial products. We joinedforces to distribute CFEB’s Redundancy Handbook and Retirement Guide and toorganise workplace workshops and briefings for reps to help members gain theskills to manage their finances through difficult times. It is vital for union membersto have access to available resources to help them plan and mange their lives.There is a vast array of material available online but printed publications, such asthe Redundancy Handbook, can make it easier to review and absorb content andto establish next steps as well as where to go for further information.

Jules O’Neill, CFEB Regional Manager in South West, said: “Working with theproject team has enabled CFEB to reach thousands of union reps and membersin the UK. The Skills: Recession and Recovery project has provided directcontact with union reps supporting members affected by the challengingeconomic climate, helping to raise awareness of free programmes and resourceson everyday money matters. Without the support of the project, CFEB would not have reached so many members directly.”

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NORTH EAST

NORTH EAST

Training to build financial capability

Accessing appropriate financial products and services allows people to managetheir money effectively. John Cottley from Stockton CAB spoke at a financialcapability seminar for union reps and ULRs: “By giving individuals the basic skillsand knowledge to manage their money and make sound financial decisions wehope to reduce people’s dependency on credit, avoid unmanageable debt andhelp people use money as a way of achieving some of their personal goals in life.We have found that debt and money problems are often a root cause of stress anddepression that affect many people in the workplace. This is why our partnershipwith unionlearn’s Skills: Recession and Recovery project is so vital. It is a way ofbringing the financial capability agenda right to the people who can benefit most.”

In addition, briefings were organised for union reps and union learning reps inthe North East to look at banking, managing budget, energy saving deals andmuch more. The response from reps involved was that they found the briefingsuseful and were looking into arranging similar sessions at workplaces to providewider access to personal finance management skills.

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EAST MIDLANDS

Building confidence

In the East Midlands, PCS and the Skills: Recession and Recovery projectorganised workshops at HM Revenue & Customs for disabled workers at risk of redundancy, to help them consider their potential in management andsupervisory roles. HMRC had announced the closure of 130 local tax officesacross the UK and PCS estimated that 1,700 employees were facing redundancy.There were concerns that disabled workers could be disproportionally affected asredeployment in bigger tax offices would not be viable because it would requirefurther travel. The workshops were designed to examine disabled workers'personal and professional development needs and to build their confidence.

Jane took part in a workshop and as a result has already found a new job. “It really helped to boost my confidence. I went away and applied for five jobs and was successful in getting a part-time job in an area in which I want todevelop my career. If I hadn't come to the workshop I wouldn't have done that.”

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Briefing unions

The Skills: Recession and Recovery project has been working with severalunions that run projects funded by the Union Learning Fund. The project teamhas been busy disseminating pertinent information on support available to theunions and their members. The TSSA ran two workshops, one in London andone in York, which led to the creation of a union newsletter that fed informationto all officers and reps as well as an event for union learning reps in Yorkshireand the Humber.

Meanwhile Prospect set up their own Membership Assistance Programme tosupport members facing restructuring or redundancy in the workplace. TheSkills: Recession and Recovery project team members have been taking partin events and sharing ideas and information on which organisations offer help,such as Next Step for careers advice or Business Link for those contemplatingworking for themselves in the future.

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YORK

EASTMIDLANDS

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CARLISLE

Higher education

At the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), in Carlisle, Cumbria, a number ofemployees on fixed term appointments found out that their contracts were notgoing to be extended due to a reduced workload. The Skills: Recession andRecovery project team directed the union, PCS, to Carlisle College’s Response to Redundancy Project for support. The RPA also accessed support through theEconomic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF) Project, funded by the HigherEducation Funding Council for England and managed by Carlisle College inconjunction with the University of Cumbria. With help from the project team, thePCS learning team and reps achieved the following:● They arranged for direct support within the workplace and offered members

of staff one-to-one career interviews. The career interviews were designed to assess skills needs and included workshops on CV writing and basicinterview techniques, to identify how best to prepare for seeking alternativeemployment.

● As a result of these interviews, some employees went on to carry out a six-weekdevelopment course, which could potentially lead to employment at Carlisle CityCouncil. Other employees are waiting to start onto a graduate programme.

● They made plans for further workshops.

The ECIF was set up to support graduates and professionals affected by theeconomic downturn and its funding period ended in September 2010.

CARLISLE

Further information

For more information, contact the Skills: Recession and Recovery project’sNational Coordinator or one of the Regional Development Workers:

National Coordinator: Kirsi Kekki kkekki@tuc.org.uk or 020 7079 6953

London: Stuart Barber sbarber@tuc.org.uk or 020 7467 1397

South East: Colin Lloyd clloyd@tuc.org.uk or 014 4445 9733

Eastern: Katie Curtis kcurtis@tuc.org.uk or 07769 254784

South West: Marian Mann mmann@tuc.org.uk or 07917 415031

West Midlands: Anne-Marie Hanna ahanna@tuc.org.uk or 0121 2366381

East Midlands: Irene Murray Irene.murray@tuc.org.uk or 07810 772915

Yorkshire and the Humber: Noella Mellad nmellad@tuc.org.uk or 011 3200 1077

North West: Peter Bury pbury@tuc.org.uk or 07717 531163

North East: Ken Gyles kgyles@tuc.org.uk or 019 1227 5552

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unionlearnCongress HouseLondon WC1B 3LSTel 020 7079 6920Fax 020 7079 6921

www.unionlearn.org.uk/recovery

Design: www.design-mill.co.uk

Print: Precision Printing