The Communication Workers Union’s team Union Learner Reps at Royal Mail large Springburn Depot are well respected on the shop floor and, through the their Key2Learn learning Centre, are recognised as organisers of interesting and useful learning opportunities for the workers there. The have won recognition for their work from several quarters including the STUC’s Helen Dowie Award.
In addition, the WEA’s workplace literacies project for Glasgow knows the ULR’s work well. We have worked closely with the team over a number of years and witnessed their good work first hand. It was for this reason that we encouraged the team to consider taking on the PDA in Developing Literacies Learning programmes for the Workplace..
Although there is known ALN need amongst the workforce at Royal Mail few workers had come forward for help on this particular issue since the Key2Learn Centre had opened. The PDA is designed to give people in various roles the relevant skills and knowledge required to organise and deliver learning provision in the workplace within the modern Scottish approach to ALN. The qualification focuses on the social practice model of adult literacies as the foundation for ALN provision. Each of the Award’s three Units is designed to provide participants with skills, knowledge and understanding to go on to organise, design and deliver their own ALN programmes in accordance with the social practice approach.
CWU applied to the STUC learning fund to pay for 5 ULRs to participate. WEA is a recognised centre for the delivery of the Award and provided the delivery. The 5 ULR’s worked hard on the challenging programme over a period of two years, combining full time work commitments with their studies and Union commitments. They completed the programme in March 14 and promptly went on to design their own ALN learning programmes. One ULR developed programme around genealogy and family tree research. Another ULR helped design and deliver a programme around political song which he organised with support from the WEA. Both programmes were very successful and show that the PDA was a very worthwhile endeavour.
Postscript– in 2004 the ULR team were announced as three winners if the Inspiring City Award in the Education category for their success in achieving the PDA.