General Council Meetings - The STUC

Central to sustaining and developing the trade union
learning infrastructure is supporting and developing a
cross union learning representatives (ULRs) network. In
an area that covers 50% of the land mass of Scotland with
9% of the population, ULRs can feel isolated and remote
from their union and union activity. The establishment of
local cross union ULR forums are one way of tackling the
isolation and remoteness. The SALLT continues to
organise, support and develop local cross union ULR
forums in Inverness, Caithness, Orkney and Shetland
(both Orkney and Shetland forums meet with SALLT via a
video conference link from Inverness), as well as looking
to identify other areas where forums could be sustained.
Local forums provide local ULRs with opportunities to
share best practice, keep up to date with local and
national union led learning activities and meet local
learning providers, such as Inverness College and Orkney
Learning Centre. Forums have also recently organised
cross union learning opportunities for their local
members.
Since 2006, the STUC Highlands & Islands SALLT has been
working towards building a pan Highlands & Islands ULR
network and progress has been made in achieving that
aim. The four local established forums met together via a
multi link video conference in March 2008 and it is
intended that this will become an annual event.
Furthermore, ULRs in the Highlands and Islands have the
opportunity to come together in the now established STUC
Highlands & Islands Learning Conference. The third
conference is due to take place on 13 June 2008.
The STUC Highlands & Islands SALLT also provides
practical support to ULRs through the ULR Resource
Pack. The ULR Resource Pack, a pilot project by the
Highlands & Islands SALLT in 2005, was updated in 2006
and every ULR in the Highlands & Islands (known to the
Highlands & Islands SALLT) is provided with a ULR pack.
The pack provides Highlands & Islands ULRs with a host
of practical information, including area-specific learning
providers/courses, funding sources, ILAs, learning needs
questionnaires, information on local learning centres,
useful websites and more.
In raising the profile of lifelong learning with Highlands
and Islands trade union members, the Highland & Islands
SALLT has organised and/or supported a number of
learning awareness events across the area. In organising
these events, the STUC Highlands & Islands SALLT give
consideration to areas in the Highlands and Islands,
where there has been little or no trade union learning
activity with the aim of generating activity in these areas.
One such event was a learning awareness road show,
which took place in August 2007 aboard the MOLI
(Mobile Online Learning Initiative) bus. The Highlands &
Islands SALLT worked in partnership with Unison, RMT,
NUJ and USDAW to run a road show in Skye and the Outer
Hebrides. Union members in workplaces in Broadford,
Portree, Uig, Lochmaddy, Berneray, Leverburgh, Tarbert
and Stornoway took part in the road show.
Additionally, the road show met with workers in the mess
rooms aboard three ferries. Joint learning awareness
GENERAL COUNCIL REPORT 2008
events were also held with CWU in Thurso, with USDAW in
Inverness and Fort William, the Rail Union Learning
project in Inverness and Unison, Unite: Amicus Section
and Unite: TGWU Section in Inverness during August 2007.
In November 2007, the Highlands & Islands SALLT also
completed delivery of the Sign Here project. Sign Here, a
cross-union project, involved Unison, FBU and the Rail
Union Learning project and was managed by the
Highlands & Islands SALLT. This project delivered 10hour,
21-hour, 31-hour and 51-hour BSL (British Sign
Language) accredited courses to 199 workers in
Stornoway, Inverness, Elgin, Fort William, Thurso and
Wick. This provided 3,821 hours of training.
The project was also supported by eight employer
partners: Highlands & Islands Fire & Rescue Service,
Highland Council, Caledonian MacBrayne, Grampian Fire
& Rescue Service, First ScotRail, NHS Highland,
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and the Scottish Ambulance
Service. Furthermore, the project received funding from
the Scottish Union Learning Fund and was successful in
gaining ESF (European Social Fund) funding. In February
2008, the Sign Here project also developed BSL videos
for the STUC and Scottish Union Learning websites.
In raising the profile of union led learning among key
partners, the Highlands & Islands SALLT works with a
number of partners including ILA Scotland, WEA
(Workers’ Education Association), HIE (Highlands &
Islands Enterprise), learning centres and local colleges,
such as Inverness College and North Highland College.
The Highlands & Islands SALLT also sits on three advisory
and strategy groups, the Learning Centre Strategy Group,
the WEA Women at Work Advisory Group and the WEA
Workplace Literacy & Numeracy Advisory Group, all of
which are working to develop joint strategies and
activities for lifelong learning across the Highlands and
Islands. The Highlands & Islands SALLT is also a partner
in the Hi Hopes (Highlands & Islands Harnessing
Opportunities for Partnership, Equality and Sustainability)
project, an Equal funded project to improve and
encourage learning in the Highlands and Islands.
In the last year, there has been an increase in SULF
(Scottish Union Learning Fund) project activity within the
Highlands and Islands, mainly due to the SALLT
identifying under spends in other projects and
encouraging unions to submit mini bids for additional
SULF activity within the area. A significant change to SULF
7 criteria means that a percentage of funding has been
allocated for specific activity in the Highlands and Islands.
The Highlands & Islands SALLT will continue to work with
unions engaged in SULF activity in the Highlands and
Islands.
EVERYDAY SKILLS (ADULT LITERACIES)
The General Council has continued to undertake a range
of activity on workplace literacy and numeracy through
the SALLT Everyday Skills Development Officer. The focus
of this work during the year has been the further
integration of everyday skills into all SALLT lifelong
23