APRIL 2018

CONNECTING, CHAMPIONING AND
CHALLENGING THE GLOBAL CO-OP
MOVEMENT SINCE 1871
Holyoake House, Hanover Street,
Manchester M60 0AS
(00) 44 161 214 0870
www.thenews.coop
editorial@thenews.coop
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Anthony Murray
anthony@thenews.coop
DEPUTY EDITOR
Rebecca Harvey
rebecca@thenews.coop
EDITORIAL
Anca Voinea | anca@thenews.coop
Miles Hadfield | miles@thenews.coop
DESIGN: Keir Mucklestone-Barnett
DIRECTORS
Elaine Dean (chair), David Paterson
(vice-chair), Richard Bickle, Sofygil
Crew, Gavin Ewing, Tim Hartley,
Beverley Perkins and
Barbara Rainford.
Secretary: Ray Henderson
Established in 1871, Co-operative
News is published by Co-operative
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the Co-operative and Community
Benefit Society Act 2014. It is printed
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is to connect, champion and challenge
the global co-operative movement,
through fair and objective journalism
and open and honest comment and
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Co-operative education and
training in the 21st century
“Co-operatives ignore the responsibility of providing education and training for their
members, elected representatives, managers and employees at their peril,” says the
International Co-operative Alliance, in its guidance notes for the 5th Principle.
“Education was, and remains, the lifeblood of all co-operatives and a driver of
co-operative development.”
In the lead-up to the fourth annual Co-operative Education and Research Conference,
we have been exploring what co-operative education looks like today, from training
staff in retail co-ops to providing learning experiences of all shapes and sizes
for members (from p37).
We also hear the worker co-operative perspective on training (p44) – and from the
Co-operative College’s Dr Cilla Ross, who believes the movement needs to rethink
what co-operative education means (p43).
There was plenty of learning going on at conferences last month, too. We have
reports from the Co-op Retail Conference held in Kenilworth (p26), the Association
of British Credit Unions’ annual event in Manchester (p29), and the Northern Ireland
Co-operative Party’s aptly titled Policy School (p32).
At Abcul’s conference, Nick Crofts, president of the Co-op Group’s members council,
talked about the need for co-ops and credit unions to learn from each other and break
down the “artificial barriers” between the two movements, recognising both are
involved in building “a better way of doing business, one which benefits everyone”.
There is a similar message from Kevin Rowan, the TUC’s head of organising, services
and learning, who we interviewed this issue (p20).
“Both co-operatives and trade unions believe fundamentally about a balance of
power in the workplace,” he says.
“I am of the view that we don’t stop learning; a natural addendum to that is that we
don’t stop learning from each other.”
REBECCA HARVEY - DEPUTY EDITOR
Co-operative News is printed using vegetable oil-based
inks on 80% recycled paper (with 60% from post-consumer
waste) with the remaining 20% produced from FSC or PEFC
certified sources. It is made in a totally chlorine free process.
APRIL 2018 | 3