- Conference
- 2007 Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 22 February 2007
- Decision
- Carried
Delivering world class skills has become a national priority. It is predicted that the percentage of the working population needing recognised qualifications will rise dramatically by 2020. Colleges are being forced to focus on delivering employability for young people and Train to Gain and Learner Accounts are part of the Government’s strategy for workforce development.
UNISON was disappointed that the Leitch report did not recommend some element of duty upon employers to train their staff. Instead they are being called upon to sign up to a “Skills Pledge” to ensure that all their employees reach Level 2 (equivalent to five good GCSEs) within a timescale in a training plan. Employers signing the pledge will make a commitment to ensuring that their staff have the necessary competence in literacy, numeracy and employability skills to progress.
Colleges are the major provider in the learning and skills sector and should be exemplars in training their staff. The opposite, however, is often true. While there is a current focus on helping lecturers to achieve qualified teaching status and managers to acquire leadership badges, training available for support staff is often negligible.
UNISON, in partnership with the Centre for Excellence and Leadership, was funded last year by the DfES to work with colleges on training programmes for support staff. The experience showed a shocking reluctance to release staff to train, even when the courses were free and organised for colleges.
The trade union claim to the National Joint Forum (NJF)for colleges this year includes a training element, asking that the NJF recommends a 30 hour a year study entitlement for support staff, in line with teachers. If agreed, this will still require additional measures to transform the current woeful attitude towards training support staff in colleges.
Conference calls upon branches, working with regional staff, to ensure that:
1any national recommendation on training is implemented at college level
2college employers sign up to the Skills Pledge
3union learning reps in colleges are recruited and trained to assist with the above