Supporting our reps and members online

Union learning and organising services offers web-based training for reps and learning opportunities for members

Online training and support for activists

UNISON is setting up an online system to continue key training for activists during the current crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, when we have had to postpone all face-to-face training and learning opportunities for members.

In the meantime, we have quadrupled the capacity of our online course for new stewards. There are now 100 places available – click on the link below to find out how to register.

Our online new stewards’ course is supported by both a TUC tutor and a UNISON learning and organising staff member. We will be there to support you, especially if you’ve not considered or taken part in online learning before now.

If you became a new steward in the last six months and haven’t yet taken part in the stewards’ induction training, UNISON will be in touch shortly about how to register for the online course.

Keep a watch for news at learning.unison.org.uk.

We also have a range of other online support available for all activists.

Learning and organising staff will be working with colleagues across all the union’s service groups over the coming days and weeks to make sure we can provide the training our activists and reps need to keep their knowledge and skills up to date and carry out their union role.

All UNISON members and activists can refresh their union skills and knowledge with online modules on our e-learning site – https://e-learning.unison.org.uk, (use your My.UNISON account to log in).

The TUC also has a great range of e-notes and online courses available at www.tuceducation.org.uk.

Learning opportunities for members

We have also secured a new learning and development opportunity for all our members.

We all need something positive and constructive to focus on in this difficult climate and we are pleased  to help members  continue  to improve and develop their knowledge and skills – and even add to their continuing professional development.

UNISON has initially procured 100 licences for The Skills Academy for our members,which give access to more than 550 free  online  courses, all of which are fully accredited for continuing professional development.

These include industry-specific training, general and personal skills  development, health and wellbeing  training  – and more.

These licences include unlimited access to all courses for 12 months and are completely free for UNISON members. 

Members who are interested should email l.organising@unison.co.uk, letting us know their name, membership number or date of birth and write Skills Academy in the subject header of the email and we will be in touch.

And there’s more

As well as the new courses, we already have a number of online learning resources available to all members.

If you’re a UNISON member, you are just  are just a click away from a range of free online learning opportunities.

You might want to brush up on your digital, literacy and numeracy skills. Or why not explore our short general and continuing professional development courses such as:

  • an introduction to online security;
  • dyslexia awareness;
  • raising awareness – menopause in the workplace;
  • Raising Awareness: Mental Health;
  • everyday English – punctuation;
  • GCSE maths and English.

And remember that the Open University has a huge number of online courses available through its OpenLearn site.   

More information on UNISON courses can be found in our unique A-Z guide to learning at learning.unison.org.uk/a-z-of-unison-learning-resources/ 

We are rearranging our activist and member learning programmes so that we can restart face-to-face training and learning later in the year.