Building your branch through UNISON College
As we look ahead to 2026, it’s an ideal moment to consider how we can build branch organisation, whether using techniques that we haven’t tried before or returning to strategies that have worked for us in the past. Here we explore how UNISON learning opportunities can help you build your branch organisation as you and your activists develop your skills together.
Learning reps – an activist role with a difference
The union learning rep (ULR) is a powerful activist role. Enthusiastic advocates for learning, they identify training needs, advise members about learning opportunities, and talk to members and potential members about how UNISON can help them in their personal and professional development.
They provide the branch with a link to members who wouldn’t otherwise engage with the union, and an opportunity to work proactively with the employer – a foot in the door where we might not have had one before.
But compared with numbers of health and safety reps, and particularly stewards, our numbers of learning reps are low. We’re working to change that.
UNISON College runs national online training courses for learning reps. Our 2026 programme includes three courses, with the first beginning on 20 January. Find them all soon on https://learning.unison.org.uk/events/
Setting up a branch mentoring scheme
Many new UNISON reps who have been lucky enough to be mentored by an experienced activist have reported how helpful this has been in getting them through the challenging first months in the role and becoming skilled and confident.
And of course mentoring is far more effective when it’s organised in a methodical way. But it can be hard to know where to start. Our online workshop on Setting Up A Branch Mentoring Scheme walks you through it, beginning with the principles of mentoring and taking you through the first steps to create and establish a programme in your branch.
Advanced employment law
Our popular programme of advanced employment law courses for reps who undertake complex casework will be running again in 2026. Covering contracts, redundancies, and a wide range of discrimination law, these courses equip you with the skills to recognise employers’ unlawful actions in the cases members bring to you.
All the courses will be available to book soon on https://learning.unison.org.uk/events/
Using learning to organise in schools
It isn’t news to anyone that schools are a very challenging environment in which to organise – a fragmented workforce, working at sites that are difficult to visit.
Our online learning offer can help get the conversation started. With an obvious benefit for the member, it’s a positive way to encourage greater union involvement before following up with targeted organising activity.
For example, our Supporting Children’s Online Safety workshop looks at issues like mobile phones in schools, social media access, and new questions that come with the spread of AI use – all key concerns for our schools members in their workplace. That opens the door for a broader conversation about how we can work together with them to address members’ concerns and strengthen our presence.
If you have members who work in schools, or with young people more generally, let them know!
https://learning.unison.org.uk/events/supporting-childrens-safety-online-dec-2025/