Network Journal 2007 Issue 3 May/June

ADM 2007: Education education education

The biggest debate at ADM centred on the lifelong learning campaign, its achievements and how it is changing members lives for the better.

A promotional video and a speech by Helen Jones MP (a member of the Education Select Committee) introduced the debate, which attracted ten propositions from branches across the UK.

"We have to persuade employers that learning is not an optional extra," said Helen Jones. "This is the first government to take adult learning seriously and everyone should have the right to an education whatever their job."

Tommy Boyne (NW General) praised the union's efforts for getting more than 20,000 workers back into learning. "Without these subsidised courses many of our members would not have been able to afford it," he said. "We don't want the Government to move funds away from these courses in favour of a more-narrowly funded scheme." He asked conference to press the Government to review its policy and to encourage more employers to contribute more to the cost of learning.

For Hayley Pickles (North Yorkshire Tesco), a mobile learning rep, lifelong learning was 'the most life-changing experience short of child-birth'. The mother-of-five wants to see more funding for courses especially for the open university which are priced beyond low paid workers. "We have signed up 350 people over a 18 month period for our lifelong learning courses and recruited 26 union learning reps."

Helen Laverick (Yorkshire Morrisons) spoke up for the jobless when she called for them to be given easier access to training courses. "Let the unemployed sign up for a course straightaway rather than wait for 26 weeks as the current regulations state," she said. "This would help people get back into work quicker."

Teachers should be trained to spot dyslexia earlier to help children make the most of their education and prevent them from being labelled 'troublesome or lazy'. That was the call from Val Anstice (Plymouth PT) who also said the Government should provide more funding to schools and colleges to support learners and to support the teachers.

The Government should extend free education up to and including A level standard, said Monica Harris (Guildford). "The country needs a well-educated workforce."

Other issues raised in the debate included embedding lifelong learning as a mainstream part of the union (Martin Phillips, Carlisle Cavray); a call for trade union history to be taught in schools (James McMillan, East of Scotland Morrisons), more government funding for Skills For Life courses (Jacqui Clarke, Bath) and a call for the Government to give statutory rights to workplace learning committees (Shirley Bimson, Carlisle Cavray).

John Hannett congratulated delegates on the quality of the debate as he moved the Executive Council statement to conference. "Learning should not stop when people leave school," he said. "Progress had been made in some sectors but a lot of work had to be done in retail which the new Check Out Learning campaign will seek to redress. We want the Government to change its mind about withdrawing funding for English language courses and we want statutory rights for learning committees. Lifelong learning is a key part of Usdaw. It makes us more visible in the workplace and encourages people to join."

Additional speakers included: Stephen O'Connor, Terry Cummings, Byron Merret, Sandra Hewitt and many others.

For more information on lifelong learning visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/lifelong_learning

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