Academy: Mike Holton

Working with the Academy has been a real learning curve for fishmonger Mike Holton, 33, who works for Tesco in Northamptonshire. “It’s a great experience visiting other workplaces where the level of membership is very limited. Putting your skills to the test is extremely rewarding, even the smallest success represents a breakthrough and gives you something to build on.

"I've had some real progress especially in Makro and Morrisons and this has made me more confident in my own ability.

"When you're a rep in your own workplace you just do it without even thinking about it, but when you visit other workplaces you soon realise how much experience you have to offer.

"The support and backup is there from the union if you need it and the training sessions at the national training centre in Warrington have been excellent."

Academy lowdown

Usdaw's organising officers, who are part of the union's Academy, are playing their part in boosting membership and setting up teams of reps in workplaces across the UK.

The officers spend six months visiting all sorts of companies, recruiting new members, encouraging existing members to become reps, and laying the foundations for self-sufficiency in shops and warehouses, many of which have not had a visit from a union official for many years, if at all. They also have four weeks of training at the union's national training centre and have individual area organisers as mentors during their time with the Academy.

www.usdaw.org.uk/getactive/academy

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