Milestone for workers learning as Usdaw rep makes it 1,000 and counting

The success of union learning projects in boosting the skills and qualifications of thousands of workers will be celebrated at a special event organised by the Northern TUC.

Usdaw member Paul Smith will take centre stage as well as centre circle at St James' Park, the home of Newcastle United football club, on Wednesday 24th March, as he has become the 1,000th trained and active union learning rep (ULR) in the northern region.

At the event, TUC national officer Liz Smith and regional learning services co-ordinator Anne Hansen will congratulate those involved in union learning for making an indelible impression on the face of union learning in the region, as well as the rest of the UK. The "Celebration of Learning" event at St James' Park will culminate with a pitch-side release of 1,000 balloons - one for each ULR in the region who has completed the TUC training programme since it started four-and-a-half years ago.

ULRs are crucial to the success of Lifelong Learning, the union-led initiative to ensure workers get the best opportunities to continue in learning and improve their skills. ULRs drive learning projects in their place of work, encouraging colleagues to get involved.

Paul Smith is a 45-year-old fork-lift truck operator at Safeway Distribution in Stockton-on-Tees, a site which employs around 400 people. An Usdaw member since 1984, Paul is enjoying his new role as a union learning rep and has already helped colleagues enrol on a range of courses from IT and English to foreign languages and photography. He said: "I feel extremely proud to be the 1,000th ULR. Lifelong Learning is really important to me and every ULR. The job is so rewarding. There is nothing better than seeing the difference in people as they learn more skills. I would like to thank and congratulate the other 999 ULRs, their unions and the Northern TUC who have made all of this possible."

Notes to Editors

• Usdaw is the UK's fifth largest trade union, with over 330,000 members. Most of Usdaw's members are shopworkers, but the union has members in several industries including home shopping, call centres, road transport, factory workers, dairy process, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. More information and news releases are available at our online Newsroom.

• Usdaw launched its Lifelong Learning campaign five years ago. Since then over 7,000 members have returned to some form of learning, more than 25 Workplace Learning Centres have been set up and 450 union learning reps have been trained. For more information on Lifelong Learning opportunities available through Usdaw, visit the Lifelong Learning section on our website or the TUC Learning Services web site.

• Northern TUC media contacts: Susanne Nichol on 0191 232 3175; Anne Hansen (Learning Services Co-ordinator) on 0191 232 3175 or 0774763617; and Kevin Rowan (Regional Secretary) on 0191 232 3175 or 07766250074.

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