Ikea members in Bristol graduate from innovative Lifelong Learning scheme

Usdaw members at Ikea Bristol are celebrating after graduating from a pioneering in-store Lifelong Learning scheme jointly sponsored by Britain’s biggest retail union and the home furnishing giant.

The Bristol superstore is the first Ikea store in the UK to sign up to Usdaw’s Lifelong Learning scheme which has already seen more than 20,000 members graduate from a wide range of vocational courses.

The Ikea graduates passed a nationally recognised qualification aimed at improving their numeracy skills and Usdaw’s in-store Union Learning Rep Charlton Charles has seen how the chance to learn has boosted the confidence of his co-workers.

“My colleagues have done brilliantly passing a national qualification and I believe this scheme will help unleash the massive potential of the workforce in our store,” Charlton says. “This is also about making sure every member of the team here gets the chance to improve their skills.

“Many of the people here left school at 16 and haven’t stepped back into a classroom since then so we want to make learning fun and also develop self-confidence. We’ve had a very positive response so far and all the evidence shows that an educated workforce has higher levels of motivation and absenteeism decreases.”

Usdaw’s trained Union Learning Reps are now recruiting co-workers for new courses designed to boost their skills and confidence.

“This scheme is a classic example of how our trained reps can deliver focused learning for Usdaw members which can only help them to progress within Ikea,” says Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett. “Our members in Bristol have worked hard to gain life-changing qualifications which is exactly the sort of service our members expect a modern trade union to deliver in their workplaces.”

Ikea managers have supported the scheme from day one providing time off for staff to study and encouragement as the course progressed.

“Ikea is really proud of our co-workers who have worked so hard to pass this demanding course which has clearly boosted their confidence,” says Ikea store manager Richard Charcroft. “This is great example of a progressive employer working with a progressive trade union to deliver learning that benefits our staff and our business.”

The tutors for the course came from the Workers Educational Association (WEA) who are specialists in delivering work based learning.

“We are pleased to be working with Usdaw at Ikea because of their enthusiastic and dynamic approach to training which has been central to the successful introduction of the WEA's customised courses for the co-workers,” says WEA’s Vanessa Glasgow. “We are delighted that the two initial courses have resulted in co-workers passing the National Numeracy Tests. These results will not only be of personal benefit to the co-workers, but show that they have developed skills that will be relevant to their jobs and can contribute to Ikea's success.”

Notes to Editors:

• Contacts for newsdesks: Usdaw’s Media Officer, Paul Clarke, can be contacted on 0161 249 2469 or e-mail paul.clarke@usdaw.org.uk.
• Usdaw (the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK’s fifth biggest trade union, with over 340,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
• More information and news releases are available at our online Newsroom.
• Journalists can subscribe to receive Usdaw news releases via our online e-news service.

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