Information for Learning Reps and their Managers

Thank you for your interest in becoming a learning rep. This information is to help you understand what is involved in becoming a learning rep and working in the Lifelong Learning Project.

The Work of a Learning Rep

Learning reps meet with staff to help them to plan how they could get more out of their learning or get back into learning again, then encourage and support them as they take those steps. To become a rep, you need to be:

• interested in learning and convinced of the benefits of lifelong learning
• fairly outgoing and confident about meeting people
• willing to take on a new challenge and learn this new role
• able to adapt to new situations and contribute to the way the project develops
• able to encourage and support other people
• a union member

There are many areas of work that learning reps can develop into, as you’ll find from your site teams, but these are the basics of what a learning rep does -

You will be trained to help and support others to produce personal development plans for themselves. Once trained, you will know what sort of learning opportunities are available that might be suitable and you can ‘signpost’ staff to appropriate opportunities. Occasionally, someone may need more specialised help from one of our partners in Adult Guidance & Information or one of the local Further Education Colleges that have joined us to deliver this project, and you can help them to access these services.

You will help, support and encourage NHS support staff to apply for additional job-related training opportunities available through the ‘NHS LA’ scheme. Janette and Karen are the lead people for the NHS ILA scheme.

You will also be asked to contribute your ideas, based on your experience as a rep, to the development of other parts of the project (for instance on the best way to set up some facilities on the different hospital sites, suggest topics and areas for learning that there is a demand for so we can ask our partners to provide some training).

This project runs until March 2004, however we will once again look for opportunities to expand and develop the work beyond the term of the project. We will look for learning reps to continue their interest in this work in some way beyond the life of the project.

Support for the Reps

Reps from all sites meet together every 6 weeks to discuss progress, and new work to undertake (lunch provided). Any new information will be passed on to reps at this session. We will also include on-going training at each of these meetings, in response to topics that reps raise.

In between these meetings, reps will work in their site teams.

Site Teams at RLI, WGH and FGH

The reps work in teams at the main sites, with reps at FGH and RLI covering staff at QVH and Ulverston too. The team work together to achieve the goals set out in the Lifelong Learning project, and assist in the recruitment of support staff to the ‘NHS LA’ scheme, which supports job-related training. (See separate sheets for information about the roles of reps in each of these areas).

The teams enable reps to support each other and share ideas, tasks and workload. One of the lessons of our first project was how motivating it was for reps to work as a team, so this is the model we now adopt. Teams hold weekly site meetings, and the project worker will attend a site meeting every 3 weeks, or when requested /needed.

Staff who are uncertain about learning are more likely to approach and be open with someone who they know does similar sort of work, on a similar grade (there’s evidence that this approach works). So we will be looking for a selection of reps across different areas, and from each of the partner unions. We will also look for at least one of the reps on a site to be male, and at least one to be a part-time member of staff.

Learning Rep Training

Initial training will take 10 days:

All the training is designed to develop your skills as a learning rep and to build your confidence to try out new skills and ideas, not to test your academic ability. Throughout the training, you will be ‘mentored’ by a member of your site team, and will have the opportunity to work alongside them as they go about their rep’s work. This will help you to build your skills through practice and observe experienced reps at work.

Union Learning Representatives Training Course

Delivered by TUC Education Service

One day/week for 5 weeks (probably Fridays)

Venue: Netherwood Hotel

You do not need to have any educational qualifications to do this course and the learning will be ‘active’ - based on your own experience and discussion in small groups about topics and problems. The key elements in being successful in this training are your contribution in the groups and organising the information you receive into a file which will provide you with a resource to dip into when you ‘start work’ as a rep. You will not be expected to write essays. If you have numeracy or literacy problems / dyslexia, you can still be successful on the course and as a rep (I would welcome you as a rep - other people have these problems too and the important thing is to find ways of learning despite these problems).

Training will be accredited for successful completion of the course.

Basic Skills Awareness – ALL learning reps

Delivered by TUC Education Service

One day/week for 2 weeks

Venue: Netherwood Hotel

The Learning Rep 'Buddy' Scheme

During the course of this third project the concept of of learning 'buddies' will evolve. They will have specific roles, such as IT; mentoring; key skills; and supporting NVQs.

Specific TUC training will be provided for these various 'buddies' to enable them to develop their specific roles.

Getting time off

The Trust has committed itself to supporting individual rep secondments for ½ a day per week during the term of the project to carry out this work. However, it will still require the agreement of your line manager to release you for the work. As the project presents an opportunity for personal development in itself, your manager should take this into account when they assess whether or not they can release you for the project.

We have a pot of money which we use to give financial support to departments. We offer 100% replacement funding to departments for training time (10 day course) and 50% replacement funding for the remainder of your rep work.

You will be paid at your normal hourly rate for any training or work that you carry out as a learning rep.

If your manager is unsure about any aspect of the project and would like to discuss this further, they can contact me and I will be happy to discuss the project with them and ways of enabling you to take part in the project. Your manager may also want to discuss this with Michele Pomphrey, the Trust Training and Development Manager (on ext 3233) or Jon Lenney, HR Director.