LTB 174/16 - New Guidance for Branches in England on Minimum Numbers for Activist Training and Education Courses

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LTB 174/16 - New Guidance for Branches in England on Minimum Numbers for Activist Training and Education Courses

No. 174/2016

16th March 2016



Dear Colleagues,

New Guidance for Branches in England on Minimum Numbers for Activist Training and Education Courses

The CWU and most other trade unions have been able to access fully funded courses delivered via various providers for trade union representatives in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for over two decades. Most recently the Skills Funding Agency for England have funded courses accredited through the NOCN TUC qualification framework and the CWU programme is one of several affiliate programmes delivered in this way. This funding applied to all courses delivered by the CWU whether regionally or residentially in England. The funding for these courses is used by providers to provide paid professional tutors for all our courses which represents a subsidy of some £250,000 per year to the CWU.

BIS have announced cuts to the funding for these courses by 50% from August 2016 to July 2017. From August 2017 the funding for these courses will be completely removed. The TUC have made a number of representations to BIS but the position of the government has unsurprisingly not changed. Many TUC education units in Colleges are now being closed due to these cuts with resulting job losses for the UCU members affected.

In England, we currently have a contract with Ruskin College to deliver our residential programme at Alvescot Lodge and our regional programme at multiple locations in England. Following discussions with Ruskin College the current contract has been extended until July 31 2017. This will allow the CWU some breathing space to concentrate on developing a detailed strategy for provision of activist education and training following the complete withdrawal of funding in August 2017.

Clearly, this will require a major re-think on how we resource and finance education and training in the future. We have existing conference policy developed over a number of years relating to the provision of activist training and education in the CWU but it is fair to say that nothing in our existing policy provides a total solution for the funding shortfall that we are currently faced with.

We have worked extremely hard in recent years to ensure that our current minimum numbers are not restrictive and that courses wherever possible can go ahead. Attached to this LTB is a summary snapshot of our activity last year. We also recognise that Branches work extremely hard to ensure that we have viable courses particularly on our Regional programmes. Our current average attendance on courses is 11 per course. We are now going to have to increase this average to 13 per course. To be clear, this will not mean that every course must have a minimum of 13 students, but it will mean that courses will be deemed viable only if we have at least 9 students signed up in advance. Due to the cuts and in order to maintain a viable programme for the next 16 months we will now have to introduce new guidance on the minimum numbers of students on all accredited CWU Education and Training courses from 1 August 2016. Given that a number of Colleges are now asking for a minimum of 20 for many courses, we think that we have managed to reach a reasonable average figure for the our own programme.

We would therefore ask that Branches adopt the following guidance to ensure that as many courses are able to run and that we continue to be able to provide high quality and accessible training for CWU representatives:

Branches should ensure that all students who are put forward to attend courses are actually available to attend. Far too frequently we are given a list of names but it then transpires that the individuals were never able to attend on the dates in question
On occasion, we are only told that someone has not being granted release until the first day of the course and Branches should notify the Education and Training Department at the earliest opportunity if release to attend the course is refused or withdrawn. If we know in advance we can often support the Branch in persuading the employer to reverse these decisions
Where possible, if a course is being arranged in a Regional location please work with neighbouring Branches and with your Regional Secretary to ensure that we get the maximum possible attendance on courses
Where for whatever reason, a representative withdraws from a course, please notify Alvescot Lodge as soon as possible. We often have a waiting list for Residential courses at Alvescot Lodge and if we know at the earliest time that a representative is withdrawing from a course, we will have time to ensure that another representative can take their place
Branches should be assured that where possible and where resources allow, the department will endeavour to deliver some courses with lower than 9 students as informal unaccredited courses. This will be done where there is an urgent need or where local conditions and geography would make it impossible to populate a course with 9 representatives.

We would also encourage Branches to take advantage of the online learning courses that we provide through CWU Left Click, which include the very popular IT Skills for Reps course.

We work with a large number of Branches each year on delivering training and attached is an update on how many representatives have attended courses in 2015. There are still a few Branches who do not send representatives on any CWU courses and we are particularly keen to hear from these Branches regarding their training needs, as their participation will help to ensure that courses remain viable.

Finally, Branches should be aware that the NEC will be working on a strategy for delivery of education and training, which will be looking at the likely training and education needs of CWU activists and representatives over the next 3-5 years. This strategy will be developed as part of the 'Re-designing the CWU' project and will involve further consultation with Branches.

Your assistance in adopting this new guidance is much appreciated. Please refer any queries regarding this LTB to tlavelle@cwu.org

Yours sincerely



TRISH LAVELLE

HEAD OF EDUCATION & TRAINING