The Aims of the Union Learning Fund

The Government's aim in creating the Union Learning Fund in 1998 was to promote activity by trade unions in support of the objective of creating a learning society and this remains a key objective of unionlearn.

unionlearn's main functions are to help unions to:

• become effective learning organisations
• broker learning opportunities for their members
• have an impact on learning and skills policy

Key goals of ULF are to:

• build union capacity to sustain and embed work on learning and skills so that this becomes a core activity for all trade unions
• maximise the union contribution to the development and delivery of the Government's strategy to drive up the demand for skills, particularly in relation to the Skills pledge, Train to Gain, Skills for Work and Apprenticeships
• develop the key role of ULRs in raising demand for learning, especially amongst workers with low skill levels and those from disadvantaged groups in the workplace, including migrant workers
• help unions and ULRs develop a framework to provide high quality information, advice and guidance to stimulate the take up of learning and promote progression
• help unions to engage with the established network of union-led learning centres in the workplace, union offices and unionlearn centres to offer a growing range of learning opportunities
• help unions to form active partnerships with employers and develop learning agreements to tackle both organisational and individual skill needs
• help unions to form active partnerships with learning providers to ensure learning opportunities are customised, relevant and delivered effectively and appropriate support is given to learners
• develop union capacity to engage in effective partnership working with regional and national skills organisations such as Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs), Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), and Regional Skills Partnerships (RSPs)/Regional Development Agencies (RDAs)