ULRs at Dundee Pension Centre have been working on a bid for funding from the European Social Fund being administed by the STUC
The STUC has been successful in securing funding for two projects from the European Social Fund (ESF), one for Lowlands and Uplands Scotland and one for Highlands and Islands Scotland, to help develop and embed an infrastructure to support lifelong learning in the workplace throughout Scotland. The Scottish Fund for Union Learning, which is administered by Scottish Union Learning, has been set up to provide innovative training solutions to address the needs identified for individuals.
Where no alternative funding exists and training needs for individual workers have been identified, affiliated trade unions can access the fund.
The process begins when affiliates submit applications to the Scottish Fund for Union Learning for specific training courses. Applications are then considered by the ESF Advisory Panel, which is made up of Scottish Union Learning Board members.
Courses that are approved by the ESF Advisory Panel are then put out to tender to a qualified list of suppliers who bid to deliver some or all of the courses.
Applications to the Scottish Fund for Union Learning will be received on a rolling programme basis and will be considered by the ESF Advisory Panel at the end of each month.
Neil Bell the Branch Learning Coordinator in Dundee Pension Centre has said
The ULRs in Dundee Pension Centre attended the European Social Fund awareness session organised by PCS in the STUC in Glasgow in the middle of September and embraced the challenge of finding not only a course that our membership would be interested in but one that would meet the criteria for an ESF bid. After much thought by ourselves, a skills survey of the membership and a few staff who wanted to know how we did "All That Fancy Stuff" in PowerPoint we agreed on a course to introduce basic Microsoft office skills to be delivered in the workplace.
We had some barriers to deal with which included " I have to get the children to school in the morning", " I have to leave early to help my elderly parents with their evening meal", " My shift pattern doesn't suit" etc etc so in choosing the times to run the course took this into consideration. The courses will run 8.00 till 9.00 the morning, 12.30 to 1.30 at lunchtime and 5.00 to 6.00 in the evening, with staff attending at the same time for each of the eight sessions and we felt that this should permit most staff who wished to complete the course an opportunity to do so.
We have limited space in the training room so in the first instance 30 staff will be able to take on this course, 10 at each session. Because we have managed to agree time with management to complete this course as part of the working day the course could have been filled 10 times over. It is our aim to continue this programme so that other members can take advantage of this course in the future and we can also look at the next level in each of the office packages or perhaps EDCL for those who have taken advantage of this opportunity and wish to do so.
