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Learning at Work Day: "Bigger & better than ever"

On 20th May 2004 over 1 million employees participated in Learning At Work Day activities ranging from forklift truck driving to Farsi lessons, from Bhangra dancing to basic skills and from work shadowing to wine tasting.

"Learning at Work Day this year was bigger and better than ever. We were delighted by the enthusiasm and energy displayed by everyone from Education Secretary Charles Clarke, to more than a million people who threw themselves into workplace learning activities," said Campaign For Learning chief executive Susie Parsons.

"On past experience, many of those people will go on to continue their learning throughout the year and that's good for them, good for their employers and good for Britain."

At the reception to launch Learning at Work Day on 19th May, Charles Clarke, Secretary of State for Education and Skills called the Campaign for Learning: "A genuinely noble campaign that is important to the vitality of the nation".

Urging businesses to take up the challenge of promoting learning at work, and congratulating the Campaign on its achievements, he commented "Learning is the key to survival and strength in every area of work. The only way for organisations to survive is by promoting learning."

Among the many organisations taking part in Learning at Work Day were: Channel 4, BBC, Nestle, Co-operative Bank, British Gas/Centrica, Royal Household, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, Birmingham International Airport, HM Customs & Excise, Yorkshire TV, Lambeth Borough Council, Holiday Inn, Unilever, Le Meridian Hotels, Avon Cosmetics, Nationwide Building Society, Oasis Clothing, Rover Group and T-Mobile.

Steve Broomhead, Chief Executive of the North West Regional Development Agency and Patron of the Campaign for Learning took on the unusual task of learning to steer a Mersey ferry. English National Opera offered kickboxing and reading music. Yorks TV and South Yorkshire Police did a training swap: the police taught the media workers self-defence techniques, while the TV trainers taught the police how to handle the press.

Channel Four offered introductory editing courses in their high-tech editing suite. Winecellar's branches took up the learning challenge with everything from bellydancing to sign language to entertain their customers as well as their staff. And Morecambe Bay Hospital offered sugarcraft lessons. Even the Army got involved with watercolour painting, forklift truck driving, ballroom dancing and Greek.

Nestlé put on a fantastic day with employees of all levels showcasing skills and abilities, hobbies and pastimes to others. Activities on the day included photography, old English games like skipping, hula hoop, whip and top and jacks, astronomy, knitting, cake decorating, massage, health and fitness, calligraphy, card making, a workshop on Sikh and Muslim weddings, miniature stone building, a talk on local pubs, and a whole host of other things.

Behind all the fun and games taking place on Learning at Work Day was a serious message. Learning should be enjoyable. It can also improve your working life, help boost your confidence, bring benefits to your employer and even lead to life-changing career moves.

Campaign for Learning research shows that Learning At Work Day is most successful when organisers make the link to the broader business context or as part of an overall training strategy. Firms get the highest rate of participation when there is active commitment from senior management.

"We wanted to instill the idea that learning happens outside of normal training courses," said Melody McLaren of Business in the Community. "We wanted to get people thinking about the different ways they learned and to realise that learning goes on every day, it is this natural thing that happens rather than just formal courses. That's a culture change we've been working on for a while to get it into the bloodstream."

Business in the Community held 20 minute IT sessions and diversity bingo, among other activities. "Many people are too busy to take even half a day for courses, so this is an attempt to take the mountain to Mohammed," McLaren said. "Making sessions only 2o minutes long is the equivalent of a coffee break."

T-Mobile were another of the companies participating this year. Customer Services Director, Peter Scott, said, "T-Mobile have supported Learning At Work Day for over three years and have found it an excellent vehicle to take stock and focus on the importance of developing and attracting talent. We have themed the days around coaching, job skills and learning for self development, ensuring they were fun, embedding the concept that learning should engage our people - which has also been endorsed in our positive employee engagement feedback."

George Cox, Director General, Institute of Directors said, "If the UK is to flourish in an increasingly competitive world, a highly skilled workforce is an absolute prerequisite. Moreover, that workforce needs to be continuously further trained and developed, and most of that learning has to be delivered in the workplace. That is why Learning At Work Day is so significant."

Learning At Work Day is co-ordinated nationally by the Campaign For Learning, an independent charity promoting lifelong learning, including workplace learning. The event is sponsored by the Learning & Skills Council, the DTI, NHSU, Learndirect business and Get On.

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