Home > News > March 2004 > 29-Mar-2004

Minister announces next round of union learning projects for Wales

Jane Davidson, Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning , National Assembly for Wales has announced that 17 new projects are to receive nearly £1.2 million in the latest round of the Wales Union Learning Fund.

The Fund aims to encourage and support learning in the workplace and recognises the important role of trades unions working in partnership with employers, to improve the skills of the workforce.

The successful projects include:

• Extending free access to NVQs to workers in the care sector
• Improving the essential skills required to work in the prison service
• Encouraging railworkers and their families into accredited and essential skills learning
• Providing language and other essential skills to migrant workers in Wales

Jane Davidson said: "Employers need to see training and development of their staff as an investment and not a cost. The Wales Union Learning Fund, now in its sixth year, has already helped 69 projects with nearly £2m from the Welsh Assembly Government.

My goal is both to encourage and to assist the trade unions to develop real working partnerships between employers and employees that will extend opportunities to learn, and raise skill levels.

The innovation and hard work by trade unions, training providers and the Assembly Government working together has resulted in people receiving, and benefiting from training, which would otherwise not be available to them.

This is true Lifelong Learning in action. The unions have shown that they can deliver learning effectively to their members and others, often to non-traditional learners. As we know, people are an employer's greatest asset and the skills they posses are vital to increasing the productivity of the employer and the life chances of the individual. We all benefit from raising skills - individuals, employers and the economy as a whole."

The Wales Union Learning Fund was launched in April 1999 to increase union capacity to encourage and support learning in the workplace. Prior to this new round of funding, nearly £2m had been allocated to support 69 projects.

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