STUC. Scottish Union Learning. The learning force behind Scotland's workers.

The Learning Fund

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 Learning Fund, which is administered by Scottish Union Learning, has been set up to provide innovative training solutions to address the needs identified for individuals.

European Social Fund (ESF) - Lowlands and Uplands Scotland

The project in Lowlands and Uplands Scotland provides a holistic solution to addressing skills gaps in the workforce through engagement with employers and employees. It provides direct intervention to identify skills gaps and needs and address these through the provision of relevant and bespoke training solutions. The Learning Fund for Lowlands and Uplands Scotland will be available until March 2011.

European Social Fund (ESF) - Highlands and Islands Scotland

Scottish Union Learning in the Highlands & Islands has been successful in securing European Social Funding (ESF) for a 2-year lifelong learning project in the Highlands & Islands. The core objective of the project is to widen access to lifelong learning for workers across the Highlands & Islands through the development and embedding of an infrastructure of Union Learning Reps (ULRs).

Working primarily with trade unions/ULRs who have Scottish Union Learning Fund (SULF) project activity in the Highlands and Islands, the project will target the companies across the region where unions have employer engagement. Beneficiaries of the project will be workers, with priority focus on low skilled, part time and migrant workers.

With ESF support, a project worker will be employed to work with migrant workers. UNISON, the public sector union, will host this post for Scottish Union Learning in the Highlands & Islands. The project worker will identify training needs of migrant workers and address these needs through increasing access to support already available, as well as arranging bespoke training solutions.

Migrant worker ULRs and Health & Safety Reps will be recruited, putting in place a workplace structure to support migrant workers. A trade union model of good practice for successful social integration of migrant workers in the workplace will also be developed.

ESF funding is also supporting a Learning Fund which will enhance access to learning for union members across the Highlands and Islands. The Learning Fund is intended to assist unions in brokering and providing bespoke learning for their members, leading to an increase in the number of workers engaging in learning activity across the Highlands and Islands. This will be additional to any learning provided by employers and will target harder to reach learners with whom ULRs are good at engaging in the workplace.