Lifelong Learning Group minutes - 18 Feb 05

Matford lower meeting room

Present:

• Karen Silcox, Rose Gander, Dave Henley, Jackie Roberts, Denise Cooper, Brenda Shakespeare (WEA)

Apologies:

• Julie Vaughn Atkins, Val Passmore.

Project development with Workers Education Association (WEA):

• Brenda Shakespeare is a project development worker with the task of promoting learning in the workplace. As part of her role, she will be supporting this group.

Women's Conference

• Denise attended the women's conference. She briefly feed back to the group some very positive feedback. She noted that motion 18 on lifelong learning was passed. A fuller report is now available on the Devon County UNISON web site.

Lifelong Learning Presentation evening:

• This event was held to celebrate the learning achievement of all the newly trained lifelong learning advisors. Jackie Roberts attended and said the evening was very good.

Nominations for Regional Education committee:

• A regional education committee exists to help develop courses and education in the South West. It is possible for the group to have representation on this committee. Rose Gander asked if anyone was interested but the consensus was that more information was required before people were able to commit. Karen Silcox will contact Kay McKenzie (SW UNISON education contact) to find out more.

Dates:

• Regional Life long learning network meeting 29 Apr 05, Taunton.
  Denise Cooper, Rose Gander and Dave Henley to attend. Rose Gander will contact those absent to see if they would like to attend

• TUC Devon Network meeting 16 Jun 05, St Cuthberts conference centre, Buckfast - A chance to meet learning reps from other unions.

• South West TUC conference 8 Mar 05, Novotel, Plymouth
  The theme will be Unions learning to grow. Denise Cooper has applied to attend.
  
  Contact: uls-southwest@tuc.org.uk for further details of both TUC events.

BBC resources launch day 9 Mar 05 - Plymouth College of Art and Design:

• This is a half day workshop to launch the new BBC range of resources designed to help learners improve their skills in the workplace.

Information for Adult Guidance (IAG) Exeter network meeting 15 Mar 05 - Exeter Library 2-4pm:

• This is a network meeting for all involved in adult education and learning. Dave Henley to attend.

Devon County Branch UNISON AGM 2 Mar 05 - Council Chamber, County Hall:

• Rose Gander and Karen Silcox will operate a lifelong learning stall prior to this meeting.

Social Services managers learning and development conference 10 & 11 Mar 05 - Loop Centre, Exeter:

• Edna Warwick (UNISON SW Education Field worker) and Rose Gander will attend. Rose has been told that UNISON courses would be allowed to go in the Social Services learning and development programme. Karen Silcox will follow up trying to get course information into the same format as the development programme. We agreed which courses to include.

Partnership Learning Agreement:

• This agreement, which recognises formally the facility agreement to allow learning reps to have paid time off to carry out their duties and commits Devon County Council to their own learning and development policy, has finally been signed by Devon County Council.

• Pam Tomlinson should be invited to a future group meeting to discuss this. It was noted that we need to follow up this agreement now it has been signed to ensure it is implemented and not forgotten.

Courses for members

• The best way to run courses was discussed. Options include running courses on a locality basis. It was also debated about whether dates should be fixed in advance or not.

Rose Gander's role within UNISON changing

• Rose will stand down from being Branch Education Co-ordinator and stand for Lifelong Learning Co-ordinator. Both officers would work closely together in the future.

Pathways into UNISON

• This aim of this course is to show women how UNISON works and how they can get involved in the union. 6 or 7 women who attended the North Devon women's event in Barnstaple went on this course and the follow up resulting from the initial course. In total 8 branch members attended. As a result, one member wants to set up a North Devon women's group, 1 member has agreed to be a steward and one member a mailing contact.
  
• The success of this event lead to the idea that a similar programme could be run for the South Hams area with an information day being held prior to running the Pathways course. Denise Cooper requested a list of members in that area so once a date had been agreed the information day could be publicised.

Adult Learners' Week - 21-27 May 2005

• Jackie Roberts has already begun to organise a reluctant surfer's event for the staff in her school (Teignmouth Community College). Jackie is to find out whether this event could be opened up to all UNISON members. It was also agreed that the group could support any event that takes place in Teignmouth by attending the event and operating information stalls. Brenda Shakespeare also said information on courses run by the WEA could be made available.
  
• Other ideas include:
  
  • doing something in conjunction with the ethnic awareness day on the Thursday
  • a special edition of Unity
  • an event at County Hall
  • maybe a radio advert
    
• It was decided to arrange a special planning meeting to plan the events. The date decided was 16 Mar 05 at the Coaver club 5.30 pm.

Potential new Learning Reps:

• The group was requested to bring along names of members who wish to train as learning reps to the meeting on 16 March. Region have said they are doing away with the term Advisors and making them all Reps. There will be follow up training.

Courses for learning reps:

• Extra courses are available to help learning reps and other develop their understanding. More details are available on the Devon UNISON or TUC website.

Meeting finished

• 3.45pm.