Teddington Group Learning Centre
...in St. Austell, Cornwall, UK

Union Learning Representatives (ULR's) were established at Teddington Group in 2003.

This is a union initiative AEEU (AMICUS) and the particular objectives of AMICUS and the TUC are to: -

1. Increase the number of learning representatives trained and active in workplaces throughout the region;
2. Raise the capacity of learning representatives through training and development;
3. Encourage and enable an increase in participation and progression in learning and training;
4. Encourage and enable an increase in basic skills learning to reduce the number of people in the region with a basic skills need;
5. Extend equal opportunities by addressing barriers to learning faced by non-traditional learners;
6. Increase the number of learners working towards vocational and non-vocational training (including NVQ's);
7. Raise the quality of training delivery;
8. Increase engagement of employers in workforce development;
9. Introduce and develop on-site learning centres;
10. Disseminate information and share good practice.

The first project was to run computer courses for employees and these took place in the canteen on Friday afternoons. The Learning Shop, a part of Cornwall College, brought in ten laptops and supplied a tutor to teach a basic IT skills course over four weeks. This proved so popular that a second four week course ran the week after the first finished. The next to run was a City and Guilds certificated course over eight to ten weeks. These courses were free to union members.

In 2004 the TUC received funding from the Learning Works for All Fund from The South West RDA, Learning & Skills Councils (LSC's), to support union based learning initiatives. The Company worked together with the union to secure part of this funding to expand areas of the current training facility on site. The money allocated in April 2004 (assistance up to £33,700 given) also provided new equipment, computers, projectors etc, for use by the employees and local community and further basic skills, educational, vocational and non-vocational training.

The major outcome from this project was the establishment of a new, dedicated Learning Centre in an area that had previously been occupied by the Electronics Division. The Company had experienced difficulties in recruiting new employees with the relevant skill base and the Centre has allowed the Company to improve the skill base of its employees.

The project brings together Teddington in partnership with Amicus, the TUC, Cornwall Business School, the Learning Shop and Next Steps (formally Go 4). Bringing the Learning Shop into the Learning Centre gave the project the sustainability that it would need to be successful in the long term and established a dedicated IT Centre of excellence. The Learning Shop opened to the public on August 31st 2004, with the Learning Centre being fully up and running by mid September 2004. The Centre is open to all the partners and other businesses on the industrial estate and the local community to use/rent the educational facilities. This also provides the Company with a facility in which it can continue to develop its workforce for the future and for the unions to achieve their objectives.

The Learning Centre was opened officially on the 15th October 2004 by Matthew Taylor M.P. for Truro and St Austell and Chair of the Liberal Democrat Party.

In early 2006 the TUC was able to secure further funding for a St Austell Business Learning Cluster as part of a wider LSC co-financed bid to promote workforce development in Cornwall. This additional project has also financed a part time Project Co-ordinator to work out of the Learning Centre.