UCATT Wales Union Learning Fund

newsletterAugust 2011

Building learningacross Wales

The three year project,Building Learning acrossWales, began in April 2010

and will run until March 2013. Itaims to ensure that constructionworkers across Wales haveaccess to good quality training andlearning opportunities in order toincrease their skills andemployability.

“Like construction, with learningitʼs really important to get thefoundations firmly in place,” saysProject Worker Marie Qazzaz. “Wemade sure that we got things rightfrom the beginning and areworking with employers, trainingproviders, the Wales TUC andother unions to set up sustainable

learning opportunities for UCATTmembers across Wales.”

Around a quarter of workingage people in Wales do not haveLevel 1 literacy skills and morethan half (53%) do not have Level1 numeracy skills. The figures forpeople with poor numeracy,literacy and vocationalqualifications in the constructionsector are even higher. So theproject is aiming to break downsome of the barriers to learningthat construction workers face andset up workplace-based learningopportunities through jointemployer-union learning centressupported by UCATT unionlearning representatives (ULRs).

UCATTʼs Wales Union Learning Fund (WULF) project is taking shape, establishingthe foundations and developing the infrastructure for learning across the region.

The project has set up a multi-agency partnership networkinvolving employers, training

providers – including ConstructionSkills Training in Caerphilly, PHDTraining in Cwmbran, Arfon DwyforTraining (ADT) and Career ChangeWales who have all signedPartnership Agreements with UCATTsetting out how the organisations willwork together to develop learning –as well as the Wales TUC and otherunions. For example, the WalesTUCʼs Network of Excellenceprovides a forum for ULRs fromdifferent unions to meet up and shareexperiences and information onlearning opportunities. Employers andmanagers, as well as local collegesand private training providers are alsoinvited to network activities.

Over the last few months theproject has worked with severalhousing associations in South Wales,

including Monmouthshire HousingAssociation (MHA), Tai CalonCommunity Housing in BlaenauGwent and Merthyr Valley Homes,setting up steering groups andrecruiting ULRs to help supportlearners on site.

“Many workers in housingassociations are being required tolearn new skills and use newtechnologies such as personal digitalassistants (PDAs) as part of theirjob,” says Marie. “However, not all ofthis training has resulted in formalqualifications that are recognisedoutside their current workplace.Working in partnership withemployers and trainers fromConstruction Skills Training inCaerphilly, the workersʼ skills andqualifications are being assessed.Experienced workers who do nothave formal qualifications are beinggiven access to onsite assessment

and training (OSAT) which allowsthem to have their experience, oftengained over many years, recognised.Once they have the relevantqualification, they are then givenaccess to onscreen testing andregistration for a CSCS card.”

UCATT ULRs are integral to theproject and have a vital role to play inensuring its success. Richard Talbot,training officer with ConstructionSkills Training and also a UCATTULR, sets out his role:

“As a UCATT member and ULR,as well as a training officer, the mostimportant part of my role is engagingwith the workforce to identify theirneeds; advising human resourcesand management on the minimumrequirement to prove competencewithin the commercial constructionindustry; and negotiating for the entireworkforce to be able to achieve thesestandards.”

Partnership working

Back: Ian Keen, Sales and Marketing CoordinatorTSW with Marie Qazzaz, Project WorkerFront: John Nash, Managing Director, TSW withSteve Craig, UCATT National Project Worker

Anumber of Learning at WorkDays (L@WD) have allowedworkers to find out more

about the learning and trainingopportunities on offer and tellUCATT about the training theythink they need, and have alsohelped to ʻkick startʼ learning. Forexample, more than 50 MHAworkers completed questionnairesabout their training needs at arecent L@WD.

As HR Manager, KarenWilliams, explains: “The Learningat Work Day was a launch pad forMonmouthshire Housing

Association signing the EmployersPledge and demonstrating ourcommitment to our employeesʼlearning and development. It alsoprovided us with an opportunity toshowcase, together with ourpartners, the types ofopportunities and assistance thereis available. The participation ofstaff on the day has demonstratedto our organisation theirenthusiasm to learn and hashelped us focus on the basic skillselement that can be overlooked.”

Showcasing learningopportunities

L@W

D

Innovativeinitiatives

Left: UCATT stand withProject Worker Lol Huntand ULR Nigel Cassonfrom MonmouthshireHousing.

Below: Richard Talbotfrom Construction SkillsTraining (CST) and LolHunt using the PDA forskills checks.

Bottom: Karen Williams,HR Manager, signing theEmployer Pledge.

Opposite: Group ofmaintenance workersfrom MonmouthshireHousing with Lol Huntand Nigel Casson.

Helping UCATT tobuild learning inWalesUCATT Acting North West RegionalSecretary Jimmy Woods, welcomesthe initiative.“The economic downturn has had adramatic impact on the whole of theconstruction sector. It is now moreimportant than ever that UCATT isworking together with employers,training providers and workers tomake sure that the opportunities forup-skilling, that will improve bothemployability and productivity, are inplace,” he said. “This project will helpto ensure that we can overcome thebarriers to learning facing constructionworkers in Wales and build learning,”he added.

And UCATT Wales RegionalSecretary, Nick Blundell, said: “UCATTULRs play a pivotal role in buildinglearning. This project recognises thatand has the potential to harness theirunique skills and experience in orderto widen learning opportunities forconstruction workers across Wales.”

The project is developing a uniqueNVQ Level 2/3 Waste ManagementOperations (Construction Logistics)and the Removal of Non-HazardousWaste (Construction) Materialscourse. This aims to capture interest insustainable construction and helpemployers and workers to secure thegreen skills necessary to meet theopportunities provided by the lowcarbon/green jobs agenda.

The project is also trialling a Skills-4-Life mobile, hand-held personaldigital assistant (PDA) tool to help withthe assessment of numeracy andliteracy in the workplace. The toolaims to encourage workers to use ITand provides project workers andtutors with a mobile tool that can beused in an office or canteen, forexample.

UCATT Walesand South WestRegionalSecretary NickBlundell

UCATT ActingNorth WestRegionalSecretaryJimmy Woods

For further information, contact:

Marie QazzazProject WorkerT: 07894 414616E: mqucatt@live.com

Lol HuntProject WorkerT: 07725 201432E: lhunts6@aol.com

Jeff HopewellNational Education & Training Co-ordinatorUCATT House177 Abbeville RoadLondon SW4 9RLT: 020 7622 2442E: training@UCATT.org.uk

Steve CraigUCATT National Project WorkerM: 07784 254449E: scraig@castor20.fsnet.co.uk

UCATT North West56 Derwent Road East, Stoneycroft,Liverpool L13 6QRT: 0151 228 8455

UCATT Wales and South West199 Newport Road,Cardiff CF2 1AJT: 029 2049 8664

UCATT believes that, particularlyin the current economic climate,it is essential that construction

workers have the skills andopportunity to train to enable them totake up future job opportunities in theindustry. The moves towards ʻmodularbuildingʼ, the increased use ofinformation technology (IT) across thesector and the potential for green jobsand sustainable construction allincreasingly demand a skilled

workforce.But building workers face many

barriers when it comes to learningand training. Construction work isoften very migratory, many buildingworkers are employed by sub-contractors and agencies ratherworking directly for an employer andthere are high levels of “bogus” orfalse self-employment. In additionconstruction is an environment withfew classroom facilities available.

The project is focusing particularly onproviding learning opportunities andsupport for workers at risk ofredundancy, those made redundantand learners who want to up-skill toimprove their employability. And ituses a combination of informal andformal blended learning methods toencourage non-traditional or hard-to-reach learners back into learning andtraining.

“We are holding awareness daysand taster sessions to encourageolder workers and those who havenot accessed the education systemsince leaving school, for example,back to learning,” says ProjectWorker, Lol Hunt. “A lot of

construction workers have receivedin-house training, but this may not betransferable. We are also helpingunqualified workers to achieve NVQlevel 2s and 3s and secureConstruction Skills CertificationScheme (CSCS) cards through the“touch-screen-test” and on-siteassessment and training (OSAT)process.”

He added: “The economicdownturn has had a dramatic impacton the construction sector andworkers really need their CSCS cardsto demonstrate their competence andhave qualifications that prove whatthey can do in order to increase theiremployability.”

Providing learning opportunities and support in difficult economic times

• Establishing new and improvingexisting workplace-based learning centres;

• Increasing the number of UCATT ULRs in order to support members to take up training opportunities and gain skills and qualifications;

• Improving the take up of the Employer Skills Pledge – developed as part of the Welsh Government's Strategy – Words Talk, Numbers Count – to reduce the number of adults in Wales with poor literacy and/or numeracy skills. Through the

pledge, employers can demonstrate their commitment to address basic skills issues in the workplace;

• Providing learning opportunities for ʻhard-to-reachʼ workers through procurement, tendering and compliance initiatives on publicly-funded building projects and by working with local authorities;

• Promoting and supporting apprenticeships; and

• Developing NoWaste sustainability and potential green jobs projects.

Building on previous WULF projects,Building Learning Across Wales is:

Marie Qazzaz with Brian Jones,Contracts Manager at ArfonDwyfor Training (ADT) inCaernarfon

Trainees at the Construction SkillsTraining Ltd Centre