Addressing delegates at the Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, in response to a proposition calling for more lifelong learning agreements to be negotiated with employers, Dave McCrossen – Usdaw Deputy General Secretary said: “Education and training is a core part of Usdaw that we promote through our many courses and training weekends. It is the cornerstone of our programmes and something we consistently push with the Government and employers, which we will continue to prioritise well into the future.
 
“As a union we can be proud of the way we have offered members access to foundational skills in areas such as English, Maths and ICT. We can be proud of the way we have delivered CV writing support to members facing the threat of redundancy and we can be proud of the way we have supported members through apprenticeship programmes so they can get formal qualifications.
 
“All of this work has been delivered as a result of lifelong learning and the strength of our lifelong learning reps and agreements, which have previously been unpinned by the Union Learning Fund. Many of you will be aware that in 2021, the Tories dismantled the fund in England, meaning that members in England cannot have the same access to lifelong learning opportunities as colleagues in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
 
“So, not only is this Union backing the call for more lifelong learning agreements, we are also campaigning to ensure the Union Learning Fund is reinstated in full.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
 
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