EQUAL - High Road

High Road

Logo for High Road www.unionlearn.org.uk/transnational/index.cfm?mins=141

Description

Background

The rationale behind the DP is that far too many people of working age still miss out on learning opportunities and life chances. There is still a gap between the education- and skills-rich and the skills-poor. Those who leave school with the lowest qualifications are least likely to receive learning opportunities in adult life, and gender, disability, and ethnic origin can further restrict opportunity.

The work of the DP has focused on ways of increasing participation in purposeful learning to support productivity growth as well as enhancing job satisfaction, progression and rewards.

The project has been supporting innovative ways to promote and facilitate equal opportunities in workplace learning and to empower learners to gain the skills they require to enhance career progression.

Aims

To develop partnerships, tools and structures that help move people from welfare into sustainable, productive work and help adults in employment progress from low-skilled to higher-skilled work.

Objectives

Develop the capacity of union and community/equal opportunity representatives to contribute to local, regional and sectoral strategies that combine achieving high growth with opportunities for all.
Develop tools and products to support a learning/skills development continuum, including better linking of pre-entry and in-work learning.
Develop tools/products to enable the target groups to take charge of their own learning.
Develop a structure, including via the Unionlearn brand, to enable better provision of inclusive and progressive workplace learning.
Test elements of the new products and structures at regional level.
Mainstream the new products and structures.

Target Groups

The target groups include:

low-skilled people in work
those at risk through change at work
those who face barriers to getting sustainable and rewarding employment.

Round

Round 1 to Round 2

The TUC was the lead partner of the Round One ‘Building Opportunities through Workplace Learning’ DP. From this work it was established that the union academy, Unionlearn, would provide a framework for the current project.

Lead partner

Trades Union Congress >>
www.tuc.org.uk >>

Transnational partnerships

Information for Transnational partnerships

Contact

Joe Fearnehough
Trades Union Congress
jfearnehough@tuc.org.uk >>

End-dates

Action 2: 31 March 2008
Action 3: 31 March 2008

Equal theme

Adaptability to work

Origins

A number of key national partners have come together to address inequalities in access to jobs and work-based training, where low skills are still a predicator of inactivity. The employment rate for those holding Level 4 qualifications is 86.5%; whereas the rate for those with no qualifications is 50.1%. The partnership also seeks to address lack of access to work-based learning: those without qualifications are six times less likely to receive training.

The range of partners in Great Britain working with the 'High Road' project reflects the importance and status of the work. It has the potential to influence policy and implementation in learning and skills nationally by raising the ambition for skills and strengthening the capacity of union and community/equality representatives to shape local, regional and sector strategies.

Beneficiaries

BME groups, Employed in large firms, Jobseekers with low basic skills, Labour market returnees, People from disadvantaged areas (top 10% most deprived wards), People over 50, Refugees, Unemployed with multiple barriers to work including ill-health, Women
Total beneficiaries: 30000

Achievements

Key lessons from the High Road Project

The 2007-2013 ESF Framework sets out two priorities for the European Social Fund in England:

Priority 1: Extending employment opportunities
Priority 2: Developing a skilled and adaptable workforce.

The High Road project has demonstrated the crucial importance of a number of factors in developing successful learning and skills programmes that can help members of disadvantaged groups not only to break into the world of work but also to keep their jobs and progress in their employment.

1. Partnership working

By working together, trade unions and third sector organisations can share good practice, call on specialist expertise and provide a continuity of support to individuals.

2. Peer support

By helping develop agents of change such as ULRs, disability champions and community champions, organisations can offer more and better peer support; this is often the crucial factor in persuading non-traditional learners to access new opportunities.

3. Empowerment

Projects work best when they focus on what people can do, rather than on what they can’t, which only reinforces feelings of failure.

4. Good-quality information, advice and guidance

Good--quality IAG helps to ensure that people who may have had bad experiences with learning find courses that are appropriate, and thus begin a virtuous cycle of positive engagement with learning.

5. Diversity

Working with employers to promote workforce diversity is key to developing opportunities for individuals and groups who have experienced disadvantage and discrimination.

6. Progression

It is vital that the targets for Level 2 qualifications are seen not as an end in themselves but as creating a sound foundation from which people can further develop in the future.

Intended impact/ sustainability

Both the ‘high road’ planning tools and the Unionlearn brand are being mainstreamed. Unionlearn is playing an important role in mainstreaming new products to support wider access to learning/progression developed through the DP. The High Road project is playing an important role in supporting the establishment of Unionlearn and the Scottish TUC's work to create a Union Academy in Scotland.

Scatter plot

	City	Local	Regional	National	European
Process				X
Practice
Product
Policy				X

Process/National

Union connection means that the DP has national influence in all areas.

Policy/National

The variety of partners working within the 'High Road' project reflects the importance and status of the work and the potential to influence policy and implementation on learning and skills nationally. Partners include the STUC, the national Learning and Skills Council, Ufi, the Scarman Trust, the Campaign for Learning, NIACE, Robert Gordon University, Disability Champions@ Work, Marchmont (University of Exeter), TAEN (The Age Employment Network) and the Open Learning Project.

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Connections

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Main outputs

Empowerment in the High Road Equal Project >> This report sets out how the partners involved in the High Road project have addressed all four of the following aspects of empowerment in their work - promoting individual empowerment, promoting collective empowerment, involving beneficiaries in project design, development, management and evaluation, finding ways to change attitudes and behaviours of key partners, systems and structures.

Innovation in the High Road Equal Project >> Booklet outlining the main approaches to innovation of the Equal High Road Project.

Learning the Lessons from the Equal High Road Project >>This report sets out some of the most valuable lessons learned so far about the development of successful skills programmes which can help disadvantaged individuals get jobs and develop their careers.

SERTUC Defeating Racism >> This booklet is designed as a source for reps and activists in the Southern & Eastern region to support their fight against racism and fascism in their workplaces and communities.

Supporting Learners Guides >>Unions, their union reps and union learning representatives (ULRs) are now established as key players in the drive to improve skills due to their unique position in the workplace.

Activities and products

Diversity, Equality and Access to Learning (DEAL) is a transnational partnership

Diversity, Equality and Access to Learning (DEAL) >> The TUC has been working with partner organisations within its Diversity, Equality and Access to Learning (DEAL) partnership. Expand/collapse

Products (5)

High Road Partners >> High Road has worked with a number of partners, each with their particular focus of interest. Expand/collapse

Products (8)

High Road Partners: Scarman Trust >> The Scarman Trust works at a local level to empower people and communities by creating opportunities for positive change through personalised support and development, pathways into work and learning, inclusive local decision making and change programmes, and releasing enterprise and cultural expression. Expand/collapse

Products (2)

Unionlearn National >> At national level, Unionlearn has been supporting innovative ways to promote and facilitate equal opportunities in workplace learning, and to empower learners to gain the skills they require to enhance career progression. Expand/collapse

Products (25)

Unionlearn Regions >> The Unionlearn regions have been undertaking specific work, promoting events and activities pertinent to the regions. Expand/collapse