Employee Development Schemes

HC Deb 02 December 1999 vol 340 c311W

Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to encourage the involvement of trade unions in employee development schemes. [99938]

Mr. Wicks

[holding answer 30 November 1999]: My Department provides support to encourage trade union participation in Employee Development Schemes and other workplace learning activities in a number of ways:

1. (i) through the Union Learning Fund, established in May 1998, which encourages trade unions to build their capacity as learning organisations. The fund supports trade union influenced workplace learning activities. A total of £12 million is allocated to the Fund;
2. (ii) through co-funding projects that help the TUC to develop case studies and good practice. For example, a project that encourages the use of individual learning accounts as a mechanism for adding value to Employee Development Schemes and the TUC publications "Employee Development Schemes—case studies of union involvement" and "Trade Unions and Employee Development Schemes—a negotiator's guide";
3. (iii) the TEC funded Bargaining for Skills projects have helped trade unions to raise awareness of Investors in People. Unions have use the Standard as a tool to develop skills in the workplace and to ensure the long term employability of their own staff and members.