Working Lives Research Institute
This research was funded by the Communications Workers Union (CWU) to investigate the educational needs of the union’s members and its representatives and to look at possible future trends that might develop in this regard.
This research aimed to examine the educational needs and learning aspirations of CWU members and put forward proposals for future provision. A central element of this research has been to explore current union learning activity and its sustainability. The CWU, along with all other unions who have received money from the Union Learning Fund, are expected to move to a position where union learning, after a period, is embedded and thus sustainable within the union’s structure and organisation without the need for external funding. The research therefore examines the sustainability of union learning as a long-term core union objective and what models of organisation and provision might be available to the union to meet such an objective.
This research has adopted a qualitative and quantitative mixed method approach in order to capture the widest range of data and responses. Firstly, previous academic research into union learning was used as background information to inform the project and to draw out themes for the questionnaire and interview schedules. This material and discussions with the CWU’s education department were used to establish key issues for exploration. The qualitative aspect used semi-structured interviews with key informants both within and outside of the CWU as well as focus groups with union learning representatives (ULRs). The CWU respondents included the General Secretary, 2 Deputy General Secretaries, Head of Education, Union Learning Fund project manager, project workers and individual ULRs. In addition, interviews were undertaken with other unions involved in learning projects including, Amicus, CSEU, GMB, PCS, TGWU, Unison and Rail Union Learn (which includes ASLEF, RMT and TSSA). Other respondents with specialist knowledge of union learning were also included as key respondents, for example from colleges (Lewisham, CoNEL, Solihull ), WEA, NIACE and UnionLearn.
For further information contact Dr Jane Holgate
j.holgate@londonmet.ac.uk
View a copy of the final report.
Union Learning in the CWU