Union Learning Rep (ULR) East Midlands Ambulance Service Branch

My name is Lee Goddard, I have worked for East Midlands Ambulance Service since May 2009 as a Make Ready operative and then promoted to Make Ready Team Leader in November 2009. This is based at Alfreton Resource Centre in Derbyshire and entails deep cleaning both ambulances and the FRV’s on a routine cycle and on occasions when it has been involved in a serious incident which may have heavily contaminated the vehicle. I became a Unison member in 2009 and then became interested in the ULR role and have been doing various aspects of the role ever since.

What is a Union Learning Rep? Union learning reps (ULRs) are volunteers who are passionate about supporting the members with learning in the workplace. Their duties include: Promoting Learning/courses by advertising to members offering support and encouragement to learners Identify the needs of members Organise courses Work in partnership with the employer to identify learning

What is a Union Learning Rep? The effectiveness of ULRs depends very much on the training they receive from the TUC or their union. Under the Employment Act 2002, the ULR needs to be sufficiently trained to carry out his/her duties. In order to carry out their role, ULRs in recognised workplaces have a statutory right to paid time off to train and fulfil the role of the ULR.

What are we doing? Across the East Midlands we are holding ‘ULR Forums’ which looks at the members needs and requirements. In Lincolnshire there is a vast amount of courses available to members of all branches, this is something that we are passionate about and want to promote in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to open up the learning to all Unison members. This will help the members and the employers benefit from the skills and knowledge learnt.

Quotes from people about courses “The courses provided are brilliant, they are sourced and advertised and all relevant to my career and helps me advance my learning and knowledge” “I find the free monthly social care training videos very useful for my CPD. They are a series of short videos (usually 1-3 mins long ) with a multi choice question after each. It provides a certificate to print off from an accredited training provider. Most courses are less than an hour to do. It's another great benefit of being a Unison member.” “As a busy working parent I have been able to take advantage of the courses offered by Unison, as most are convenient online learning. So far the only real cost has been my time, which has been well spent and well rewarded with a growing CPD” “Through being signposted I did a Train the Trainer course which was free, my local college does this at £100 plus a days wage I would have lost which I cannot afford”

Legal Rights of a ULR The effectiveness of ULRs depends very much on the training they receive from the TUC or their union. Under the Employment Act 2002, the ULR needs to be sufficiently trained to carry out his/her duties. In order to carry out their role, ULRs in recognised workplaces have a statutory right to paid time off to train and fulfil the role of the ULR.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to let you know what a ULR does and how we can work in partnership to help the staff and organisations to grow in knowledge and enhance everybody.