TUC Education

The key to an effective employee voice in the workplace is training union workplace representatives and professionals to a high standard. TUC Education is responsible within Unionlearn for offering high quality, accredited training through a partnership with colleges and universities across the UK.

Education and training opportunities for Trade Union Representatives

The current TUC Education Programme is a large NOCN unit framework programme made up of over 300 units on the Qualifications and Credit Framework and is available to learners who are representatives of TUC affiliated unions. The TUC own the curriculum contents of the programme and allow designated Trade Union Study Centres to deliver the programme across the UK once the centres have been formally approved by the TUC.  In order for successful learners to be awarded the different qualifications within the TUC Education Programme, the trade union study centres must also seek NOCN Centre Registration through their Open College Network.

The relationship between the TUC and NOCN is longstanding – the partnership formed almost 15 years ago.  Quality Assurance arrangements include TUC Regional Education Officers, Internal Moderators and OCN Officers and External Verifiers who have responsibility to monitor and review quality standards.

The programme covers 6 main themes:

• Health and safety for trade union representatives
• Trade union representatives
• Union learning representatives
• Trade union organisation
• Trade union tutor training
• Plus a huge range of short courses for professional development and training

In 2007 – 08 NOCN and TUC participated in the second phase testing and trialling of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).  The framework is a new way of recognising achievement through the award of credit for units and qualifications and will provide flexible routes to gaining full qualifications and the potential to enable qualification to be achieved in small steps.

Following these tests and trials, NOCN/TUC now has 34 TUC endorsed qualifications available for trade union learners in the areas shown above.

Qualifications range from Level 1 Awards for learners finding their way in Adult Education to Level 3 Diplomas for the more advanced. 

If you are interested in finding out more about the NOCN/TUC Trade Union education and training courses please go to the TUC useful link page.