WULF Partnerships

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UNISON Cymru Wales has a Wales Union Learning Fund (WULF) project that works in partnership with our UNISON branches, employers and other trade unions in workplaces across Wales. Together we organise and fund online and face-to-face courses, workshops and other learning activities.

Our work has been recognised as amongst the best in Wales – UNISON won the Skills at Work award at the INSPIRE Cymru Awards 2021.

We focus on health, social care, schools and early years workers but we will work with any public service organisation and UNISON Branch that is keen to develop the skills of its workforce, particularly lower paid workers and those with literacy, numeracy or digital skills needs.

• NHS organisations
• Local authorities
• Care homes
• Third sector organisations

Our WULF funded learning is open to UNISON members, non-members and members of other trade unions too.

Our social partnerships are key to developing workplace skills that help workers take part in and adapt to processes of change around digitisation and decarbonisation and WULF is recognised by the Welsh Government as essential for the implementation of the Workforce Partnership Agreement. 

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How we work?

• Open and collaborative, seeking to meet learner needs in a way that helps employers to deliver vital public services
• In partnership with employers, branches, expert learning providers and other agencies including Welsh Government programmes such as Digital Communities Wales (and other trade unions where our UNISON branch gives authorisation)
• Through Steering Groups that provide space for discussion and action planning
• We agree memorandums of understanding to govern relationships and responsibilities where appropriate
• With equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded in everything we do
• With the goal of establishing formal learning agreements and union recognition agreements where they don’t currently exist
• We are governed by a PRINCE2 project board. We report to and are monitored by the Welsh Government and supported by the Wales TUC

What we do?

• Listen to and seek to address the needs of workers and employers
• Co-design and co-produce programmes of learning with employers and branches
• Conduct skills audits to discover and understand learning needs
• Organise and fund (or co-fund) a range of courses and workshops
• Produce promotional materials, posters, etc
• Recruit and train ULRs and Digital Champions
• Provide advice, information and guidance to workers, union reps and employers about learning and development
• Negotiate paid time off for workers to train
• Contribute to the implementation of agreed policies and procedures
• Provide access to our wider learning offer, including e-learning platforms

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Examples of our partnerships in action

UNISON Pembrokeshire County & Pembrokeshire Council – Transgender Awareness

UNISON Vale of Glamorgan & Vale of Glamorgan Council – Digital Skills

UNISON North Wales Health & Betsi Cadwaladr UHB – Digital Skills

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