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6 Introduction
8 The next three years - our strategic goals
BUILDING UNION ORGANISATION AND GROWTH
PROMOTING EQUALITY
BUILDING OUR CONTRIBUTION TO LEARNING AND SKILLS
IMPROVING QUALITY
BUILDING OUR KNOWLEDGE AND INTELLIGENCE BASE
RAISING OUR PROFILE
16 Underpinning work
17 Measuring our success
18 Risk assessment
20 Appendix 1
BUDGET
REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS
THREE-YEAR FINANCIAL PLAN
23 Appendix 2
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE BOARD
Section one
Our belief is that the life chances of all people can be transformed through access to learning, throughout their working lives.
Such learning opportunities must be available to the entire workforce, regardless of their employment status or educational background.
Everyone should have fair and equal treatment to develop his or her potential, free from all discrimination.
We believe that people's learning and skills can best be delivered collectively, with trade unions.
Our purpose is to help unions open up a wide range of learning opportunities for their members.
This will both promote their personal progression and develop their trade union role, strengthening workplace organisation.
We will guarantee that all provision is of a high standard and continuously improves in both its quality and diversity.
Our goal is to become the centre of excellence for facilitating high quality union-led learning.
We also aim to become the authoritative organisation for promoting innovation and research and disseminating best practice in such learning.
Our success will be determined by the sustainability of this activity through unions securing learning and skills at the heart of their organisation.
Section two
This plan sets out the overarching strategic goals that unionlearn will help to achieve in its first three years of operation. It builds on TUC and union success, and assumes that all our work on learning and skills and trade union education will benefit from a new high `profile, coherent framework and identity. It will not replace unions' own programmes, but add value to them and ensure that we achieve maximum impact as a result of all our activities.
Our goals focus on six key areas:
Under each heading we set out a number of more specific goals, and in Section four we outline the vital underpinning work essential if we are to achieve them.
These goals are not set out in order of priority. Those in bold are things that unionlearn can control. The remainder are dependent to a greater or lesser extent on the contribution of other organisations, or our ability to influence them.
This Strategic Plan will be followed by an annual Operational Plan for 2006/7 which will make our objectives SMART ( specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound ), and set out the activities we will carry out in order to move towards achieving them.
The Operational Plan will be produced by the new unionlearn senior team during May and June.
The Operational Plan will provide the framework for regional plans where it will be adapted to reflect priorities of regional unions and stakeholders.
From 2007/8 onwards, a revised Strategic Plan will be prepared for the April Board meeting, and the annual Operational Plan and regional plans will be available in May.
Section three
The next three years - our strategic goals
Within 3 years we aim to see the following achieved:
Section four
Unionlearn will have a distinct identity, working within the TUC policy framework, and contributing to it.
We will have an effective Board of the General Council, which gives strategic direction to unionlearn and is supported by two advisory groups.
A Partner's Advisory group of external experts from the world of learning and skills will act as 'critical friends' and advise on opportunities for development and influence.
A Trade Union Advisory group of national and regional officers and representatives of STUC, Wales TUC and NICICTU will give advice and feedback on how unionlearn is meeting the needs of unions.
In regions, there will be regular reports to the TUC Executive and Regional Councils, and the Regional Managers will have established arrangements that enable unions to influence unionlearn's priorities and services.
There will be regular meetings with the STUC, Wales TUC, NICICTU and with civil servants from the devolved administrations and the DfES to maximise synergy and collaboration in all areas of union learning.
The Senior Team of unionlearn, led by the Director will be effectively implementing the Strategic and Operational Plans, and regional teams led by the Regional Managers will be effectively implementing strategic and operational plans for their region.
Our financial and management frameworks and systems will enable unionlearn to implement its plans and to meet new challenges and opportunities as they arise.
Section five
The Operational Plan will set out how we will work toward these strategic goals during 2006/7. The goals will be accompanied by SMART outcomes identifying how they will be delivered, by whom, when, and the measurements for success.
Success measures will be quantitive and qualitative.
Quantitive outputs will include targets set out in the Grant Agreement with the DfES and any other additional outputs attached to other contracts.
Our key targets for 2010 are:
- 22,000 ULRs trained
- 250,000 learners each year through the union route
Regional operational plans will combine their appropriate share of the above targets plus any additional outputs deriving from regional contracts.
Many success measures will be qualitative however, and we will draw on a variety of approaches, including internal quality assurance of products and services, performance against external standards e.g. matrix or the Common Inspection Framework, and external evaluation of unionlearn as a whole or elements of its activity.
Given the range and distribution of unionlearn activity, it will be essential that the framework for measuring success is clear and comprehensible, minimising the need for unnecessary bureaucracy and duplication.
Progress against the measures will be monitored by the Board.
Section six
Risk |
Likelihood |
Severity |
Action to minimise risk |
Reduction of resources to support delivery and activity, particularly through the provider network. |
High/medium |
Medium |
ensure unionlearn and unions understand how to get the most out of the changing funding framework e.g. smart use of ITQ, accessing Train to Gain and L3 pilots use the unionlearn brand to strengthen negotiating position ensure TUC policy staff aware of experience on ground in order to influence government policy work with unions to get most from SS agreements e.g. negotiating provision that SSCs prioritise for resources strengthen support to unions in their negotiations with providers and employers encourage collaboration and sharing of experience of projectsto make learning affordable (partnerships with providers and employers) pilot collective funds as part of wider strategies emerging from the White Paper and Leitch Review foster positive relationships with existing and potential funders |
Reduced union commitment |
Low/medium |
High |
establish effective Board and regional arrangements so union priorities are reflected avoid entering into contracts that embed unhelpful competition with unions hold regular bi-lateral meetings with unions nationally and regionally to agree protocols and action plans and review them where possible, establish and manage regional funds as the 'model of choice' from which unions directly access resources |
Failure to achieve outputs in grant agreement and other contracts |
Medium |
High |
agree robust national and regional delivery plans put in place effective project management and monitoring so problems are flagged up at an early stage avoid entering into contracts with unachievable outcomes have an effective staff development plan in place to support individuals and teams in their work |
Reduced stakeholder commitment |
Low |
Medium |
establish national Partners Advisory Group with 'critical friends' role establish channels for stakeholder input regionally agree collaboration plan with key partners ensure effective communications strategy |
Failure to reach ULR target, and increase activity/integration of ULRs |
Medium |
High |
develop a framework of training for ULRs to enable them to build effectiveness and respond to changes in learning and skills focus services on removing barriers for ULRs improve access to and availability of ULR training improve virtual support and facilities for ULRs prioritise working with unions to integrate ULRs into the union at work implement an effective communication strategy aimed at increasing numbers and profile of ULRs. |
Section seven
Though unionlearn remains a department of the TUC, all its income and expenditure will go through a distinct unionlearn fund and appears separately in the TUC's accounts. As part of the TUC, it will report to Congress each year on the basis of the TUC financial year (January to December), therefore the first audited accounts will be presented in September 2007 covering the period April to December 2006. However, it will report to its external funders on the basis of their financial years, mainly April to March. Therefore, unionlearn's internal budgets are all based on an April to March financial year.
The table below indicates the expected income and expenditure for the next 3 years. It incorporates the transfer of the Union Learning Fund from the LSC in 2007/08. The following assumptions have been made.
The plan is for a small surplus in 2006/07 and 2007/08, though, due to the nature of grant agreements, this will depend on negotiations with funders to allow carry forward of income rather than repayment of any unspent grant.
In 2008/09 a deficit is unavoidable without an inflation uplift from funders to compensate for the cumulative impact of expected pay awards and other inflationary pressures.
Unionlearn will seek additional funding during this period where it is in line with our strategy
Budgetted Income and Expenditure for Unionlearn 2006/07 to 2008/09 |
||||
Income by Funder |
||||
Funder |
Project |
2006-07 |
2007-08 |
2008-09 |
£ |
£ |
£ |
||
DfES |
Unionlearn Contract |
1,500,000 |
3,000,000 |
3,000,000 |
DfES |
Core ULF Support |
1,900,000 |
1,900,000 |
1,900,000 |
DfES |
e-brokerage fund |
75,000 |
0 |
0 |
DfES |
Skills for Life (ABSSU) |
236,000 |
0 |
0 |
LSC |
ULF - Hub |
1,033,300 |
1,300,400 |
1,300,400 |
LSC |
TU Education Support |
150,000 |
250,000 |
250,000 |
LSC |
Union Learning Fund |
0 |
12,500,000 |
12,500,000 |
TUC |
Central Contribution |
1,136,000 |
1,170,100 |
1,205,200 |
Equal |
High Road (Staff Costs & Software) |
781,615 |
0 |
0 |
Equal |
Academy Centres |
250,000 |
0 |
0 |
Equal |
High Road (Marketing & Events) |
100,000 |
0 |
0 |
Equal |
Action 3 |
200,000 |
0 |
0 |
Other |
Top Sliced Funds |
93,200 |
73,200 |
90,000 |
HEFCE |
Aim Higher |
341,500 |
0 |
0 |
Ufi Ltd |
Management Fee, Learndirect Hub |
95,300 |
78,000 |
78,000 |
East Midlands ESF |
East Midlands Workplace Skills Needs |
102,250 |
76,950 |
0 |
South West ESF |
SW ESF LSC Co-finance |
260,400 |
184,100 |
0 |
South West ESF |
SW ESF Direct Bid |
204,700 |
134,300 |
0 |
South West RDA |
SW Learning Works for All Fund |
219,875 |
310,850 |
459,625 |
North West RDA |
NW RDA Support |
98,150 |
98,150 |
98,150 |
North West LSC |
NW LSC Core Funding |
492,000 |
492,000 |
492,000 |
North West LSC |
NW LSC Cumbria |
104,850 |
104,850 |
104,850 |
Bolton/Bury Aim Higher |
Greater Manchester Aim Higher |
40,000 |
40,000 |
40,000 |
Northern RDA/LSCs |
Northern Learning for All Fund |
825,000 |
825,000 |
825,000 |
London LSC |
REO Support |
0 |
0 |
0 |
London LSC |
Project Staff |
165,000 |
165,000 |
165,000 |
Total Income |
£10,404,140 |
£22,702,900 |
£22,508,225 |
Expenditure by Responsible Manager |
|||||||
Budget Manager |
|||||||
Director |
1,488,650 |
1,446,100 |
1,484,400 |
||||
Union Development Manager |
1,109,600 |
13,422,700 |
13,443,800 |
||||
Business & Finance Manager |
1,016,200 |
1,006,100 |
1,029,300 |
||||
Communications & Marketing Manager |
418,750 |
414,500 |
422,500 |
||||
Research & Strategy Manager |
57,050 |
58,700 |
60,400 |
||||
Standards & Quality Manager |
64,600 |
65,900 |
67,200 |
||||
Trade Union Education Manager |
527,000 |
632,100 |
745,900 |
||||
Midlands Regional Manager |
536,200 |
475,000 |
408,800 |
||||
North Regional Manager |
1,374,700 |
1,395,800 |
1,427,800 |
||||
North West Regional Manager |
1,239,500 |
1,262,700 |
1,288,300 |
||||
SERTUC Regional Manager |
894,650 |
915,800 |
937,900 |
||||
South West Regional Manager |
1,030,025 |
997,500 |
842,900 |
||||
Yorkshire and Humber Regional Manager |
438,250 |
448,550 |
458,960 |
||||
OSD Based Staff |
140,500 |
144,600 |
148,900 |
||||
Total Expenditure |
£10,335,675 |
£22,686,050 |
£22,767,060 |
||||
Surplus/(Deficit) |
£68,465 |
£16,850 |
-£258,835 |
||||
Note - Breakdown of Expenditure |
|||||||
Accommodation |
511,200 |
517,300 |
499,500 |
||||
General running costs |
1,462,200 |
1,035,400 |
1,014,100 |
||||
Payroll |
5,913,400 |
5,875,400 |
5,780,500 |
||||
Recharges from TUC |
20,000 |
20,400 |
20,800 |
||||
Staff related costs |
1,055,250 |
1,029,900 |
979,100 |
||||
Funding to Unions |
598,075 |
13,035,050 |
13,195,700 |
||||
Support to Colleges |
775,550 |
1,172,600 |
1,277,560 |
||||
Total |
£10,335,675 |
£22,686,050 |
£22,767,260 |
||||
Section eight
The remit of the Board will be to oversee the strategic direction of the unionlearn and particularly to:
In order to reflect unionlearn's unique status as accountable both to the General Council and constituent unions, together with responsibility for handling public funding, it is proposed that the Board be elected from General Council members in such a way as to ensure representation of both large and specialist unions with measures to ensure a degree of gender balance. Representatives of the DfES and LSC would also attend as observers.
Nominations would be invited following Congress each year. All nominees would have to be members of the General Council.
The Chair would be elected by Board members at the first meeting.
Nominations will be requested immediately after Congress and the election in the smaller unions section conducted in time for the result to be announced at the first full meeting of the General Council after Congress. The Board will meet quarterly and the minutes will be tabled for approval by the General Council.
Prior to October 2006 The Director will report to the Executive on unionlearn's progress.
unionlearn
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3LS
contact:
Liz Smith
© 2006 unionlearn
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