Education and Training. Motion E7 – General Conference 2015

 Motion E7 – General Conference 2015

 

Motion E7, in the name of Kent Invicta Branch called upon the NEC to issue a statement providing assurance and a commitment that “future education and training is delivered by suitable qualified education provider(s) and qualified tutors in line with trade union principles of solidarity and covered by recognition agreements with the appropriate unions.”

 

At its meeting yesterday, the NEC agreed the following statement to be issued to Branches via LTB which outlines the points raised and actions taken pursuant to the Conference decision:

 

“The CWU were informally advised on 17th April 2015 and formally notified of the closure of the Trade Union Education Department at Solihull College on 13th May 2015. This closure is as a direct result of the 24% cuts to Skills Funding Agency (SFA) funding for the College made by the last Coalition Government as one of their final attacks on adult education. Our formal contract with the college to deliver the national programme of CWU courses at our residential education centre, Alvescot Lodge will therefore terminate on the 31st July 2015. For clarity, our regional programme which is/can be arranged at HQ Departmental,; Branch; Region; Sub-Committee request can be/is delivered under contract by Ruskin College.

 

The CWU has written to Solihull College expressing our serious concerns and to the TUC and the UCU offering support for any campaigns.

 

The NEC have considered fully the implications of this closure and reaffirm the existing policy that CWU education will continue to be accredited where possible and therefore delivered by qualified tutors who may be CWU Reps, CWU employees, or employees of an external provider covered by their appropriate trade union recognition agreements.

 

As has been the case for many years, this will be supplemented by informal, unaccredited training that may be delivered by CWU staff and Senior Lay Officials.

 

The CWU will now be considering options for delivery of our programme from 1st August 2015 to 31st July 2015 in line with existing conference policy and positive discussions have taken place with the TUC and an alternative provider.”

 

The terms of the motion are therefore discharged and any queries relating to this LTB should be addressed in the first instance to Lee Wakeman at lwakeman@cwu.org  

 

Best wishes,

 

 

Trish Lavelle

Head of Education and Training