{"id":24311,"date":"2020-10-19T16:22:15","date_gmt":"2020-10-19T15:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=24311"},"modified":"2020-10-19T16:22:17","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T15:22:17","slug":"short-sighted-and-self-defeating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=24311","title":{"rendered":"‘Short-sighted and self-defeating’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Plans to axe the Union Learning Fund, which has helped thousands of people to gain new skills for the workplace, has been branded as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098short-sighted and self-defeating\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 by Unite today (October 19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unite is strongly supporting the TUC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Save Union Learning campaign, following the shock announcement by the Department of Education to axe the \u00c2\u014112 million-a-year programme in March next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unite said that at a time when tens of thousands of workers had lost their jobs or under threat of losing them because of the economic devastation caused by the pandemic, cutting training schemes were the last thing ministers should be contemplating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The union also said that the decision by controversial education secretary Gavin Williamson flew in the face of the prime minister Boris Johnson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pledge last month to boost training for all through a national skills fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unite director of education Jim Mowatt said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAt a time when the job queues are lengthening by the day due to the ravaging economic impact of Covid-19, the last thing the government should be doing is ending the Union Learning Fund which supported 200,000 learners acquire new skills, such as basic English and IT skills, in the last year alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe plan to axe the scheme is short-sighted and self-defeating when there is a national crisis, as businesses close and companies shed jobs,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe announcement from the education department seems to contradict the prime minister\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s own promise that funding will be available for everyone to get a qualification at level 3 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the equivalent of A-levels \u00e2\u20ac\u201c through a national skills fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBoris Johnson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s oft-repeated mantra to \u00e2\u20ac\u0098level up\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 the disadvantaged regions of the UK will need every training lever at his disposal, including the continuation of the Union Learning Fund. By axing the fund, the prime minister\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pledge will be seriously compromised and undermined,” Mowatt continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe should be looking forward to a post-pandemic economic world; when a country\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s skill base will provide the foundation for economic regeneration, the growth in employment opportunities and increased prosperity for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bA skilled workforce is the lifeblood that will spearhead the UK\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s economic future in this new and changing global economy, when education and training will be at a premium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why the Union Learning Fund should remain as an important pillar of the UK\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s overall training programme \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we call for the proposal to axe the fund to be rescinded immediately.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out more about the TUC’s campaign, and how you can involved, here. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you can read a further UniteLIVE interview with Unite’s Jim Mowatt here. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Shaun Noble<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plans to axe the Union Learning Fund, which has helped thousands of people to gain new skills for the workplace, has been branded as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098short-sighted and self-defeating\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 by Unite today (October 19). Unite is strongly supporting the TUC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Save Union Learning campaign, following the shock announcement by the Department of Education to axe the \u00c2\u014112 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24312,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1308,1],"tags":[1295,1457,1456,1363],"wps_subtitle":"Unite joins TUC in campaign to save Union Learning Fund","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24311"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24311"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24314,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24311\/revisions\/24314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}