| Formal Opening Union Learning Zone e-café |
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Mersey Care NHS Trust 9th December 2005All learners, staff and visitor's enjoyed a great day, which included a very well attended awards ceremony for staff who had achieved over the past year. This also gave the Union Learning Zone staff the opportunity to publicly recognise and thank both the operational managers and external training providers for their enthusiasm, help and support in bringing the Zone to its present success. Guest speakers:Mr Alan Yates Chief Executive Mersey Care NHS TrustMr Colin Moses POA National ChairmanMrs Rose Addison TUC Learning Services National Development WorkerThis is a joint initiative between the POA and Mersey Care NHS Trust which is part of new hi-tech centre based at the trust's Maghull Site, the Union Learning Zone is based within the e-café, which stands for electronic computer assisted further education. At the official opening Mersey Care's chief executive Alan Yates said: "This is an excellent model for adult learning in the workplace and a good example of staff organisations working well together." National Chairman of the POA, Colin Moses, said: "Partnership is an over used word but this is a real case of partnership in action. We as a union will progress if we have people who want to learn and develop and the Union Learning Zone, e-café gives us a vehicle to do just that." Learning in the workplace has received a boost through this partnership between the health service and unions. The Zone will provide a whole host of both personal and professional learning and development opportunities for all the staff within the Trust. All of our courses are also available to service users and carers. The Union Learning Zone offers a fully equipped computer suite. As well as a shared facility for a more traditional learning style. Union Learning Zone, Centre Manager Lorraine Lewis said: "The POA put in a bid to the Union Learning Fund, to provide eight new union learning centres around the country and this is the first NHS facility to benefit from that bid. "We have been open for some time now in the run-up to the formal opening and we are already finding it’s making a real difference to people's lives. We're open during the day and three evenings per week. It’s great to see people from all walks of life and backgrounds coming in, often during lunchtimes and after work, to discover what lifelong learning is all about." Mersey Care's Union Learning Representatives have been targeting workers who are traditionally hard to reach for learning and development. The Union Learning Zone has now opened up the benefits of computers and the Internet to staff who had few qualifications. Many are now working towards personal and professional qualifications such as NVQs, as well as non-vocational subjects. This facility will contribute to the second phase of a new trust-wide strategy for learning called Each One Teach One. |
| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 May 2008 10:50 ) |
