e-learning in the workplace...e-learning in the workplace a union negotiation and implementation...

e-learning inthe workplace

a union negotiation andimplementation guide

Trades Union CongressCongress HouseGreat Russell StreetLondon WC1B 3LST: 020 7467 1371www.tuc.org.uk

02/05

Print: Precision Printing

Design: wave.coop

1e-learning in the workplace

Contents1 Introduction

2 Implementing e-learning

Learner support

Analysis of training needs

Information, advice and guidance (IAG)

Accessibility

Environment for learning

Implications for people with different working patterns

Time for learning

Selection and development of e-learning materials

Health and safety implications

3 Working with others

4 Support and information

5 Appendix

6 Glossary

2

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Lifelong Learning Agreement

© 2005 TUC/Seb Schmoller and David Jennings

All TUC publications may be made available fordyslexic or visually impaired readers, on request, in anagreed electronic format or in accessible formats suchas braille. audio tape and large print, at no extra cost.Contact TUC Publications on 020 7467 1294.

3e-learning in the workplace2 e-learning in the workplace

E-learning – what is it?E-learning enables people to take up courses at a time, place and pace that suits their needs. It is called‘e-learning’ because it involves using technology todeliver learning and improve the learning experience.

Employers are increasingly using e-learning as a meansof providing work-related training to the workforce,and employees may also use e-learning to pursue theirown learning goals.

In general e-learning allows learners to schedule theirlearning time flexibly, at a time and place that suitsthem. And in general the learners access the coursematerials and support via the internet. Othertechnologies such as CD-ROM, DVD and InteractiveTV may also be used.

Further readingLogging onto Learning – the union contribution tolearndirect centres in the Trade Union Hub.Available from www.learningservices.org.uk/tuhub

There are many different approaches and styles of e-learning. For example, quite a few large organisationshave devised ‘blended learning’ programmes, whichcombine traditional face-to-face training sessions withflexible e-learning materials, so that learners can useone approach to reinforce the other.

Why employers arechoosing e-learningThroughout the developed world, employers aremaking increasing use of e-learning. For example, theCIPD’s 2004 Training and Development Surveyreported that ‘despite its relatively recent entry, e-learning appears to be making some significantheadway’, showing a much larger net increase inusage than formal classroom-based training.

If you will be working with employers on how e-learning might be implemented in a workplace, ithelps to understand the issues that may be drivingorganisations to consider e-learning.

Often the drivers for e-learning will be complex andwill combine a range of factors including:

w reducing costs;

w getting learning to employees more quickly;

w making learning programmes more standardisedand controllable

w increasing the organisation’s general sophisticationin using ICT (including better exploitation of assetslike company intranets);

w needing to prove to an external agency that staffhave received required training;

w widening access to course provision for shiftworkers and others with non-standard workpatterns.

In the NHS, a large proportion of staff in nearlyevery health service establishment will need to beable to deal with electronic patient records. E-learning provides a feasible way of deliveringstandardised ICT training to a large number ofemployees, as well as keeping track on which staffhave completed their training.

‘One of the joys of e-learning is theremoval of barriers for those whocannot attend normal courses. Onour ECDL course 3 out of 14 workshifts, yet with group email theyare feeling just as engaged aseveryone else on the course.’

Michael, Development Manager, Magazine and Newspaper Printing Business.

For obvious reasons, the workplaces of the Maritimeand Coastguard Agency are spread right round thecountry. In the past training for new systems andprocedures was organised through ‘roadshow’training programmes that visited several locations inturn. This could be slow and costly. Compared withthis, e-learning offers the promise of a cost-effectiveand immediate means of making training availableacross the country. As all 1,200 employees haveaccess to the Agency’s intranet, e-learning can beprovided as an extra menu item on this system.

Employers are increasinglyintroducing e-learning to theworkplace, and their plans make itcentral to their internal trainingdelivery, either now or in thefuture. This is particularly the casefor larger enterprises, which usuallyhave significant IT infrastructurethat they can exploit for deliveringe-learning to employees.

This guide is aimed mainly at unionnegotiators, and others in the tradeunion movement who have a stakein work-based learning. It providesinformation and advice to helpthem represent union members’interests during consultations ornegotiations with employers about the introduction ofe-learning at work by the employer.

Unions, the TUC, and the Scottish TUC are also activein promoting e-learning in the workplace, mainly inpartnership with Ufi/learndirect or the ScottishUniversity for Industry. However, the main focus of theguide is how unions respond to employer-led e-learning initiatives, rather than how they developtheir own.

The guide covers the basics of what e-learning is andwhat employers and others see as its attractions. Itdescribes different ways in which employers mightchoose to implement e-learning, together with theirimplications for the workforce. It is illustrated withexamples and case studies of how unions and unionofficers are engaging with e-learning in theirworkplaces.

The guide identifies a range of potential issues thatmay arise with the implementation of e-learning,including:

w advice – making sure members of the workforceare well informed about the best learning optionsfor them;

w access – ensuring everyone can take part in e-learning, regardless of working patterns, physical,sensory or cognitive impairments, environmental orlanguage constraints;

w terms and conditions – ensuring that membersof the workforce doing e-learning can take anappropriate share of the time and expenses oflearning;

w support – understanding minimum and idealsupport arrangements to deliver effective learning;

w control – ensuring that individual employees canmake informed choices about what and when tolearn;

w quality – ensuring that what is on offer iseducationally effective.

The guide gives brief advice on how to assess whichissues are most important in their workplace and howthese issues might be successfully addressed. Giventhe lack of a wide range of precedents on which tobuild, the guide does not include detailed pro formaagreements.

The guide does not repeat in any detail generalguidance about the use of ICT (e.g. health and safetyissues associated with computer use) but does includesignposts to where this guidance can be found. Nordoes it aim to provide a comprehensive coverage of allapproaches to e-learning.

The guide is illustrated with case studies andexamples, and contains references to further reading.

1 IntroductionProportion of organisations using/planning to use/with no intention of using e-learning

32%

30%

38% 31%

40%

29%

500–999employees

1,000–4,999employees

5,000–9,999employees

10,000+employees

53%

27%

20%

63%

21%

16%

Source: Embedding e-learning in large organisations, a report commissioned bylearndirect, available from http://mmdesign.co.uk/research/index.htm


e-learning provider or broker such as learndirect(either through a corporate agreement or via a unionand the Trades Union hub). learndirect providesmaterials, learning management support and most ofthe infrastructure needed: learners access the coursesover the internet from work or home PCs, or from alearndirect centre.

Further readinglearndirect website –www.learndirect.co.uk/aboutus/

learndirect Scotland website –www.lds4partners.com/

TUC Trade Union Hub website –www.learningservices.org.uk/theme/index.cfm?theme=theme-27

At the other extreme, the organisation may buy in, ordesign, its own learning materials and learningmanagement system. It could run these exclusivelyover its own intranet, with support provided in-house.This option is probably only within the means of verylarge organisations with extensive in-house ICT andHR resources.

Between these extremes there is a mix of alternativeapproaches, each of which may involve different kindsof agreements with suppliers. One other key factor iswhether the course materials are bought ‘off the shelf’from suppliers’ catalogues of courses, or whether theyare designed from scratch to a bespoke specification.

Table 1 shows some examples of differentapproaches,together with theagreements theorganisation willneed to make andsome of the issuesthat unions maywant to check.Details of theseissues are in the next section.

Often e-learning is not developed separately, butalongside some other organisational change initiatives.In this case the contracting and agreements may bepart of a wider set of negotiations.

In a major multinational financial services company,extensive use is made of e-learning to deliver in-house training for staff who are required by law tohave received training about particular financialproducts prior to selling them or providing adviceabout them. The company needs to be able to proveto the Financial Services Authority that staff havereceived training, so the e-learning system keepdetailed, auditable records of which member of staffhas been trained in which products, and when.

A public sector agency is commissioning a majornew IT system that will become central to how the itconducts its core business. The agency invitessuppliers to tender not just for designing andbuilding the IT system, but for a suite of e-learningmaterials and support that can be deliveredalongside the system to help staff learn how to useit. It is possible that the main IT supplier couldsubcontract the e-learning development to anotherspecialist supplier.

E-learning supply

All in-house

Systems and managementin-house, materialsbought off the shelf

Systems and managementin-house, materialscommissioned to bespokespecification

All provision outsourcedto commercial supplier

Provision throughlearndirect

Likely issues

Training needs analysis

Learner support arrangements

Accessibility

Learner support

Accessibility of materials

Training needs analysis

Learner support arrangements

Accessibility

Involving the TUC Trade Union Hub

Key agreements

Changes to terms of in-house training staff

Agreement with materialssupplier, including anyongoing support

Agreement with materialsdesigner and developer

Agreement with suppliercovering all provision

Agreement withlearndirect about range ofcourses included

Table1

Government policy encourages e-learning in severalways, including its support for the learndirectservice. The TUC published its own Online LearningStrategy in 2003, which aims to offer all its corecourses via e-learning to any learner who chooses thismethod of study.

The Royal Mail has delivered 22,000 home PCs topostal workers as part of a joint initiative with ane-learning supplier.

Their ‘Learning for All’ scheme takes advantage oftax breaks provided under the government’s HomeComputing Initiative (HCI), which seeks toencourage IT literacy among UK citizens.

The Royal Mail’s supplier provides employeessigning up for the scheme with a fully installed andsupported internet-ready PC in return for modestweekly payments.

Source: news story from vnunet.com, 17 September 2004

Employers in white-collar sectors are graduallybuilding more features into their organisations’network or intranet. As personnel records, appraisalforms and personal development plans are stored andprocessed via an intranet, it is a small step to providetraining courses or other learning materials online. HRmanagers may then be interested in monitoringlearners progress towards achieving developmentgoals. In this case e-learning may be used as anadjunct to a ‘performance management’ initiativewithin the organisation.

The vital componentsTo provide effective e-learning, organisations need tohave access to several of the following components:

w course materials or ‘learning content’ – this is theinstructional material, such as text, audio, video andinteractive materials that is provided via theinternet, DVDs etc;

w ICT infrastructure – the central computers wherethe materials are stored and the personalcomputers that employees use to access them(these could all be owned by the employer, or itcould be that the materials are on the internet andemployees access them from work or home PCs);

w learning administration and management – theprocesses and systems that allow learners toregister for an e-learning course, tutors ormanagers to track learners’ progress through thecourse;

w learner support – including automatic help andfeedback, as well as messages passed betweenlearners and tutors or between learners and eachother;

w assessment and testing – the systems to enablelearners to take an online test or exam.

Organisations have considerable flexibility over howthey combine these components. At one extreme, theorganisation may come to an arrangement with an

Key drivers for adopting e-learning

Improved technology (internet, intranet, bandwidth)

Organisational change/business need

New IT systems

New processes

Maintain image of progressive organisation

New regulations

New products

Demand from learners

Cost saving

Senior management pressure/championing

Need for flexibility

Need easy accessibility to learning

42%

37% especially public services/health 47%

29%

25% especially 10,000+ employees 42%

23%

22% especially public services/health 33% transport/communications/utilities 30%

20%

16% especially 10,000+ employees 21%

16% especially services 22%

16% especially transport/communications/utilities 24%

10%10,000+ employees 23%

10%

Source: Embedding e-learning in large organisations, a report commissioned bylearndirect, available from http://mmdesign.co.uk/research/index.htm


A trade union approachTrade unions generally support better education andtraining provision at the workplace, and there aremany examples of trade unions taking the initiative ingetting employers to make improvements. Whoever isinitiating change, there are some underlying principlesthat this guide takes as read. These include:

w fairness – learning needs should be fairlyidentified and opportunities should be fairly andopenly allocated, taking account of the wholeworkforce, not just those in high skill or high statusjobs;

w influence – provision of training and education atthe workplace is a legitimate matter for trade unioninvolvement;

w choice – individual employees should be able tomake active choices about their learning, ratherthan be limited to a narrow set of optionsdetermined solely by the employer;

w partnership – unions and employers have a jointinterest in improving organisational performance,with workplace learning playing a central part inthis;

w membership involvement – decisions aboutworkplace learning have a long term effect onindividual members, so unions members should beinvolved in decision-making.

The Land Registry agency uses ‘blended’ learning,where staff learn partly through computer-basedtraining modules at their own desks, and partlythrough face-to-face sessions in a study area. Thereare assessments at the end of each unit. Changes tothe learning materials reflect changes in the lawaffecting land registry, and are written by staffinternal to the agency.

Several hundred teachers from all of Scotland’s 32Education Authorities have enrolled on a modularonline education programme leading, over a periodof years, to Chartered Teacher status, provided bythe University of Paisley in partnership with theEducational Institute of Scotland (the main Scottishtrade union for school and FE teachers).

Members of staff at Remploy’s Pontefract site havebecome the first people in the country to take anonline literacy test at their workplace.

Ten employees at the West Yorkshire factory sat the60 minute test which leads to a Certificate in AdultLiteracy Level One. They completed the online lestin a meeting room on the site using a mobile testingunit developed by Ufi Ltd.

These mobile units are networks of laptops whichan invigilator can set up at any suitable venuebefore overseeing the tests.

Source: Reach Newsletter,July-August 2004 issue, from Ufi Ltd

Results of an online examination provided byCertiport, one of several suppliers of online systemsthat aim to accredit learning ‘so that learners haveverification of their skills and can progress in theircareers’.

Thinking about your own workplace, do you knowwho is responsible for delivering each of thecomponents of e-learning, and what union agreementsmight relate to each of these?

For learner administration and support there may beshared responsibilities. For example:

w learning centre staff may be responsible forenrolling learners and helping them get started,

w the learner database may be provided by anexternal company, and

w learner help during the course could be providedby a specialist tutor or automatically built into thecourse materials by their designers.

E-learning component

Course materials

ICT infrastructure

Learning administrationand management

Learner support

Assessment and testing

Relevant union agreements or employer policies, if anyResponsibility of/provided by


The amount of support needed for e-learning dependson both the nature of the course and the learners.Different courses cover different skills and knowledge,some of which are easier to cover with e-learning thanothers, and the support requirements will varyaccordingly. Also e-learning is itself a kind of skill, andpeople who have less experience of it are likely toneed more support than seasoned veterans.

It is very important to ensure that adequate support isavailable to learners doing e-learning. There is nothingworse for learners’ motivation, satisfaction andconfidence than being stuck alone at a keyboard notknowing how to progress through the course. So lackof timely and effective support can end up puttingpeople off learning, which is in no-one’s interest.

What’s at stakeLearners are likely to need different types of supportas they work through an e-learning course.

w Support for working through the course itself –which could mean the basics of logging in andgetting under way or navigating between sections.

w Help in understanding the concepts of the course –for example, when a learner gets stuck and cannotfigure out the ideas that the materials are trying tocommunicate.

w Hints for improving performance on tasks – aswhen the course provides learners with the chanceto practise skills and they want suggestions for howto do better.

w Support for discussing learning points with others –some courses invite learners to communicate onlinewith tutors or with other learners, and they mayneed help with this.

In e-learning, there may be several ways in whichsupport is provided:

w automatically – the designers of the e-learningcourse materials may anticipate some of thesupport that learners will need and build inautomatic responses to those needs;

w in learning centres – staff in learning centresmay be on hand to help with general questionsabout doing an online course, though they areunlikely to be able to answer specialist questions;

w by online tutors – in some e-learning courses,trained online tutors sometimes guide learnersthrough the materials and review their work usingemail;

w through other learners – online ‘conferences’and bulletin boards allow learners to exchangeideas, problems and solutions with each other.

Several factors make automatic support attractive topeople who commission and provide e-learning: it isusually cheaper than other methods, and it is availablearound the clock at no extra cost. Automatic solutionsare generally less flexible and less friendly than humansupport, so in most cases it’s a good idea to have a mixof both.

What you can do about itIn 2003 a new British Standard, BS 8426: A code ofpractice for e-support in e-learning systems, wasproduced to provide recommendations for howlearner support should be provided in e-learning. Forany case of e-learning, it is possible to check whetherthe provision conforms to this British Standard. Thestandard is also written in such a way thatorganisations commissioning e-learning can ask theirsuppliers to ensure that what they provide conforms tothe standard.

Further readingBS 8426, A code of practice for e-support in e-learning systems. Available viahttp://bsonline.techindex.co.uk (current price £94 for non-members of BSI, £47 for members) 1

Like most British Standards, BS 8426 is written in fairlyformal language and is not an exciting read. But it isworth trying to pick out the main points from it, sincethese cover many issues to do with the progress andwell-being of learners on e-learning courses.

1 Many organisations are members of BSI, or are members of tradeassociations which are. Some organisations subscribe to the entire BSIstandards catalogue and can access individual standards at no extra cost.

E-learning can have a positive ornegative impact on employees.Table 2 suggests examples ofboth kinds.

E-learning can have a positive ora negative impact on areas suchas work/life balance, dependingon how it is approached. Theflexible scheduling offered by e-learning can give employeesmore control over how theyorganise their days and thusimprove their scope to balancethe pressures of work with therest of their lives. In someinstances, however, employeesmay feel under pressure to do e-learning in their owntime, rather than work time, which would disrupt thebalance.

A straw poll asked trades unionists and managersinvolved in e-learning to rank the issues they thought itwas most important for organisations to deal withwhen implementing e-learning. The result of this poll,based on 40 responses, listed the following issues:

w support during learning;

w analysis of workforce’s training needs;

w information, advice and guidance prior to learning;

w accessibility of learning to complete workforce(including those with special needs);

w suitable environment for learning;

w implications for people with flexible workingpatterns (part-time, shift workers etc);

w paid time for workforce learning;

w selection of off-the-shelf e-learning materials;

w development process for bespoke e-learningmaterials;

w health and safety implications; and

w use of home or mobile equipment for learning.

Learner support

Why it’s important

‘E-learning can be more flexible for ourshift workers therefore its important forus to ensure that that they have accessto provision, both in the workplace orthrough lending equipment for them touse at home. We operate a learndirectcentre in partnership with our local Adult Education College, so staff can use facilities there as another option.We’ve found that running cohorts oncourses provides a level of peer supportwhich learners find useful. Thissupportive learning environment hasalso helped identify basic skills needswithin the workforce and we areplanning to run some numeracy classesin the near future.’

Michael, Development Manager,Magazine and Newspaper Printing Business

Positive Impact

Part-time and shift workingemployees have much betteraccess to learning opportunities.

There is greater scope to addressSkills for Life issues in theworkforce.

A much wider range of coursesthan could be provided by anorganisation’s training departmentcan be made available.

There is greater scope forindividual employees to makechoices about their learning.

Negative Impact

The ‘learning divide’ at work could increase ifpeople who already have strong ICT skills aremore likely to take up e-learning opportunities.

The learning experience could become moreimpersonal with less individualised support tocater for different learning styles and needs.

e-learning may not be suitable for some subjects,particularly those which require hands-on practice.

The employer may use e-learning as a way oftransferring responsibility for learning ontoindividuals and away from the organisation, and,possibly as a way of encouraging workers to studyin their own time.

Table 2

2 Implementing e-learning


analysis needs to be comprehensive and candid toensure that it does not miss these issues.

To repeat an earlier point: people need particular skills(familiarity with computers, the internet, andassociated literacy) to be able to learn effectively withe-learning. Any analysis should also take this intoaccount.

What you can do about itThe sorts of questions you might want to ask when e-learning is being implemented in your workplaceinclude:

a) What training needs analysis has been done, or isplanned?

b) What areas of skills needs has the analysisconcentrated on (or what areas will it concentrateon)?

c) What, if any, changes to job and organisationaldesign are anticipated, and how will this affect skillsneeds?

d) Do you, and other union members, feel that thecoverage of the workforce’s existing skill needs hasbeen sufficiently comprehensive and candid?

e) Is the organisation committed to addressing all theskills needs that are identified (including, say, Skillsfor Life)?

Information, advice and guidance (IAG)

Why it’s importantIt is now generally recognised that IAG is a keyelement in the provision of successful training oreducation, and that effective IAG increases people’schances of undertaking learning, and of achievingqualifications. IAG comprises three elements. Theseare:

w information – neutral information about options;

w advice – impartial one-to-one explanation of theinformation and how to use it;

w guidance – professional help concerninginterests, goals, and potential, from a qualifiedguidance practitioner.

‘Our experience suggests thatappropriate advice and guidance iscrucial to the success of e-learningprogrammes, along with an effectiveinduction and tutor support.’


Provision of IAG is primarily the responsibility ofagencies like LSCs, learndirect, and the Jobcentre Plus,and in England, the LSC is responsible for the overallmanagement of IAG services. However, in unionisedworkplaces, Union Learning Representatives oftenhave an important role in the provision of informationand advice.

Further readingInformation, Advice and Guidance for Adults – The National Policy Framework and Action PlanAvailable from www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/iag

What’s at stakeA detailed treatment of IAG issues is beyond the scopeof this guide. But there are two particular reasons whyspecific information and advice concerning e-learningshould be available if e-learning is introduced at work.

Firstly, most people are not yet familiar enough with e-learning to know what it will involve. For example,they may need advice on the level of ICT skills neededto take part in a course by e-learning.

Secondly, in some organisations, e-learning provisionis still the preserve of enthusiasts, who may see it assuch a ‘cure all’ that they may gloss over the demandswhich it places on learners.

The sorts of questions you might want to ask when e-learning is being implemented in your workplaceinclude:

a) What learner support is on offer, or planned, tohelp people progress with e-learning?

b) What support do union members, and other staff,feel they need? Have they already been consulted?

c) Do the support arrangements make provision forlearners with special needs? (see also Accessibility,below)?

d) Is there an appropriate mix of automated andhuman support to ensure that learners get the helpthey need when they need it?

e) Are managers aware of BS 8426 and, if so, whatsteps are they taking to conform to itsrecommendations?

f) Can you get access to BS 8426 yourself, possiblyvia your union, to familiarise yourself with whichrecommendations apply to your workplace?

g) Have online tutors been trained in how to tutoronline?

h) Will people learn alone, or will they be organisedinto a group or ‘cohort’ with people in the cohortable to provide each other with some support andmotivation?

i) How will the employer react to a member of stafffor whom e-learning is not suitable? (For example ifshe does not have the necessary ICT skills.)

Analysis of training needs

Why it’s importantA sound analysis and understanding of training needsis key to ensuring that e-learning does what it’ssupposed to do.

The importance of training needs analysis for e-learningis no less than for any other training initiative. In fact itis arguably more important, for two reasons. Firstly e-learning has the potential to give learners morecontrol over what they learn, so a well-conductedtraining needs analysis will enable learners to express

choices and preferences. Secondly learners also haveto have the skills to learn effectively online.

Training needs analysis helps the organisation byensuring that their investment in e-learning is well-targeted and effective in getting the right skills on thejob. It helps union members and all staff by ensuringthat no-one is left out by e-learning: the learning onoffer should fill the gap between existing skills and thenew skills that learners want to acquire. In this sense,getting a thorough understanding of training needs isa win-win approach.

Analysing training needs often also helps identifyissues in job design and organisational factors thataffect the smooth introduction of changes in theworkplace.

What’s at stakeTraining needs analysis involves:

1 a clear understanding of the future‘desired’ functioning of the workplace andthe skills this will need, and

2 a sound knowledge of existing skills andknowledge in the workforce, leading to

3 an analysis of the gap between these two.

The first of these steps is often the most complex to dowell, because it depends on a picture of the workplacethat does not exist yet. Frequently there is a tendency– particularly with the introduction of new IT systems,for example – to focus on the obvious ‘surface’ skillsthat will be needed. This could mean the ability just tooperate a new IT system, and work through itsfeatures screen-by-screen. However, many complexsystems also have subtle but deeper impacts on jobdesign and how co-workers co-ordinate their workwith each other. Training needs analysis should aim toassess all these changes on how people work, andwhat skill gaps there may be as a result.

Step 2 above is also important. New ways of workingmay expose skill gaps that were hidden previously. Forexample, new systems may require people to readmore complex instructions, or perform mathematicaloperations, so that people with poor literacy ornumeracy skills will not be able to get by effectively,when previously they were able to. Training needs


People with disabilities often use assistive technologyto help them adapt standard technologies to meettheir needs. E-learning systems and materials shouldbe designed so that they work effectively withestablished assistive technologies.

What you can do about itHere are some issues to take up and questions to askin the course of discussions about accessibility issues.

a) Do web-based e-learning materials and systemsconform to the World Wide Web Consortium’sWeb Content Accessibility Guidelines?

b) Have people with disabilities in the workplace beenconsulted about the design and layout of learningcentres, and the accessibility of e-learningmaterials?

c) Has appropriate assistive technology been installedon the PCs in the learning centre, and have staffbeen trained in its use?

d) Are staff in learning centres aware of accessibilityas an issue in e-learning?

Further readingTechDis aims to be the leading educational advisoryservice, working across the UK, in the fields ofaccessibility and inclusion. TechDis aims, throughthe use of technology, to enhance provision fordisabled students and staff in higher, further(including adult and community learning provision)and specialist education. There are extensive, freelyavailable resources on the TechDis website. TechDisis currently somewhat restricted in the extent towhich it can respond to direct enquiries concerningpublicly funded work-based learning, although thissituation may change – www.techdis.ac.uk

Environment for learning


‘People learn better in a quietundisturbed environment. Even desk-based staff come into our learningcentre, because the conditions are right.’

Malcolm, USDAW rep, retail industry fulfilment factory

E-learning is like other learning. To succeed, learnersneed an environment in which they can concentrate,in comfort, free from distractions, with convenientaccess to any relevant books, manuals, or paper-basedcourse materials, and with any necessary support froma tutor or equivalent.

What’s at stakeE-learners, need, in addition:

w a computer with sufficient power and the rightsoftware installed on it for it to work with theintended course materials;

w a correctly lit and adjusted (and adjustable)workstation, i.e. desk, chair, computer, screen,keyboard, and pointing device, such as a mouseand mouse-mat, or ‘tracker-ball’;

w facilities to print out their work;

They may also need access to appropriate additionalhardware or software, for example:

w headphones for any audio component which thematerials may have;

w text-to-speech conversion software to enable alearner to have text read to them.

Finally, if participation in a particular course requiresthe learner to access the internet, or send and receiveemails, or use a remote system like a web-conferencing system, then the learner’s computerneeds to be connected to a network which will allowthese kinds of access.

What you can do about itPrior to e-learning being implemented the employer’splans for IAG relating to e-learning should bescrutinised. This is particularly important when the e-learning is not being provided through a completeservice such as learndirect with whom a wide range ofIAG issues will be normally be covered as part of theservice.

The sorts of questions you might want to ask when e-learning is being implemented include the following.

a) Will clear information be available about each e-learning course, summarising things like the:

w nature of the course?

w time commitment it involves?

w ICT skills required?

w learner support which will be available (see also2.2 Learner support)?

w minimum technical specification for accessingthe course from home (if the course can beaccessed over the internet from home)?

w way the course is assessed?

b) What will be the a process for judging or assessinga learner’s suitability for the course before theystart it?

c) Will impartial advice about non e-learningalternatives be available?

Accessibility

Why it’s importantE-learning involves learners in:

w accessing course materials through a device suchas a PC;

w using software to do things like submit work,download files, communicate with a tutor, browsethe World Wide Web, or interact with a learningadministration system.

The design both of the materials and of the softwarecan dramatically affect the ease of use, or‘accessibility’, of the e-learning, especially for peoplewith disabilities such as poor eyesight.

What’s at stakeIn the same way that a badly designed building willstop a person with impaired mobility from using it,badly designed e-learning materials and e-learningsystems will prevent some people from participating.

For this reason technical and legal standards andguidelines have been brought in covering accessibility.The most important of these is the World Wide WebConsortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(WCAG), which describe how to make web pagesaccessible to people with disabilities.

Technical guidelines such as WCAG sit within a legalframework covering disability discrimination, of whichthe most important parts are:

w the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) –which from 1st October 2004, made it unlawful forany employer (apart from the armed forces) ofany size to discriminate against a disabled personbecause of their disability;

w the 2001 Special Educational Needs and DisabilityAct (SENDA) – which removes the previousexemption of education from the DDA, making itunlawful to discriminate against disabled studentsin publicly funded education.

Further readingDisability Rights Commission website – www.drc-gb.org/knowyourrights/index.asp

Disability – what the law says –www.disability.gov.uk/law.html

Accessibility and E-learning, from –www.epic.co.uk/content/resources/white_papers/Accessibility.htm

Unfortunately, some suppliers of e-learning softwareand some developers of e-learning materials havebeen slow to realise that making e-learning accessible to people with disabilities is, effectively, alegal requirement; and the people who sell contentand systems to businesses may lack awareness ofthese issues.


What’s at stakeTo ensure that access to training is available to all, itwill help if you can put yourself in the shoes of each ofthe different working patterns that operate in yourworkplace. What issues of exclusion, if any, do thesepeople feel affect them? How do they, and you,anticipate that e-learning will work in theircircumstances?

We cannot anticipate all the factors that may be atstake, but the following questions highlight somepossible examples:

w Will speed of progress through the course be achallenge for some workers? Is the e-learninggenuinely self-paced or are people expected tofinish within a specific period? Part-time workers,for example, may be part-time because they haveother commitments that they cannot displace – ifthey are given less time away from work each weekto do their learning, they may not be able toprogress at the same rate.

w Are there any fixed-time activities, and, if so, willalternative times be scheduled for shift workers?For example, the e-learning may include‘synchronous chatroom’ sessions, when learnersare online at the same time and exchangemessages in real time: will there be a chatroomsession that shift workers can reasonablyparticipate in?.

w Does the training require learners to attend anysessions in person? For example, some ‘blendedlearning’ courses may mix e-learning with face-to-face sessions – will remote or homeworking staffbe assisted in attending these sessions, or providedwith equally effective alternatives to attendance?

Mobile workers and homeworkers may also facehealth and safety issues with using computers forextended periods for e-learning in environments awayfrom the office. These are covered in another sectionof this guide.

What you can do about itThe approach you take to this area will depend on thespread of different working patterns in yourworkplace.

a) What different types of working patterns operate inyour workplace?

b) Have staff representing each of these patternsbeen consulted about how e-learning will work forthem?

c) Will e-learning be entirely self-paced or will therebe targets to complete within a certain period?(Note: there may some circumstances wheretargets have a positive effect on completion of acourse, so they should not necessarily be opposed,but targets should take account of all learners’circumstances.)

d) Will there be any fixed time and/or face-to-facesessions, and will these be accessible to all(including more than one running of the sessions, if appropriate)?

Time for learning

Why it’s importantAs we said right at the beginning of this section on e-learning issues, e-learning could have a liberating ora constraining impact on the work/life balance oflearners, depending on how it is managed.

E-learning potentially enables people to choose thetime, place and pace for their learning. If theorganisation trusts its workforce to exercise this choiceresponsibly, then the workforce can benefit from theincreased control they have over their work/lifebalance. They can time-shift their learning to fitaround, say, caring commitments.

On the other hand, there is a risk that someorganisations could exploit the flexible nature of e-learning. Whereas union appointed representatives,such as shop stewards, safety representatives, andunion learning representatives, have a legal right totime off with pay for role-related, trade unionapproved, training, paid time off for training is only anentitlement for workers if they are 18 or under and not

Some people argue that these requirements can onlybe met in a purpose designed learning centre. Othersthink that for a desk-based worker with a networkedcomputer, it may be reasonable for them to learn attheir desk, provided that their e-learning does notinvolve the need for any face-to-face support from a tutor.

‘Staff in the Customer Servicesdepartment do their ECDL courseat their desks in their lunch-break.The 4 of them can learn as a group,and they switch their phonesthrough to a different departmentso that they do not get disturbed.’


Similar considerations apply in the case of peoplelearning from a home computer.

The computer needs to be correctly configured andhave the right specification, and the learner needs tobe able to access it in peace and quiet. The lattertypically is not the case for many owners of homecomputers, so reliance on the use of home PCs forwork-related e-learning is unwise.

What you can do about itHere are some issues to take up to ensure that thelearning environment is suitable for e-learning.

a) Push for the creation of a purpose-designedworkplace e-learning centre, specified to supportthe technical requirements of the courses that areplanned.

b) Ensure that the learning centre is available to shiftworkers, and to other staff with non-standardattendance patterns.

c) Get advice from your learndirect hub or from yourlocal FE college about the design and operation ofthe learning centre.

d) Encourage the employer to recognise that ‘e-learning from the desk’ may not be effective, andthat therefore desk-based staff will need to accessthe learning centre.

e) Suggest to the employer the purchase of some‘loan laptops’ for use for e-learning at home by staffwithout quiet access to their own PC.

Further readingDesign for learning – a design guide for people who run learning centres.Available on-line fromwww.ufi.com/designforlearning/

Implications for people with differentworking patterns


‘I started on a night shift. You used tofeel very alone sometimes. So I amdetermined to get the learning centreopened for more hours each week,so that shift workers can access it.’

Malcolm, USDAW rep, retail industry fulfilment factory

Historically people who work ‘non-standard’ patternsin their workplace – part-time, shifts,homeworkers/teleworkers, or remote/mobile staff –have tended to be disadvantaged in terms of access totraining, which is often geared to the needs of themajority of staff with more standard working patterns.

Because e-learning is less dependent on all learnersbeing in the same place at the same time, it providesan opportunity to make access to learning more evenlyaccessible to all. However, to exploit this opportunityfully, the planning of e-learning delivery – particularlysupport to learners – must take account of differentworking patterns in a workplace.


At a distribution depot, an agreement with therecognised trade union allows workers 2 paid hoursper week to do Basic Skills courses. IT and languagecourses are run on a 50/50 basis, with one paidhour per week for every 2 hours of study.

At a pharmaceutical products business, the lifelonglearning agreement with Amicus states:

‘For development of basic/essential skills employeeswill be allowed paid time off. For other learningactivities arrangements for time off must be agreedwith management. Where full time off is notacceptable or practical a ‘shared time’ agreementwould ideally be reached where the employer andemployee contribute time in equal measure.’

What you can do about itThe sorts of questions you might want to ask whene-learning is being implemented in your workplaceinclude:

a) How many ‘learning hours’ is each e-learningcourse expected to comprise?

b) Will managers be briefed to ensure that staff havetime to complete the courses effectively withintheir working hours?

c) Where will staff have access to the e-learningcourse from? Their normal workplace? A dedicatedlearning centre? At home or ‘on the road’?

d) If work-related learning is done away from theworkplace or outside normal hours, will this becredited as working time?

e) Is there scope for staff to pursue non-work-relatedlearning opportunities through e-learning?

f) Is there, or should there be, a union learningagreement to cover terms and conditions of theabove arrangements?

Selection and development ofe-learning materials

Why it’s importantIt’s in the interests of everyone concerned that the e-learning offered to staff guides as many people aspossible to maximise their skills and potential. Poorquality e-learning materials will not achieve thesebenefits if:

w some people find the materials inaccessible for anyreason (to do with their equipment, theirenvironment or their own capabilities);

w significant proportions of people find the materialsdull or un-motivating and fail to complete thelearning as a result;

w people do not move forward in their learningbecause the design approach of the learningmaterials does not match their learning needs andstyles.

What’s at stakeThere are several ways in which an organisation canprocure its e-learning materials.

w The materials can be designed from scratch to meeta specification that the organisation develops. Thisdesign is most often done by an external specialiste-learning provider, but may occasionally be doneby in-house staff.

w The materials can be bought ‘off the shelf’ ifproviders have already developed e-learning thatmatches the organisation’s needs. This usuallyhappens in very common training areas, like basicuse of word-processing or spreadsheet software.

w The organisation can partner with an e-learningprovider – such as learndirect or the ScottishUniversity for Industry– that has already bought orcommissioned relevant materials, and also offersthe support to go with it. Of course, this alsodepends on the provider having anticipated theorganisation’s learning needs correctly.

qualified to Level 2. So instead of giving the workforcetime off for attending training sessions, an employercould maintain workloads and expect staff to maketime for learning outside normal working hours,possibly from home. Clearly this approach risksincreasing stress and pressure on the workforce, and isnot acceptable.

What’s at stakeThe issue of organisations providing their workforcewith paid time to develop their skills is not unique to e-learning – it’s just that e-learning introduces moreoptions, good and bad, for how this is managed.

There is also a second issue to do with organisationsencouraging and facilitating their workforce in takingup learning opportunities that may not relate directlyto job performance (e.g. ‘hobby’ learning, or learning aforeign language where this is not required as part ofthe job). In this circumstance, the issue of time forlearning is normally treated slightly differently.

In both cases, time available to staff for learning maybe covered in an existing union learning agreement(even if this agreement did not anticipate e-learningwhen it was conceived). If you do not have a learningagreement at your workplace, then the introduction ofe-learning may provide a justification for reaching one.

Further readingModel learning agreement between workplaceunion representatives and employer Available freeof charge at www.learningservices.org.uk/national/learning-3739-f0.cfm

Time Off for Study or Training DfES website –www.dfes.gov.uk/tfst

Time off section of the Acas sitewww.acas.org.uk/rights/timeoff.html

The Birkenhead Rosenbrae Land Registry employs270 people, mostly clerical staff working oncomputers. They are represented by the PCS union.Work-related training is provided via computer-based training blended with some face-to-facesessions. Union representatives worked to establisha learning centre to enable staff to take part in otherlearning opportunities, particularly in partnershipwith learndirect.

Starting with a simple ‘cybercafé’ facility, the UnionLearning Representative sent out a learning needsquestionnaire to members, and worked with thePCS to put together a business case for a moreextended service, which they presented tomanagement.

Under this proposal, which was agreed, theLearning Rep was able to get a learning centre upand running. The organisation provided theresources in terms of accommodation, PCs andinternet connection. PCS has a relationship withlearndirect, which allows the learning centre to actas a ‘satellite’ for the PCS learndirect ‘hub’ inLondon, and enrol staff on learndirect courses at theworkplace. PCS e-learning tutors are also availableto support learners online. The Learning Rep’s timein supporting learners in the centre is covered bythe facilities time agreement.

Under the terms of the learning agreement, theemployer pays for any learning by the staff thatleads to a recognised qualification (such as theEuropean Computer Driving Licence). Individualsthemselves pay for other non-work-related learningand do this in their own time – but they are free touse the learning centre facilities at no charge.

All work-related training is carried out within coreworking hours – in this case the learning materialsare not available for home study since they are onlyavailable via the organisation’s intranet.


What you can do about itYou should ensure that both employers and learnersare aware of their rights and responsibilities in terms ofhealth and safety, across all the various locationswhere e-learning may take place.

a) Do computer workstations in the workplace andlearning centres demonstrate best practice in termsof layout, equipment, environment etc?

b) Are learners provided with information to helpthem minimise risks and optimise the environmentwhen they learn in locations under their control?

c) Will employers assist learners with any steps theyneed to take to minimise health and safety risks andoptimise the environment in ‘off-site’ locations?

Choosing which approach to take will usually dependon how complex and unique the organisation’straining needs are. The more unique they are, themore likely that it will be necessary to design newmaterials from scratch to meet the unique needs.Once the approach has been chosen, it will usually bea management decision to implement it and select themost cost-effective supplier. The factors for you toconsider in any consultation on this will be the sameones that have already been addressed above.

w Will the e-learning materials and learner support fittogether well (2.2)?

w Does the design of the materials reflect the resultsof sound training needs analysis (2.3)?

w Will the materials be accessible to the full range ofpotential learners (2.5)?

What you can do about itIt helps to see the procurement of e-learning materialswithin the overall picture of e-learning in theorganisation. If the training needs are effectivelyidentified and used as the basis for specifying thematerials, if standards for support and accessibility areadhered to, and if there is a shared commitment toproducing real improvement in people’s skills andknowledge, then the selection or development of e-learning materials should run effectively andsuccessfully for everyone.

If you follow the recommendations in the rest of thisguide, your role in the selection or development of e-learning materials should be a fairly simple one. The issues you want to be sure of are:

a) What kind of approach (design from scratch, buy‘off the shelf’ etc.) will be taken to procurement ofthe e-learning materials?

b) Does the specification for the materials fully reflectthe training needs analysis?

c) Have the processes for supporting learners whenthey use the materials been thought through toensure high-quality support is available at all times?

d) Will the materials be accessible to all the peoplewho might benefit from them?

Health and safetyimplications

Why it’s importantIf people do e-learning instead of classroom-based ortraditional open learning, this will increase the amountof time they spend using a computer. Good health andsafety practice for computer use is well established,and should be applied to e-learning in the same way asany other use.

What’s at stakePeople may do e-learning in a range of locations:

w at their normal workplace/desk;

w in a dedicated learning centre;

w at home;

w on a laptop computer when ‘mobile’ in a range oflocations (hotels, cafés, railway stations, etc.).

A full treatment of the health and safety issues thatmight arise in these locations is beyond the scope ofthis guide. These issues include considerations ofpositioning of computer screen and workstationaffecting glare and posture, seating and appropriatebreaks.

Further readingDisplay Screen Equipment Regulationswww.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1992/Uksi_19922792_en_1.htm

Working with VDUs (HSE guide for people whowork with visual display units (VDUs), and theiremployers) www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg36.pdf


f) How and at what frequency will the workings ofthe partnership be reviewed?

g) How will the partner organisation respond if thedemand for its services is greater than expected?

All over the UK, e-learning centres have beenestablished with the close involvement of UnionLearning Representatives, and often with start-upfunding from the Union Learning Fund (ULF). Bymid 2004 nearly 200 ULF funded learning centreshad been established, of which 70 are part of theTUC’s Trade Union Hub, offering e-learning coursesprovided by Ufi/learndirect. In 2003/2004 over6000 workers accessed e-learning courses throughthe centres, which are in big and smallorganisations, in the private and the public sectors.Examples include centres at:

w a fire station in Morpeth, Northumbria, set upwith the support of Fire Brigades Union;

w Unilever’s Ice Cream and Frozen Foods factory inGrimsby, Humberside, set up at the instigation ofthe GMB;

w Arriva’s bus depot in Leicester, set up as aTGWU initiative.

(For more information about the work of the TradeUnion Hub contact Alex Rowley, Hub Manager, viawww.learningservices.org.uk/tuhub)

Consultation and negotiationThe 2002 Employment Act gives Union LearningRepresentatives rights to:

w engage with employers on a wide range ofworkplace learning issues;

w time off with pay to exercise these rights.

Extract from Part 4 of the Employment Act 2002168A Time off for union learning representatives

(1) An employer shall permit an employee of hiswho is-

(a) a member of an independent trade unionrecognised by the employer, and

(b) a learning representative of the trade union,to take time off during his working hours forany of the following purposes.

(2) The purposes are-

a) carrying on any of the following activities inrelation to qualifying members of the tradeunion-

(i) analysing learning or training needs,

(ii) providing information and advice aboutlearning or training matters,

(iii) arranging learning or training, and

(iv) promoting the value of learning ortraining,

(b) consulting the employer about carrying onany such activities in relation to suchmembers of the trade union,

(c) preparing for any of the things mentioned inparagraphs (a) and (b).

(source: www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2002/20020022.htm)

The emphasis in the 2002 Act is on consultation,which is a two-way process of discussion in which theemployer and the union take proper account of eachother’s views, and through which union members getreal influence over the employer’s decisions. Thiscontrasts with negotiation in which an employer (oremployer’s organisation) and its recognised unionsengage in a bargaining process, the product of whichis a collective agreement between the employer andthe unions.

In practice, the boundary between consultation andnegotiation tends to be more blurred than thedefinitions above suggest. For example:

3 Working with othersThis part of the guide covers three related areas.These are:

w partnerships – the relationships between someof the organisations which may play a part in e-learning in the workplace, for example betweenworkplace trade unions and the TU Hub;

w consultation and negotiation – the processesby which e-learning issues get dealt with betweenunion and employer;

w agreements – one way to summarise plans anddecisions concerning e-learning.

PartnershipsThe term partnership has come to be used to describea situation in which organisations collaborate to theirmutual benefit, sometimes without the collaborationbeing governed by a contract or enforceableagreement, and sometimes without partners payingeach other for their services. The term partnership isalso used to describe a commitment between anemployer and its recognised trade unions to a non-adversarial approach to industrial relations, withworkplace learning being a typical subject for suchinternal partnerships.

Here are some examples of ways in which externalpartnerships are relevant to workplace e-learning.

Remploy, a major employer of people withdisabilities, works in partnership with SEMTAEngineering Sector learndirect Hub to provide tutorsupport for the learndirect Access Points which areincorporated into the learning centre at eachRemploy factory.

The University of Paisley’s Business School, Schoolof Education, and the Educational Institute ofScotland (EIS), Learning and Teaching Scotland andthree local education authorities, worked inpartnership to develop a wholly online mastersprogramme, through which several hundredScottish schoolteachers are now studying to achieveChartered Teacher status.

Hertford Regional College works in partnership withthe food distribution depot of a major retailcompany, to provide tutor support in basic skills forstaff undertaking learndirect courses at the on-sitelearning centre. ‘If I need a course they can get itagreed within a day and something up and runningin a couple of days. We could not ask for a bettersupplier.’ Malcolm, USDAW rep, retail industryfulfilment factory

From these examples you can see that it is normal forsuccessful e-learning provision, even for largeorganisations, to depend on the work of externalpartners. In some cases the external partner can act asa conduit for Government funding to support the e-learning (as in the retail example); in other cases thepartnership can increase the credibility and reach ofthe e-learning provision (as in the Educational Instituteof Scotland example). In others the partnership cangive the employer access to the skills of staff that itdoes not itself employ (as in the Remploy examples);and it can greatly broaden the range of learningopportunities which can be made available throughwork.

Often the employer is responsible for formalising the partnership relationship, although the University of Paisley/EIS example shows that this is not alwaysthe case.

Recognised unions ought to be consulted about andinvolved in partnership decisions taken by theemployer, in which case issues for discussion couldinclude the following.

a) Which partner is responsible for what?

b) What scope is there for the employer to take fulladvantage of public sector initiatives likelearndirect or the Scottish University for Industry?

c) What service levels is the partner responsible forproviding?

d) Who controls the staff of partner organisationswhen they are at the workplace?

e) What is the process for getting problems, such asunsatisfactory performance by a tutor supplied by acollege, resolved?


Agreements in the first category are going to be opento the union, by default, since the union is party tothem! But to gain effective influence over the way inwhich an employer makes use of e-learning, the unionshould be consulted about agreements in the secondand third categories, even if for reasons of commercialconfidentiality the employer is reluctant to disclosecertain aspects of them.

The sorts of questions you might want to askconcerning partnership (P) and supplier (S)agreements include:

a) Are the roles and responsibilities of differentpartners clearly stated? (P)

b) What standards for learner support have beenagreed between the employer and its supplier of e-learning? What account is being taken of BS8426A code of practice for e-support in e-learningsystems? (S/P) [See also Learner support.]

c) Have proper arrangements been made to givelearners information, advice and guidance aboutthe e-learning on offer, and about the non-e-learning alternatives? (S) [See also Information,advice, and guidance.]

d) Has the content supplier committed to making its e-learning materials conform to the W3C WebContent Accessibility Initiative? Have people takenthe time and trouble to assess the quality andeffectiveness of the e-learning materials? (S) [Seealso Accessibility.]

e) Does the agreement specify the design of thelearning centre, and how the environment will bemaintained in fit state for learning? (S) [SeeEnvironment for learning.]

f) Have proper arrangements been made to cater forthe needs of workers with non-standard workingpatterns, or whose first language is not English?(P/S) [See also Implications for people withdifferent working patterns.]

g) Have people taken the time and trouble to assessthe quality and effectiveness of the e-learningmaterials, perhaps by arranging to visit one or morereference sites? (S) [See also Selection anddevelopment of e-learning materials.]

Extract from a lifelong learningagreement at a pharmaceuticalproducts factory. See Appendix; p.26for the Learning agreement in full.

w collective agreements sometimes arising from aprocess that is called consultation;

w a lot of what goes on during negotiations is often,in reality, closer to consultation.

In large multi-site organisations, local decision-makingon e-learning is usually constrained or influenced bynational or ‘head office’ decisions, with issues likechoice of content supplier or choice of ICT systemlargely beyond local influence, and with localmanagers and union representatives sometimesunderstandably reluctant to have attention drawn tolocal agreements or practices that are better than ordifferent to those decided nationally.

Yet inevitably, a lot of the dialogue about the detail ofe-learning takes places locally, for two reasons.

Firstly, there is much local variation in the scope forexternal partnerships. For example:

w further education colleges vary in their capacity toprovide tutor support for e-learning;

w local Learning and Skills Councils (andorganisations such as Regional DevelopmentAgencies) differ in their approaches to e-learning,and in the amount of funding they can put into it.

Secondly, the rights contained in the Employment Act2002 are new, so there are wide local variations in theextent to which Union Learning Representatives areorganised, or in which the recognised trade unionshave made workplace learning.

Consultation or negotiation about e-learning may takeplace at many levels. In all cases, e-learning may be anew subject that many of the participants in thediscussion, both union and management, will be lessfamiliar with than is the case with more typical learningissues (e.g. entitlements for learners to paid to timeoff, staffing arrangements for the learning centre, orincentives for people who gain qualifications). Hereare some points to watch:

a) sales people may make unrealistic claims for theeffectiveness of their e-learning materials or thesystems to support them;

b) managers for whom fluent use of IT is a day-to-dayrequirement of their job may downplay thedifficulties which face learners who have not got ITskills and whose jobs do not give them theopportunity to develop them, but who areexpected to learn using IT;

c) HR people may be keen on e-learning because ofthe scope it gives them to keep track on who hasdone what course, rather than because the e-learning proposed is known to be effective;

d) training and development staff may resist theintroduction of e-learning because they see it as a threat to the (face-to-face) trainingdepartment, or they may favour it because they see it as a way to reduce the amount which theorganisation spends on tutor support;

e) the managers responsible for dealing with e-learning suppliers may simply not have the skills and experience to know what the organisation needs, nor to make good judgements about what is on offer.

AgreementsExamples of the sorts of e-learning related agreementsthat may be negotiated include those between:

w employers and unions – for example coveringan entitlement to paid time off for workersundertaking work-related training by e-learning, orabout the setting up and staffing of a workplacelearning centre;

w employers and suppliers – for examplecovering the development or customisation for theemployer of an e-learning course, or the terms of alicense for staff to access a range of e-learningcourses from the supplier’s website, or the supplyof a software system to track which staff have donewhich course;

w partners – for example covering an initiative likethe EIS/University of Paisley Chartered Teacherprogramme, or SEMTA’s support for learndirectAccess Points in Remploy.

24 e-learning in the workplace 25e-learning in the workplace

Health and safetyDisplay Screen Equipment Regulations. Available fromwww.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1992/Uksi_19922792_en_1.htm

Working with VDUs (HSE guide for people who workwith visual display units (VDUs), and their employers).Available from www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg36.pdf

AgreementsModel learning agreement between workplace unionrepresentatives and employer. Available free of chargeat www.learningservices.org.uk/national/learning-3739-f0.cfm

Time Off for Study or Training, available fromwww.dfes.gov.uk/tfst

Time off section of the Acas websitewww.acas.org.uk/rights/timeoff.html

SupportMany areas have local Lifelong Learning Partnershipswhere providers of learning and advice come togetherto promote learning opportunities within their location.See, for example, Edinburgh Learning –www.edinburghlearning.com – or SeftonLearning – www.seftonlearning.org.uk. You canenquire of your local education authority or search theweb to locate a nearby lifelong learning partnership.Then contact them to see what advice or support theymay be able to provide to help you with whatever e-learning issues you are facing.

TUC Learning Services –www.learningservices.org.uk – has regionaloffices throughout England and Wales.

Union Learning Fund (ULF) – the main website iswww.unionlearningfund.org.uk/about.htmfrom where you can find out about the fund and thebidding process.

Information

E-learningJane Knight’s e-learning centre – www.e-learningcentre.co.uk – an up-to-date andcomprehensive website covering all aspects of e-learning.

Training Zone – www.trainingzone.co.uk – anonline network for training professionals with plenty ofmaterial about e-learning.

Design for learning – a Ufi/learndirect design guidefor people who run learning centres –www.ufi.com/designforlearning.

Ufi/learndirectlearndirect – the main website iswww.learndirect.co.uk from where you can getnational learning advice and information about work-based learning.

Ufi – learndirect is run by a company called Ufi Ltd.To contact them, visit www.ufi.com. Ufi alsoprovides its partners with additional, secureinformation about running learndirect learning. If yourunion is a learndirect partner, you may be able to getaccess to this.

learndirect Scotland is the Scottish sisterorganisation of Ufi. Its partners’ website iswww.lds4partners. com

Logging onto Learning – the union contribution tolearndirect centres in the Trade Union Hub. Availablefrom www.learningservices.org.uk/tuhub

Information, advice and guidanceInformation, Advice and Guidance for Adults – TheNational Policy Framework and Action Plan. Availablefrom www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/iag/

Learner supportBS 8426, A code of practice for e-support in e-learningsystems. Available via http://bsonline.techindex.co.uk (current price £94 for non-members of BSI, £47for members)

AccessibilityDisability Rights Commission website – www.drc-gb.org/knowyourrights/index.asp

Disability – what the law says –www.disability.gov.uk/law.html

Accessibility and E-learning. Available fromwww.epic.co.uk/content/resources/white_papers/Accessibility.htm (Note: Epic isone of the major UK providers of bespoke e-learning.)

TechDis aims, through the use of technology, toenhance provision for disabled students and staff inhigher, further (including adult and communitylearning provision) and specialist education. There areextensive, freely available resources on the TechDiswebsite. TechDis is currently somewhat restricted inthe extent to which it can respond to direct enquiriesconcerning publicly funded work-based learning,although this situation may change –www.techdis.ac.uk

4 Support and information


5 AppendixUnion learning representatives will be granted reasonable paid time off to enablethem to carry out their duties effectively including receiving training. Employeeswill be entitled to reasonable time off to access their learning representative.

For development of basic/essential skills employees will be allowed paid time off.For other learning activities arrangements for time off must be agreed withmanagement. Where full paid time off is not acceptable or practical a ‘shared time’agreement would ideally be reached where the employer and employee contributetime in equal measures, (e.g. for an employee participating in a 1 hour learningactivity, BPL allows 30 minutes paid time and the employee gives 30 minutes oftheir own time). Employees will not get paid overtime for participating in learningactivities out of normal working hours.

Facilities will be made available for use by learning representatives and employees.These will include at least one computer with internet access, a notice board andthe facility to hold confidential meetings if necessary. Access may be required out-of-hours for learning activities.

Lifelong Learning needs/initiatives will be discussed at the BPL Corporate TrainingGroup (CTG) meetings. The CTG will:

1. Direct learning resource requests to the BPL Executive or Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) as appropriate

2. Agree an annual learning plan

3. Discuss potential improvements to established training programmes and policies

Due to limitations on resources learning needs may need to prioritised. Anylearning needs will be directed through a union learning representative. Duringinterview the learning representative will evaluate the learning request bycompleting a learning assessment form. The employees line manager must alsoapprove the request before it is progressed further.

Amicus and BPL will work together to constantly evolve Lifelong Learning for thebenefit of employees and the organisation alike.

Amicus aims to work in partnership with BPL to achieve these aims.

Signed: Date:

BPL Executive

Signed: Date:

Amicus chair at BPL

Lifelong Learning Agreementbetween Amicus and Bio Products Laboratory

Both Amicus and BPL are committed to working in partnership to promote andsupport lifelong learning and to continuously develop the skills, qualifications andexperience of employees to ensure the future needs of the organisation are met (inaccordance with BPL Training and Development Policy).

BPL’s recruitment procedures seek to ensure that all staff joining the organisationhave the skills and experience which are essential for them to carry out the dutiesrequired of them.

Amicus and BPL are committed to supporting existing staff seeking to achieve abasic standard of Essential Skills for Life, e.g. numeracy, literacy, English languageand IT skills up to a standard equivalent to G.C.S.E. (national literacy/numeracylevel 1).

In accordance with ACAS Code of Practice on Time Off for Trade UnionDuties and Activities Amicus will be responsible for recruiting learningrepresentatives and will inform management of the names and departments oflearning representatives. At the time of writing the following people have beenassigned:

Iain Bradbury (Technical Training Manager)

Sue Farr (Production Training Manager)

Lifelong Learning Representatives will liaise with line managers and members of thepersonnel team in carrying out their duties.

The functions of the learning representatives include:

1. Analysing learning or training needs

2. Providing information and advice about learning or training matters

3. Arranging learning or training

4. Promoting the value of learning or training

5. Consulting the employer about carrying out these activities

Lifelong Learning is complementary to established BPL training programmes.

Where requested any interviews carried out between a learning representative anda BPL employee will remain confidential.

All time off for learning activities must be authorised by the line manager and mustnot be to the detriment of normal working practices.

28 e-learning in the workplace

AcasAdvisory, Conciliation, and ArbitrationService. Acas is a Government Agency whichaims to improve organisations and workinglife through better employment relations.

Assistive technologyEnhancements to technology, or methods ofusing technology, that make it possible forpeople with disabilities to use technology (orto use it easily) that they were formerlyunable to use (or to use with only somedifficulty)

CD-ROMCompact Disc – Read Only Memory. Anoptical disc that is used to store text, graphics,and audio data, and which a computer canread if it fitted with a CD drive.

CIPDChartered Institute of Personnel andDevelopment. The leading UK professionalbody for those involved in personnelmanagement and related roles.

DVDDigital Versatile Disk. A type of CD-ROMwhich can hold a greater amount of data,accessed more quickly, than a CD-ROM.

ECDLEuropean Computer Driving Licence. Aprominent computer skills certificationprogramme for users of PCs.

Interactive TVInteractive TV is an umbrella term for thecontent and services which are available fordigital viewers to navigate through on theirTV screen.

LSCLearning and Skills Council (governmentagency responsible for funding and planningeducation and training for over 16-year-oldsin England)

NHSNational Health Service

PCPersonal Computer, that is a computerdesigned for use by one person at a time,equipped with its own keyboard, pointingdevice, and screen. Sometimes the term PC isused more narrowly to denote a personalcomputer running the Windows operatingsystem.

Sector Skills CouncilSector Skills Councils are employer-led, UKwide organisations, licensed by theGovernment, which actively involve tradeunions, and other stakeholders in the tacklingthe skills and productivity needs of theirsector throughout the UK.

SEMTASEMTA is the Sector Skills Council for thescience, engineering and manufacturingtechnologies sector.

ULFUnion Learning Fund. A Government initiativeproviding funding to help trade unions toencourage greater take-up of learning atwork, and to boost unions’ capacity aslearning organisations.

6 Glossary

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