The sign on the door says “Open this door to new beginnings” and centre co-ordinator and GMB branch secretary Alistair Richardson is quick to point out “walking through that door is the bravest thing anyone can do.”
Alistair has worked in the McVities’ trade union workplace-learning centre in Carlisle for five years after many years in the factory.
He takes up the story: “When I started, the centre was based on the other side of the factory but it got wiped out in the 2005 floods. The centre and all of the equipment were submerged in nine feet of water so we, along with our union GMB, had to start again from scratch bidding for funding and creating an environment people would want to spend their spare time in.
“We didn’t think it would reopen but the management team knew how important it was and made it a top priority to get it back up and running. The floods also made the staff realise how important it was to upskill. If the factory hadn’t reopened people would really have been in trouble. Many of them realised they can’t do anything else and are completely dependent on the factory.
“This also came at a time when United Biscuits was preparing to switch from paper filing to a computer based system so it was essential all staff could use a computer. We had to upskill everyone to make sure they can keep up with the progress of the company. Everything from production rates and orders to wastage was to be included on the new system.”
However, even getting people who were interested in learning into the centre proved to be a challenge continued Alistair: “A lot of them were embarrassed about needing to improve their maths or English skills but our Skills for Life tutor Amy Cosgrove worked hard to address this and ensure we offered a welcoming atmosphere for all.
“Many people were still trying to sort out their homes after the floods so we (United Biscuits and GMB) made an offer to anyone who agreed to work on their literacy and numeracy. We would pay for them to do a practical course at Carlisle College these included plastering, plumbing, DIY and interior design. This meant they got the course they wanted to do and a couple we wanted them to do absolutely free.
“Now we have a team of nine working in the centre and people are always in and out opting to do everything from basic level literacy and numeracy to National Vocational Qualifications in IT all through learndirect. We also have a lot of migrant workers who are interested in improving their English which has helped hugely with integration at the factory.
“learndirect was really the easy option for us; it fits with all of our needs and offers so many courses, its brilliant!
Now all of the information we need is held on computers and staff can access, analyse and report on this whenever they need to. This has improved our rate of production and minimised waste as everyone is much more switched on to the company’s needs.”