Return to Learn

With Argyll and Bute Social Work Department

Return to Learn forms a central part of the Action Plan for Social Work Services Workforce launched in April 2002. Return to Learn is organised and delivered through a partnership between UNISON and the Workers' Educational Association (WEA).  UNISON and WEA are working with the Social Work Services Inspectorate to organise and deliver Return to Learn courses to Social Care staff in every Local Authority area in Scotland.  Courses are organised and delivered in working time and students are expected to receive paid work release to attend. Return to Learn is open to all staff working in social care and whether or not they are members of a trade union.

Return to Learn is a study skills and confidence building course which is aimed at workers with have few or no formal educational qualifications, those who have had a poor experience of education in the past, or those who been away from education for some time.  Return to Learn  can be an ideal preparation for many workplace learning initiatives such as SVQ's, and can help students to plan further career and personal development activities and can assist individuals to confidently undertake a range of workplace and community learning.

UNISON and WEA have been working with Argyll and Bute Council Social Work Department to organise Return to Learn with the monies available from the Social Work Services Inspectorate. This has been done with the direct support of the Director of Social Work and senior Social Work managers.

Promotional and recruitment road show events have recently taken place in locations across Argyll and Bute including, Campbeltown, Rothesay, Islay, Oban and Dunoon. Response to these events has been very positive and already one course is under way in Rothesay which has been jointly organised with the UNISON Health Branch and NHSScotland. Other courses are scheduled to start in Campbeltown in August and Oban in September.

Plans are being made for further road show events will take place in other parts of Argyll and Bute over the Autumn of 2003. If you want to find out more about these events or about the Return to Learn course please contact:

UNISON - Marion Power

or

WEA - David Howie on 0141 221 0003