The Campaign for Learning has announced plans for Learning at Work Day, which is taking place as part of Adult Learners’ Week, on Thursday 20 May. The aim of the Day is to create thousands of learning opportunities, both formal and informal, in workplaces throughout the UK.
‘ The government has made it clear that learning will play a key part in the competitiveness of British industry in the twenty-first century. ‘ said Campaign for Learning Chief Executive, Bill Lucas, ‘ But we believe learning at work is also important because of the vital contribution it makes to job satisfaction and to personal happiness.’
CBI Director General Adair Turner is enthusiastic about Learning at Work Day. He said, ‘ Successful learning and development are essential in any business and Learning at Work Day is an excellent way of companies getting more involved. I warmly support the initiative.’
The Campaign will be urging Chief Executives to ‘walk the talk’ of learning at work by taking part in a Back to the Floor style job swap. During the day-long job swap the employee and boss will work alongside each other, but reversing their usual roles.
‘From Chief Executive down, all staff work to achieve common objectives but we can become so focused on our own tasks that we forget how we fit in to the whole. I will be swapping with the lynchpin of the Campaign for Learning’s organisation, our office administrator Gloria Phyall, to learn more about how my organisation works. We are inviting top executives across the UK to do likewise. ’ said Lucas, ‘An alternative would be for Chief Executives to job swap with their customers or suppliers. Learning through experiences like these can be invaluable but it is important to review what has been learnt so action can be taken.’
Key messages for the Learning at Work campaign will be:
- extending learning opportunities to all staff, especially support staff and and staff with few qualifications
- the importance of senior management commitment and active participation
- the integration of effective learning into everyday working practices
- the connection between learning and the knowledge based economy
‘Learning can be a gloriously positive experience and we urge organisations to brighten the working day by getting involved. ‘ said Campaign Marketing Director, Michelle Wake, ‘On Learning at Work Day we hope that employees will be able to learn about anything, from setting up your own business to planning your retirement. We expect that Learning at Work day will have something for everyone from office juniors to top executives.’
Other plans include a nationwide Internet event for would-be entrepreneurs harbouring ambitions of becoming the next Richard Branson; a showcase event hosted by Campaign for Learning corporate sponsors National Grid and the launch of a worldwide survey on learning skills and practices from learning consultant Dr. Peter Honey. Other activities will be announced as they are confirmed.
A Learning at Work Day Briefing is available and can be obtained by writing to Learning at Work Day, Campaign for Learning, 19 Buckingham Street, WC2N 6EF or by faxing them on 0171 930 1551. The availability schedule for other material is below.
