The Trades Union Congress (TUC) and individual Trades Unions strongly support work-related learning and the legal rights given to Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) in April 2003 has generated a rapid increase in ULRs. The TUC argues that people will give up their own time for learning provided they are given the opportunity and are aware of the learning available to them. The Employment Act 2002 gave rights to paid time-off to Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) who work to raise interest in training and development amongst their co-workers, especially the lowest skilled and those with literacy and numeracy needs. In 2002 there were over 4,500 trained ULRs. With the introduction of statutory rights the government has estimated that they will grow to at least 23,000 by 2010 helping as many as half a million union members access courses.

The TUC supports the union role in workplace learning and skills. They provide training and guidance to the growing number of Learning Reps on how to take forward the learning agenda. Union learning representatives have similar rights to those of shop stewards or health and safety representatives in companies or organisation where the union is recognised for collective bargaining. Until the 2003 legislation, union learning representatives have had to rely on a combination of their own enthusiasm and commitment and their employer's goodwill in order to get their job done. From 2003, they have been able to help their colleagues at the workplace access learning and skills with the support of a code of practice with full legal force. The TUC (2006) have produced Making a real difference: Union learning reps: a survey that illustrates ways in which Union Learning Reps perform their role.

The Department for Education and Skills has published an Employer's Guide to Union Learning Representatives: Union Learning Representatives: An Employer's Guide'.

Rodgers et al (2003), in "Union Learning Representatives: Making the European area of lifelong learning a reality?" presented at the HRD conference in Toulouse, May 2003, comment further upon ULR developments:

"The initiative seeks to promote workplace learning through equipping local union representatives to negotiate learning provision and to provide information, advice and guidance on learning opportunities to co-workers. In recent years many of the largest and most influential trade unions within the UK have placed increasing emphasis on learning in general, and in the recruitment and training of Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) in particular.

ULRs have been highly successful with respect to promoting learning within the workplace, facilitating increased participation in learning by members of those groups traditionally under-represented in learning activities, and promoting approaches to learning within the workplace based upon social partnership.

Furthermore, the recent establishment of community based ULRs and the growing interest in the concept of community unionism within unions such as Amicus and ISTC, suggests that the unions themselves recognise the potential for addressing the social inclusion agenda by extending the benefits of the ULR initiative to the economically inactive. There is evidence that ULRs have experienced some success in promoting the broader concept of lifelong learning endorsed by the European Commission, which embraces learning activities undertaken within a personal, civic, social and/or employment-related perspective, as opposed to the narrower view of learning held by many employers, which places more emphasis on the acquisition of task or firm specific skills to facilitate job competence.

On the evidence to date, this development is likely to be of pivotal importance for improving trade union effectiveness in influencing HRD and learning opportunities in the workplace, especially for groups at risk of social exclusion, such as low skilled and older workers, who are less likely to have engaged in (recent) learning activities. While it is too early for a comprehensive evaluation of their impact, case study evidence and the results of interim evaluation for the Government and the TUC, suggests that they offer a potential good practice example of social partnership to promote learning at work."

The CIPD (2004) also provide a commentary on the role of Trade Union Learning Representaives.