University challenge for Scottish shopworkers

A successful lifelong-learning project in Scotland, which gave over 450 Safeway supermarket workers the opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge, is now taking a further 40 workers to university.

Deli assistants, cashiers, shopfloor staff and managers are among the Safeway workers who will be taught new IT skills during a course at the Ayr campus of Paisley University. They work at the supermarket group's stores in Ayr, Troon, Prestwick and Kilmarnock.

Shopworkers' union USDAW reports that Safeway is rearranging shift patterns so that the workers can spend Tuesday evenings at the university, studying over 18 weeks for basic and intermediate IT qualifications.

USDAW union learning rep Gerry Thomas, of Safeway in Ayr, is the driving force behind the initiative -which also has the support of the Scottish Executive.

USDAW secured funding from the Executive to run the scheme with Safeway. In the space of just two years, it has seen workers take up various courses run on site and at local colleges.

Margaret Fleming, USDAW lifelong-learning co-ordinator at Safeway, said: "This is a great initiative. It is a win-win situation - the employees benefit from improving their skills and knowledge, while the employer gets a more satisfied, confident and skilled workforce."

Over 5,000 USDAW members have returned to some form of learning since the union launched its Lifelong Learning campaign five years ago.