Invest in your workers' skills, TUC tells employers

The TUC's new workplace learning organisation unionlearn has signed a co-operation agreement with Investors in People UK, the national body providing "a framework for improving business performance through good practice in human resource development".

Under the agreement, Investors in People UK will stress the positive role of unions and their learning reps, and both organisations will point out the business benefits of employee development.

They will share platforms to promote learning and skills, with the aim of getting more workplaces to implement the Investors in People Standard - partly through a new, jointly delivered "Engaging in Investors in People" course.

Employers will also be encouraged to provide and promote courses under the government's "Skills for Life" strategy for improving basic skills, and efforts will be made to help more people onto literacy, numeracy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses.

Other areas covered by the agreement include the promotion of continuous professional development, equality and diversity and lifelong learning.

Highlighting the importance of getting more employers and workers to "take up the learning challenge", TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the agreement "will put our two organisations in the forefront of promoting the government's drive to increase learning and skills in the workplace".

Ruth Spellman, chief executive of Investors in People UK, added: "We look forward to working with the TUC to help employers realise the benefits of investing in their people."