Learning for Life

A guide to running your

workplace learning campaign
 Workplace Learning - A guide for running your campaign

1. Introduction
A guide to running your staff-facing workplace learning campaign
This guide has been written for HR Practitioners, Communications, Staff
Engagement and Health and Wellbeing leads in NHS organisations across England.
It sets out what material and resources are available to you to plan and implement a
successful staff-facing workplace learning campaign.

This guide contains:

1. Key message
2. Leading your campaign
3. Communications - resources
4. Links to useful resources

What is the campaign and who is it for?

Commissioned by the national Social Partnership Forum (SPF) and led by NHS
Employers, this campaign aims to increase the level of awareness of training
opportunities; the amount of training taking place; and the positive impact of training
on patient care. We want to raise awareness and encourage learning skills
development for all NHS staff, including those who may well not be receiving many
opportunities currently.

The overarching objectives of this project are to:

stimulate greater awareness and increased participation in learning at work

for all NHS staff, especially those in Bands 14
increase recognition by chief executives and board members that supporting
the development of staff makes good business sense
reinforce belief that investment in staff learning is an investment in the service
increase the proportion of NHS staff who agree that workplace learning has
had a positive impact on the quality of their work.

How has the campaign been developed?

The campaign has been developed with significant input and feedback from
colleagues across the health service and staff side. The national campaign branding
is suitable for all staff across the NHS - it has been designed to stand out, grab
attention and be memorable.

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 Workplace Learning - A guide for running your campaign

2. Key messages
General messages

Workplace learning underpins quality patient care - a positive organisational

climate is associated with low and declining levels of patient mortality
You should be encouraging employee engagement for workplace learning we
need to create a culture that supports a learning environment
Workplace learning is for all staff, particularly those who may not currently take-
up opportunities (i.e. pay bands 1-4)
Although there is limited funding in education and training, there are numerous
training products and opportunities available that your organisation can utilise,
including co-investment strategies through positive working with trade unions who
might be able to access sources of funding or appropriate resources
Research evidence suggests that workplace training is associated with
improvements in productivity, higher levels of innovation and better financial
performance
Staff in Bands 1 to 4 play an integral part in ensuring quality of service
experienced by patients and users of health services
In times of uncertainty, learning is more vital than ever it can boost morale and
enable people to manage change
Improving your staff's skills in communication (including language), basic literacy,
numeracy and IT is key to improving your patient's care and experience
Finding out your workforce learning needs is vital
Union learning representatives (ULRs) are trained to support workplace learning.
They generate enthusiasm for learning and support reluctant learners
contributing to a workplace learning culture. Agreements should be developed to
underpin their statutory rights to support them to carry out their duties, for
example ensuring all managers and supervisors understand the importance of
their role and appropriate time off and resources are made available
Workplace learning can:
- help to ensure both flexibility and sustainability in workforce supply
- aid retention of staff and encourage career/skills progression
- enable you to widen participation to make your workforce reflect your local
community as much as possible
- assist you to meet requirements of the Knowledge and Skills Framework
(KSF)
- help you demonstrate organisational commitment to the staff pledges in
the NHS Constitution.

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 Workplace Learning - A guide for running your campaign

Line Managers / Team Leaders key messages

Workplace learning is for all staff, particularly those who may not currently take-
up opportunities (i.e. staff in bands 1-4)
You should be encouraging employee engagement for workplace learning we
need to create a culture that supports a learning environment
Workplace learning can have a positive impact on your staffs ability to do their
current job and can help their self confidence
Workplace learning underpins quality patient care
In times of uncertainty, learning is more vital than ever it can boost morale and
enable people to manage change
By supporting workplace learning and encouraging participation you will be
helping ensure that your staff feel that they have a worthwhile job with chances to
develop and that they have the opportunity to improve the way they work
Staff should be encouraged to undertake learning during paid work time,
especially if this directly benefits the job they are doing
Finding out your staff learning needs is vital

Workforce key messages

Workplace learning is for everyone

Workplace learning is not the same as school, you are not forced to learn and
you can go at your own pace
Training and skills are crucial as they can help you have more job satisfaction,
better prospects and can ultimately lead to a better quality of life for you, your
family, your colleagues and your patients
Workplace learning can help with your reading, writing, maths, language and IT
skills this can help you in your work and at home
Union Learning Reps are trained by trade unions to support you to access
learning opportunities and help you with learning needs as well as explore
possible funding for your learning
It is possible to be given paid time during your working day to undertake training.

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 Workplace Learning - A guide for running your campaign

3. Leading your campaign

To make your campaign successful it will need senior leadership support.

We recommend that you use the toolkit and the case studies provided to prove to the
board of directors that this 'Learning for Life' campaign is very important to your
organisation. Research evidence suggests that workplace learning is associated
with improvements in productivity, higher levels of innovation and greater staff
engagement.

Once you have support from the top of your organisation, the message can be
cascaded to staff. Directors and senior managers should keep Learning for Life on
the agenda and send clear messages to managers - managers need to allow staff to
undertake learning and support them with their learning needs.

Top tips
Focus time on getting line managers on board - encourage positive attitudes
towards workplace learning.

Involve staff side. They are keen to support you to deliver your campaign,
they can provide valuable input to the planning of your campaign and help
you communicate effectively with many staff groups - so make use of their
skills and networks.

Consider having a Learning for Life Champion for each department.

If you have a learning centre ensure that you remind employees it is there
and that they should take advantage of having a dedicated learning zone.

Use personal stories / experiences of staff in your campaign.

Appeal to people's desire to improve their English, maths or IT not just for
work purposes but also for their personal lives.

Employees might not be aware of what learning resources are available to

them - make sure this is included as part of your campaign.

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 Workplace Learning - A guide for running your campaign

4. Communications
To get as many staff engaged with workplace learning as possible you need to make
sure that everyone knows what learning is available and that they are fully supported
to undertake this.

Many organisations focus on using posters, flyers, emails and internal

communication channels to promote their campaign. We have produced the
following materials to help support you in delivering this campaign through your
various local channels.

Resources to support you

Posters

We have created some posters to help support your

campaign.

Each of the posters have titles that can't be altered, but

there are blank spaces so that you can add your local
messaging. In the section title 'Find out more'' you should
use this space to add the name and contact details of
your Union Learning Rep(s) and/or opening times of your
learning centre (for sites that have these).

Poster 1 - Multiply your skills Download the

poster template
This poster has been designed to promote maths in your here:
organisations.

Line1 - suggested sentences:

NHS_Learning For
Would you like to be able to help you child more with Life_A4 Poster_numeracy.doc
their maths homework?
Would you like to improve your maths?
Download a sample
poster here:
Line 2 - suggested sentences:
We can support you to complete English, maths and IT
training
You can be given time during your working day to
NHS_Learning For
complete English, maths and IT training Life_A4 Poster_numeracy_example.pdf
We value your learning and can help you improve your
English, maths and IT skills
We are committed to supporting your learning at work.

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 Workplace Learning - A guide for running your campaign

Poster 2 - Write your future Download the

poster template
This poster has been designed to promote English in your here:
organisations.

Line1 - suggested sentences:

NHS_Learning For
Would you like to feel more confident with your Life_A4 Poster_literacy.doc
language and writing skills?
Would you like to improve your English reading
and writing skills?
Download a sample
poster here:
Line 2 - suggested sentences:
We can support you to complete English, maths and IT
training
You can be given time during your working day to NHS_Learning For
complete English, maths and IT training Life_A4 Poster_literacy_example.pdf
We value your learning and can help you improve your
English, maths and IT skills
We are committed to supporting your learning at work.

Poster 3 - Click into action Download the

poster template
This poster has been designed to promote IT in your here:
organisations.

Line1 - suggested sentences:

NHS_Learning For
Have you ever thought "I'd go for that promotion if only Life_A4 Poster_IT.doc
my IT skills were stronger ?
Would you like to improve your IT skills?
Download a
Line 2 - suggested sentences:
sample poster
We can support you to complete English, maths and IT
here:
training
You can be given time during your working day to
complete English, maths and IT training
We value your learning and can help you improve your NHS_Learning For
Life_A4 Poster_IT_example.pdf
English, maths and IT skills
We are committed to supporting your learning at work.

Poster 4 - Learning centre signage Download the

poster here:
This poster has been designed to help staff identify the training
centre.
Learning centre
poster.pdf
This poster does not contain any spaces for free text.

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 Workplace Learning - A guide for running your campaign

Web banners
These banners can be used on your intranet and
in your email signatures.

If you have any problems using the web banners

your IT department should be able to help.

Download the web banners here:

Small banner 180x50 Medium banner 468x80 Large banner 520 x 170

web banner small.jpg web banner web banner

medium.jpg large.jpg

Logo
The Learning for Life logo should be used for any
workplace learning messages.

The Logo - Variations and File Types

Variations

Colour
Full colour original - versions in ESP and JPEG
file format

Grey scale
To be used when printing in black and white

File Types

The following file type for the logo are available:

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 Workplace Learning - A guide for running your campaign

EPS and AI
Vector graphics ideal for print and large format

JPEG
Ideal for low resolution printing, websites and
screens

Using the logo - Shape

Do not stretch
Do not change the colours
Do not reformat
Do not crop
Do not pixelate

Download the logos here:

JPEG versions:

JPEG - colour JPEG - Grey scale

NHS_Workplace NHS_Workplace
Learning_identity.jpg Learning_identity_grey scale.jpg

EPS and AI versions:

EPS - colour EPS - Grey scale AI

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 Workplace Learning - A guide for running your campaign

5. Useful resources
Learning and development support

http://hee.nhs.uk/
Health Education England (HEE) is the national leadership body responsible for developing
the new education and training system for the health and public health workforce.

www.learndirect.co.uk
Learndirect is a learning organisation that uses technology to transform the skills and
productivity of the working age population.

www.niace.org.uk
The National Institute for Adult Continuing Education exists to encourage more adults to
engage in learning of all kinds. NIACE is the largest organisation working to promote the
interests of learners and potential learners in England and Wales.

www.support4learning.org.uk
This site contains links to resources for everyone involved in education, training and
communities.

http://www.electronicstaffrecord.nhs.uk/
The Electronic Staff Record (ESR) gives NHS staff access to over 400 national e-learning
courses and enables local organisations to manage their own e-learning content alongside
classroom based courses.

http://www.ukces.org.uk
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills is a publicly funded, industry-led
organisation providing strategic leadership on skills and employment issues in the UK.

http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/
Skills for Health is the Sector Skills Council, for all health employers; NHS, independent and
third sector.

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/account/Pages/default.aspx/
This site promotes the importance of ongoing learning whether doing a course in work, or
volunteering.

http://www.eslsite.com/
This site offers resources and teaching ideas for people for whom English is a second
language.

Funding

https://www.gov.uk/career-development-loans/overview
Professional and Career Development Loans are bank loans to pay for courses and training
that help with peoples careers.

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 Workplace Learning - A guide for running your campaign
http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/
The Skills Funding Agency is a partner organisation of the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills (BIS) and it exists to fund and promote adult further education (FE) and
skills training in England.

http://www.unionlearn.org.uk/about-unionlearn/union-learning-fund
The Union Learning Fund (ULF) has supported more than 50 unions in over 700 workplaces
and remains a flagship mainstream government programme - regarded as pivotal by unions,
the Government, employers and partner organisations in the learning and skills world.

Union support

Many unions have learning resources freely available to members, which within a learning
agreement, for example, can be made available to other staff.

TUC UnionLearn
http://www.unionlearn.org.uk/
Unionlearn was established in 2006 by the TUC in order to provide an ongoing framework to
support union led learning in England. It aims to help unions to support their members to
access and progress through lifelong learning based on quality standards. It also seeks to
engage with employers and providers to increase the quantity, quality and fairer distribution
of learning opportunities.

RCN
http://www.rcn.org.uk/development/learning/learningzone
Contains online continuing professional development (CPD) resources relating to nursing
care, career development and workplace issues. The resources are relevant to health care
assistants, assistant practitioners, student and registered nurses across the range of care
settings.

Unite the Union

www.learnwithunite.org/
This is Unites own virtual learning and support site. It offers access to a wide range of online
learning opportunities and support.

UNISON
www.unison.org.uk/laos/
UNISON Learning and Organising Services (LAOS) co-ordinates trade union education and
lifelong learning opportunities for members. This includes training and development for union
reps as well as personal and career development courses ranging from Skills for Life
through to professional qualifications. They also offer learning discounts and a small
educational grants scheme.

RCM
http://www.rcm.org.uk/ilearn/
This is the e-learning service for midwives and maternity support workers belonging to the
RCM.

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