Activist Education Courses 2025 – Guidance for branches
Application procedure
- Course applications are administered by the Region’s Learning & Member Development (LMD) Team. The team can be contacted by emailing LMD@unison.co.uk
- Applicants must complete an online course application form located on the course web pages and submit it promptly or by any advertised closing date for the course.
- We will communicate with course applicants via email e.g. to confirm their course place and provide joining instructions, so they are asked to provide an email address they can regularly and easily access.
- Please encourage applicants to meet the course application closing date so the LMD Team know at the closing date whether courses have sufficient numbers to make them viable.
- Late applications may be accepted subject to availability of places. Please contact the LMD Team to check the course status.
Branch approval
- Courses are free to individual workplace reps. The course fees shown are therefore payable by the branch, along with the applicant’s travel/subsistence expenses. Hence the LMD Team will contact the branch to seek approval for each applicant’s attendance on the course and the branch’s agreement to pay associated costs.
Course support
- If you have not already done so, please try to allocate a buddy or mentor to support your new rep both during the course and going forward as they embark on their role.
Confirmation of a place on a course
- Course places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Provided there is a place available, the applicant’s place will be confirmed on receipt of their application.
- Applicants will be informed that their course place is confirmed subject to receipt of branch approval.
- Courses will run provided there are sufficient delegates and no unforeseen events resulting in course cancellation. Any cancellations will be advised to delegates with as much notice as possible.
- Nearer the course dates the LMD team will send a ‘joining instructions’ email to course delegates. Applicants who have not heard from the LMD Team by two weeks before the course start date should email LMD@unison.co.uk
- Applicants should NOT attend a course if they have not received confirmation of their course place. Doing so creates problems in terms of room capacity, course materials and catering arrangements and breaches the Region’s branch approval procedures. Consequently, admittance to the course can be refused.
Activist positions on the membership system
- Please ensure your appointed reps are showing as such on the membership system. Failure to do so may mean your rep misses out on mailings relating to their role and in the case of stewards, their ERA accreditation cannot be confirmed if they are not already on the system as an untrained steward. If you have any difficulties updating the system, please either contact the Region’s RMS team at rms@unison.co.uk or the LMD Team at LMD@unison.co.uk for assistance.
Course fees
- Course fees are indicated for each course advertised on our web pages. Branches will be charged course fees by automatic deduction after the course has finished and will receive notification of intention to deduct funds.
Expenses
- Travel and subsistence costs are paid by the branch. Please make your reps aware of the branch’s procedure for claiming expenses.
Facilitation / special dietary needs
- If an applicant has a specific facilitation requirement that will assist them to fully participate in the course, it is important they provide full details on their course application form. The same applies to delegates with specific dietary requirements.
Accommodation
- Activist courses are non-residential. If your rep requires overnight accommodation, the branch is responsible for booking this and for the payment of any associated costs.
Course cancellations
- If a delegate cannot attend a course it is essential they urgently contact the LMD Team at LMD@unison.co.uk who will seek to fill the place.
Course cancellations will be charged as follows and apply to both in-person and online courses:
| Scenario | Cancellation charges |
|
Cancellation notified after the closing date but before the start of the course and a replacement delegate can be found
|
No charge |
|
Cancellation notified after the closing date but before the start of the course and a replacement delegate cannot be found
|
Course fee charged or actual course costs (i.e. venue costs etc.), whichever is the greater |
|
Failure to attend the course
|
Course fee charged or actual course costs (i.e. venue costs etc.), whichever is the greater
|
|
Cancellation of facilitation arrangements
|
Facilitation costs charged |
Appeals against cancellation charges should be directed to the Regional Organiser (Education) in the first instance.
Time off to attend workplace rep courses
- Stewards, health & safety representatives and union learning representatives in workplaces that recognise UNISON have a legal right to paid time off to attend training relevant to their role. This applies to both in-person and online courses.
- Please encourage your rep to arrange time off with their employer as soon as possible and assist them should they have any difficulties in this regard. The ‘Application to the Employer for Time Off’ form is available on the LMD web pages, which reps can use to apply to their employer for time off. Reps should keep a copy of the completed form and pass a copy to the branch as a record of what has been agreed. Completed time off forms do not need to be sent to the region.