The Union Learning Fund (ULF) is not used to directly fund the provision of education or training courses. Over the last five years my Department has provided £86 million to help trade unions boost their capacity as learning organisations and use their influence with employers, employees and learning providers to encourage greater take up of learning in the workplace.
There are now over 23,000 trained Union Learning Representatives who, supported by ULF, have helped more than 800,000 workers back into learning since the Fund was introduced in 1998. Over 220,000 were helped last year, many from those hard to reach groups, who employers and training providers find it so difficult to engage with, including over 33,000 workers with poor basic literacy and numeracy skills.