Campaign for Learning gearing up the nation for another Learning at Work Week

Campaign for Learning is celebrating the 24th Learning at Work Week this week (16th-22nd May). The theme, Learning Uncovered, is focused on raising the profile of lifelong learning at work and encouraging everyone to uncover and share their learning power.

Organisations in the South West are taking part, including Taking Care and UWE Bristol, who have planned some exciting activities for their teams.

The national celebration is calling on employers across the country to promote a learning culture for all in their organisation. The Learning at Work Week website has everything employers need to create great activities with impact, from an idea's generator and planning advice to promotional materials and free resources.

Businesses this year are already empowering colleagues with thousands of learning opportunities on topics such as digital skills, sustainability, wellbeing and internal career paths. 

Taking Care, the UK’s leading personal alarm provider is marking Learning at Work Week with a combination of high-profile guest speakers, including Sally Gunnell OBE and Justin Hughes, a former Tornado pilot and Red Arrows flyer, and sessions delivered by their Devon based teams to colleagues in Exeter and Ashburton.

Janet Craig – Learning & Development Manager at Taking Care said: We are delighted to welcome both Sally and Justin to our LAWW event and are equally excited to have key internal people in addition to professional coaches/mentors, who have given up their time for people to learn about subjects outside of the work arena.  

“This really captures the spirit of what Taking Care and Learning at Work Week is all about; where a genuine desire to be the best and learn about new skills and topics really is key to our personal and company development”

UWE Bristol are focusing on digital skills for Learning at Work Week. Colleagues will be able to join live webinars, discover new tools and sign up for the University’s digital skills programme to develop their digital capability.

Sam Crowley – Learning and Development Consultant (Digital) at UWE said: “Our focus on digital skills and capability supports UWE’s 2030 strategy. We are collaborating across the University to inspire staff to become digitally empowered and putting a spotlight on the digital talent we already have.

“Through a series of webinars and short sessions, we aim to build digital confidence and spark interest in further learning opportunities. This includes our Digital Skills programme, which is based on the JISC model and awards digital and physical badges to mark achievement. We are delighted that new people are getting involved to support these activities and the enthusiasm they are bringing to the week.”

Employer-led events for Learning at Work Week demonstrate the importance of lifelong learning and how it helps both organisations and people respond positively to change. Learning at Work Week is about uncovering the learning potential in all of us. Organisers around the country are running sessions to help their people unlock their learning power – from tasters of bite-size learning to using coaching techniques, from discovering new qualifications and apprenticeships to finding new career journeys.

There’s still time for your organisation to take part. There are free activities running through the week including free webinars from the Campaign for Learning and Learning at Work Week national partners. To get started, use the five simple steps and ideas generator at www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk/five-steps.

Julia Wright, National Director of Campaign for Learning, said: “Our organisations have immense learning power. They have a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience that their people have gained from work, life and learning. A big element of Learning at Work Week is the opportunity for everyone to collaborate on learning and share what they know. Learning at Work Week events will uncover colleagues’ ‘hidden powers’ and amplify learning through internal talks and workshops, masterclasses, Q&As and social media.

“As the World Economic Forum highlights ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ technologies will have a massive impact on our jobs and work affecting millions of people. Events likeLearning at Work Week give us a space to explore what this means and the lifelong learning we need to navigate these changes and thrive.”