Cushla Wilson

View comments from Cushla Wilson, Literacy Advisor with the Council of Trade Unions, taken at the Literacy Forum in Wellington, May 2011.

Key content

Cushla explains the literacy role of learning reps and describes the possible social capital of increased literacy capability.

Transcript

Learning reps are workers in the workplace on the shop floor, who are trained to promote industry training but life long learning generally, not just specifically industry training. We do put an emphasis on industry training. And adult literacy is a part of that, so the learning reps are trained in adult literacy awareness. They advocate for literacy provision in their workplaces, either through their ITO or with a literacy provider.

We actually generate, we’re generating demand for literacy through the union reps program. We’re hearing that there’s not enough, there’s not enough provision out there. But we’re also hearing that where it is in workplaces, it’s successful. We’d like to look at it beyond things like how it manifests and increases productivity etc, we’re looking for social capital as well, how it impacts on the learners the whole of their lives, and their contribution to society and their citizenship, that’s imperative.