Learning FAQs

Login to our Learning hub with your UNISON login and password. When you have found a course, click on the button that says 'Enrol in this course.' Your place will be confirmed once your request is approved.

There is no fee for UNISON College member learning events.

For activist training, your branch will cover the course fee and your reasonable expenses, including overnight accommodation where appropriate. If you do not turn up or cancel late, your branch may may still be charged, particularly for residential courses.

Courses are often in high demand and have waiting lists if we exceed numbers. We therefore ask members to notify us as soon as possible so we can offer the place to others. You can also cancel your booking from the Learning hub.

If you are a UNISON activist, you should approach your line manager to arrange time off in the same way you would for annual leave. More details on arranging time off can be found in the FAQ on facility time.

Our courses are friendly and informal. Our training aims to make learning a fun, rather than a daunting, experience. Everyone’s views and experiences are listened to. 

You will mostly work in small groups. You will not be lectured at, but given every opportunity to participate, and there is no exam at the end, unlike school or college.

No, you don’t need to have any qualifications in order to be able to attend a UNISON College course. 

For some advanced activist training courses, you may need to have completed other UNISON College courses in order to be able to apply, but this will be made clear on the course listing.

There are no exams or tests. Instead, the tutor will follow discussions and make sure that everyone understands the course. But you won’t be suddenly called upon to give answers. Our aim is to make learning fun rather than a daunting experience. 

UNISON College policy is to use accessible venues. Our aim is to ensure that all our members can participate fully in our courses, whatever their needs. For example, members might need materials provided in a particular format, to have the use of specific furniture, or to have course materials provided in advance. Due to the wide range of possible support needs, it is important you let us know as soon as possible so we can meet your needs as best we can. 

For activist training, if you have childcare or other caring responsibilities and you are attending training away from home or when you would not normally be at work, UNISON or your branch will provide a crèche or cover the cost of care.

Courses usually take place within the working day, beginning after 9am and finishing before 5pm. You should always check the times given on the course listing to ensure that you will be able to attend.

Weekend residential courses usually begin on the Friday afternoon and finish after lunch on the Sunday. You will be sent full details of timings with your joining instructions.

Most non-residential courses are held in UNISON's office in your region or in a community or public sector building.

Courses from the national training programme are usually held at the UNISON Centre, London. You should check the course listing for details of the venue.

Some of our courses are delivered partly or wholly online. We and our providers use various online video conferencing platforms, for example, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. You should check the course listing carefully to make sure that the course is delivered in a way that is suitable for you. 

You can expect the same friendly and informal approach as in our classroom-based courses, although arrangements will be different from course to course. 

For example, in a webinar, your camera and microphone would probably remain switched off and you might put questions using a text-based question and answer function, but in an online workshop you might be talking to other members in a virtual breakout room. The course listing will give you more details of what to expect.

Facility time is time off from an individual’s job, granted by the employer, to enable a rep to carry out their trade union role. This can include time off to complete trade union related training, which might be in person, online, or hybrid.

In workplaces where the trade union is recognised, trade union representatives (including stewards, health and safety reps, and learning reps) have a right to paid time off for the purpose of carrying out their trade union duties or to take part in union training. 

Where there isn’t a recognition agreement or facility time agreement, reps should seek advice from their branch in the first instance in regards to time off for training.

You will need to request facility time from your manager in order to receive time off to complete the course. As soon as you have the dates of the course you would like to complete, approach your manager and request the facility time you require. 

Try and give them as much notice as possible and make sure to specify the amount of uninterrupted time needed to complete the course and any tutorial dates/times that you must attend.

The course listings will tell you how much time you will need to complete the course, and whether there will be any tasks that need to be completed outside of the formal course times. If so, we recommend that you dedicate time to complete the course each week. It can be hard to complete the course if you are unsure when you will get an opportunity to complete the coursework. 

If you are experiencing difficulties in obtaining time off for union training, please contact your branch or region.

If a course is advertised as being residential, the team that has organised it will book your accommodation for you. If you have any specific needs, please ensure that you make the organisers aware of this at the time of booking.

For activist training, if you have childcare or other caring responsibilities and you are attending training away from home or when you would not normally be at work, UNISON or your branch will provide a crèche or cover the cost of care.

Courses delivered at UNISON Centre will start at 11am to provide sufficient time for members to travel. For a three-day course, accommodation will be booked for day one and day two (if requested); for a two-day course, accommodation will be booked for day one, as members will travel home on the last day.

For national courses, UNISON will only meet the cost of accommodation booked by the national UNISON College team. A minimum of seven days’ notice is required for any accommodation requests or changes to bookings. 

Accommodation for the night before a course will be considered if a member: 

• lives a considerable distance from the course venue, therefore travel and arriving on time would be difficult;
• has a mobility issue that makes it too tiring/difficult for them to travel on the morning of the course.

Accommodation for the night after the course will be considered if a member: 

• has a mobility issue that makes it too tiring/difficult for them to travel on the last day of the course.

To request overnight accommodation, you should contact your regional education team or the national UNISON College team, depending on who has organised the course. 

A minimum of seven days’ notice is required for any accommodation requests or changes to bookings.