Stage, Screen & Radio - October/November 2014 - 18

Go to www.bectu.org.uk/get-involved/join-bectu

Training for life

BECTU's highly respected training department trains the union's reps
network, but also provides members with courses to help your career

JOHN CRUMPTON

T

he union runs a bespoke training programme
for those members who want to be BECTU
representatives in their workplace. BECTU
trains its representatives to a high level and they
are accredited by the union; employers give paid
time off for reps to receive this training.
The regular programme consists of the following
elements:
* Reps Part 1 (key skills for union reps)
* Reps Part 2 (representing members)
Once you have completed these two courses you
are accredited as a BECTU rep. We know for you to
get the most out of this role you need the skills and
knowledge to support your fellow branch members.
Twice a year, to help with this, we offer specific
additional training days, such as:
* Negotiating skills
* Employment law
* Campaigning
There are similar courses for health & safety
and union learning reps.
We understand it can be hard to go up to a
colleague and ask them to join the union, or to stress
the importance of joining BECTU. These courses give
you the confidence and skills to do just that. Many
times members will come to their rep when their
working lives are at a low ebb, and a confident,
knowledgeable rep can be a huge asset and a
great help.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING FOR BECTU MEMBERS

We have an active and vibrant training department
with externally funded projects in Scotland, with
the BECTU Vision Project, in England with Creative
Professional Development, and CULT Cymru in
Wales. We deliver, as far as possible, what our
members tell us they need to enable them to get
on in their chosen career. We run editing and
post-production courses, first aid, technical skills
and our freelance toolkit, helping freelances to gain
proficiency in managing finances, networking,
interview and presentation and using social media
for work, as well as involvement in many other
training initiatives.
We have recently piloted a City and Guilds intro
to training qualification to enable our highly skilled
members to pass on their expertise to the
next generation.
We have developed our own
Creative Industries Safety
Passport accredited by IOSH,
teaching members to take
personal responsibility
for their own H&S at
work; so far we have
delivered this to
I joined BECTU after attending an open meeting at the BBC about the
over 750
annual pay negotiation. It impressed me how the union was conducting
individuals
negotiations and representing the members and I was inspired to join. I was
working in the
interested to get more involved and a union official recommended I become a
creative
rep. I attended courses at BECTU head office to learn about the role of a rep and
industries. We
how to represent members. This was a great opportunity to get to know other
offer information,
reps and discover how the union organises campaigns in different workplaces.
advice and
Since becoming a rep I've held local meetings with my management and
guidance sessions
members and attended official meetings with other BECTU reps and officials.
to those still in
This has given me an insight into how decisions are made and issues
education and
negotiated, and I'm playing a much more active role in what's happening
support those who
at work. Another invaluable resource has been the supportive union
need assistance with
officials I've met. They have been helpful in proposing practical
their professional
solutions, structuring arguments and relating issues in my
development.
workplace to other campaigns. I'm looking forward to
For more information go
starting a TUC diploma in employment law and
to www.bectu.org.uk/trainingfurther work with BECTU.
development .
Emmanuel Whinnery

"I was impressed
at the union's pay
negotiations"

18

Save money
through
BECTU Plus
Supporting members at
work is central to what
BECTU does and you will
have read here about the
range of assistance BECTU
provides. In addition to
those all-important core
benefits, the union
provides BECTU Plus,
a package of additional
support which includes
savings on products
familiar to us all.
In the first half of 2014,
BECTU members saved an
average of £81.70 on home
insurance; during the same
period BECTU members
saved an average of £56.41
on car insurance and there
were average savings of
£13.18 on travel insurance
too.
MACS AND ENERGY

BECTU Plus also includes
a dedicated BECTU Apple
store with savings on
MacBook, iPad, iMac and
more. Since this was made
available to members, the
total spend has been
£68,671 which points to
discounts which are
worth looking at. And as
the nights draw in and
temperatures fall, it's
worth knowing that
members' use of the
comparison service,
Member Energy, the
service which compares
energy tariffs, shows
average member savings
of £204.57 when switching
to a cheaper tariff.
BECTU emails members
periodically to highlight
offers available through
BECTU Plus so make sure
we have your up to date
email address. Log in to
our website to view the
full range of offers
available through BECTU
Plus: www.bectu.org.uk/
bectu-plus

Stage Screen & Radio October/November 2014
http://www.bectu.org.uk/get-involved/join-bectu http://www.bectu.org.uk/training-development http://www.bectu.org.uk/bectu-plus http://www.bectu.org.uk/training-development http://www.bectu.org.uk/bectu-plus
Stage, Screen & Radio - October/November 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Stage, Screen & Radio - October/November 2014
