feature Skills
THE SKY’S THE LIMIT
Learning skills at Canary Wharf
A partnership between Unite and Canary Wharf has been supporting learners across the construction sector for nearly a quarter of century, resulting in thousands of workers receiving training and qualifications.
The Canary Wharf Learning Centre (CWLC) has been delivering training in the heart of the docklands since 2000 when it was set up as a partnership between Canary Wharf Contractors and Unite, UCATT at the time, with support from the Union Learning Fund.
The Centre provides Lifelong Learning, training and skills in partnership with employers, community groups and education providers specifically for the construction sector.
Since starting they have moved around the area, setting up home in seven different sites, including a barge,
but always kept true to their aim of providing easy access to a range of courses with qualified staff to train and support learners helping to improve their job opportunities and living and work standards.
Unite’s Kirsty Dunlop (pictured below) is the director of client services at CWLC. Kirsty works closely with Trevor Simpson, Unite convenor and health and safety rep at Canary Wharf Contractors, to deliver courses that help union members and other workers achieve qualifications that will help them develop successful careers in the construction industry.
Kirsty explained, “The centre has made a huge difference since it started in the humble beginnings of a disused barge on one of the docks with a couple of
laptops and seven rats. In that time around 15,000 learners have gone through the centre.
“We currently have plenty of facilities we can access to support learners. We have a training room for delivering in person learning for up to 16 people, and a separate computer testing room where learners can use our five computers to take online exams.”
This ability to deliver learning on the actual site has huge benefits for workers, who don’t need to travel to a separate College, but can instead fit learning around shift patterns.
This proved particularly useful during Covid when many learning providers were closed. Construction never
14 unite buildingWORKER Autumn 2024
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