If his words are lost to the swirling wind, there is no
misunderstanding Dr Reinhard Schiebler’s message.
Exposed to the elements outside the new unite learning centre at
Glatfelter, the company’s operations director tells the 
assembled
crowd:
“I have worked in a lot of places around the world but I have
never seen anything like this. It is a showcase of collaboration
and I hope it is just the start.”
Dr Schiebler, who arrived in the Forest of Dean from Germany
earlier that morning, adds: “I feel really proud to be here today
and I hope you feel the same.
“The learning centre is a great resource and a great opportunity
for the people to improve their skills, learn more and be fit for
the future. It’s a great opportunity to create our own success
story.”
The launch is a triumph for Union Learning Rep (ULR) Tim Heward,
who has worked at the paper mill for over 25 years.
“We were in hard times last year, we had potential lay-offs
and machine shuts and thought, what could we do to help move this
site forward?” he says.
“We spoke to Brendan Parkinson, the regional learning organiser
for Unite, and also bought on board Declan Lynch, the company’s HR
manager because if the company wasn’t on board, this was going to
be a waste of time.”
With the idea of a learning centre gaining currency among his
colleagues, Tim volunteered to attend a course to become a ULR.
“One of us had to go to away to the Unite College in Esher,
Surrey for a total of 10 days, and muggins here got lumbered with
it,” he chuckles.
“Well, I say ‘lumbered’ but I really enjoyed it. Becoming a ULR
gave me the skills, the knowledge and the confidence to put all
this together, as well as obtaining a level 3
qualification”
‘All this’ is the £50,000 newly-refurbished on-site Portakabin,
kitted out with new computers, an interactive whiteboard and office
equipment, to give a true 21st century learning environment. The
joint venture is already a success, with more than 50 Glatfelter
employees already enrolled on IT classes, with other courses to
follow.
“I’m doing an introduction to word processing and computer
skills,” says Unite Deputy F.O.C Patrick Deacon. “It’s a bit
mind-blowing at times, but I’m enjoying it and it’ll help me in my
job.”
Glatfelter management sees the collaboration as a positive move
towards helping the company weather the credit crunch storm, as
Declan Lynch explains:
“Given the fierce global competition to serve our markets,
Glatfelter is proud of the collaborative solution to enhance the
skills of our workers.
“This collective commitment represents an investment of our
workforce and our future as we pursue our vision to become the
global supplier of choice in speciality papers and engineered
products.
“Supporting our employees in their desire to enhance their
learning and develop new skills will be central to our strategy in
developing a sustainable skills base into the future.”
This is printed from an article by Tim
Lezard (Freelance writer and editor, 07810 641 459) written
for the TUC/unionlearn. Pictures by Clint Randall (www.pixelphotography.co.uk)
