Unions

Unions partner with Get SET (Skills, Education and Training) programs because many members are held back not by technical ability, but by gaps in reading, writing, numeracy, and digital confidence. This affects safety, promotion and participation in union life. Get SET programs offer worker‑centred, confidential learning supports that respect seniority, shift work and adult experience. This gives unions a practical way to back members’ rights to education and fair access to training.

CUPE’s 2020 report Influences: Lessons from policy and practices in literacy and essential skills in Canada, 1990–2019 reviews how unions have supported literacy, how that work has shifted with Skills for Success, and recommends that unions re‑assert basic skills as part of their core labour agenda.

Here are a few ways on how LNO can support unions.

• Joint workplace programs through Get SET service providers that integrate essential skills (reading, document use, math, computer skills, problem‑solving) into health and safety, apprenticeship preparation or job‑specific training.
• Tailored assessments and workshops that help members upgrade for certifications, promotion competitions, or return to school.

For example, LiUNA partnered with Literacy Link South Central because many members needed stronger math, document use and technical reading skills to succeed in apprenticeship, site safety, and advancement.  Through Get SET service providers, members receive customized foundational skills training aligned with construction tasks.  This improves confidence, training success and job mobility while the union demonstrates concrete support for its members’ learning.  Find more information here.