New online Union Rep training launched
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 125 No 6, 14 August 2020, page no.4
The Queensland Teachers’ Education Centre (QTEC) is the training arm of the QTU, delivering a range of training for QTU members, workplace representatives and other activists.
As we continue to work through these challenging times, the QTU has been developing a new online training course for brand new Union Reps, to bridge the gap for those who have been unable to attend normal face-to-face training during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new course, being developed by a team of QTU officers and staff, will be delivered for the first time in August in two, separate two-hour online Zoom sessions. Participants can access two half-days of industrial relations education leave to participate and will be able to join in from either work or home.
The new training program will form part of a broader review into the current training framework for our honorary officials, which will include an updating of course content, modes of delivery, activity-based training and the creation of some self-paced learning content to complement face-to-face and online training. This new training framework will include mandatory core content and some more flexible content that can be tailored to the skills and interests of the participants.
The first course is being trialed in August in Metro, North Queensland, Logan/Redlands and the Gold Coast. It will include foundation content for new QTU Representatives, including:
- Union values
- the role, rights, and responsibilities of Reps
- talking to potential members about the benefits of joining the QTU
- the role and function of your local consultative committee (LCC)
- communicating with and engaging members in the workplace.
Once the course has been delivered, it will be reviewed and offered more broadly across the state. This mode of delivery will not replace our traditional face-to-face training sessions, it will complement them, and will be particularly valuable for members in remote and isolated communities where travelling to training is not logistically possible.
The QTU will also be designing some small online modules to assist members and position holders in accessing online training in a self-paced package. These will also complement our direct delivery training.
The role of Union Representative is the most important in the QTU, supporting members on the ground in the workplace. Ensuring our volunteer representatives have access to the quality training they need to undertake this important role is a priority of the Union.