SINCE 1998, the Union Learning Fund (ULF) has supported a network of 40,000 Union Learning Reps (ULRs) to help working people boost their job prospects, get greater job satisfaction and of course, earn more money.

That network of ULRs has proved especially effective at helping learners with few or no qualifications, because trade unions are best placed to access the hardest to reach learners and transform their working lives.

Over a quarter of a million people receive training and learning opportunities through their trade unions every year.

But Union Learn isn’t just about workers — it benefits employers too and the economy as a whole. Employers benefit through better trained, more motivated staff and the economy benefits through a wider skills base, as well as greater tax receipts and national insurance contributions.

In fact, a recent research project by the University of Exeter found that for every £1 spent on union-supported learning and training, the economy gets back £12.87.

So it was a shock last year to find out that the government intended to axe their support and reduce the ULF to zero.

A campaign launched by the TUC and its affiliate trade unions to save the ULF couldn’t change their minds and in March of this year, all government funding ceased.

I was outraged by the decision — and determined that the government’s cuts would not consign Union Learn to history.

I am a directly elected mayor and as a Labour politician in power, I committed to make Union Learn even better. At the North of Tyne Combined Authority, we produced a plan, not just to rescue it, but to transform it for the post-Covid era.

Lifelong learning and workforce development are essential for an inclusive economy. I am huge supporter of the work that trade unions do in workplaces up and down the country. So it made sense to work together with the regional TUC to rebuild Union Learn.

It also fits with our Good Work Pledge, a scheme for employers who value their workforce, recognise trade unions and provide opportunities for workplace training and development.

Too many people in our region are trapped in low-paid roles with few opportunities for progression due to lack of qualifications. In North of Tyne, 18 per cent of people hold low or no qualifications and this is reflected by the fact that 23 per cent of those in work are paid below the Real Living Wage and suffering in-work poverty.

Working hand-in-hand with the unions and North of Tyne local authorities, we have now approved £430,000 to develop a two-year Union Learn project, piloting approaches to help even more low-skills workers to get qualifications and earn more.

We’ll also work closely with employers in the North of Tyne’s key sectors to champion opportunities for workplace learning, identifying gaps and encouraging joint working to fill them.

We know, in the labour movement, that trade unions are undervalued and too often derided — partly the result of an outdated and politically jaundiced view of them as “wreckers” of the economy.

The reality is very different. Where trade unions are welcomed into workplaces, they are a constructive force. Much of the work they do is hidden and unsung, like Union Learn. Unionised workplaces are more productive and have lower staff turnover.

I work closely with our trade unions and have trade union representation on our adviser boards. I meet regularly with our regional union secretaries.

We have developed a partnership with unions to create a co-operative supply agency to combat zero-hours working. We lead by example — I am proud that the North of Tyne has a gender pay gap of zero.

From the rubble of the government’s short-sighted decision to pull funding, the North of Tyne Combined Authority has been able to step up and create something positive, concrete and potentially transformative. It’s what I am here to do, just like our trade unions.

Jamie Driscoll is the North of Tyne Mayor.