The Skills Academy has been very busy preparing offerings for members this month. Upcoming courses include Workplace Representative trainings, the last chance to take Communications and Digital skills for Branches in 2024, and a brand-new course on developing positive and sustainable industrial relations locally and with the WRC.

Lunch & Learn - The role of the workplace representative in building effective industrial relations locally – Online - October 25th

Lunch & Learn is our Skills Academy’s monthly online offering to members. These hour-long sessions take place from 1-2pm on the last Friday of every month. Lunch & Learn sessions provide information on a wide variety of different topics of interest to Fórsa members.

In this month’s Lunch and Learn Brendan Cunningham, former Regional Manager with the WRC, will join us. Brendan will talk about the importance of the workplace representative, their role, and responsibilities in building sustainable working relationships and the links between local engagement and the WRC.

This session also serves as the introduction to a new workshop which Brendan will deliver. The first session is scheduled to be delivered on November 6th in Nerney’s Court.

Register for October’s Lunch and Learn here.

Last month’s Lunch and Learn is now available to be viewed online. If you missed General Secretary Kevin Callinan explaining pay determination in the public sector and the local bargaining clause you can catch up on the Skills Academy YouTube channel.

Developing a deeper understanding of the link between local Industrial relations and third-party mechanisms – Dublin – November 6th 

A new workshop aimed at workplace and branch reps who have regular engagement with local management.  This one-day course will teach reps how to develop and maintain positive and sustainable relationships between local engagement and the WRC. The first session has already been filled. New dates will be released soon.

This course is only open to members in a workplace representative or branch executive officer role who regularly engage with local management.  

Communications and Digital skills for Branches - Galway - 15th October

Only a few places remain in the last session of Communications and Digital Skills for Branches for this year. The course is designed for branch officers who regularly communicate with union members, have a basic level of understanding of social media, and the ambition to improve their branch’s communications.

Training is delivered by Hannah Deasy, Director of Communications, and Kate O'Sullivan, Director of Digital. Attendees can expect to learn on the effective use of email and other types of communication with union members, and how to gather stories and create content for social media.

Register here

Level 1 Workplace Representatives Training

Level 1 is a 3-day course for new workplace representatives, who have undertaken the Fórsa Induction session, and have little to no representative experience or training.

This course teaches participants communications skills and representative knowledge to effectively undertake the role of workplace representative and create strong teams to improve local participation to strengthen influence and achieve better outcomes.

Limerick – October 29-31st

Register here 

Cork – November 26-28th

Register here 

Level 2 Workplace Representative Training

Level 2 is delivered over 4 days and is made up of three parts which must all be completed. Participants must have completed the Level 1 course.

• Part 1: focusses on organising in the workplace (day 1) and provides practical opportunities to develop individual representative skills (day 2).
• Part 2: covers equality legislation and diversity in the workplace (day 3).
• Part 3: covers health and safety practices, risk assessment and an overview of legislation (day 4).

Galway - Part 1: 6-7th November, Part 2: January, Part 3: March

Register here

Dublin (Woodford) Part 1 (overflow course) 2-3rd April, Part 2 Tuesday 5th November 2024, Part 3: Tuesday 21st January 2025

Register here

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