Unions 21
Leading Trade Union Innovation and Learning: How Unions 21 Enable Unions to Claim Their Agency
Challenge
As an organization that focuses on innovation and future-proofing trade unions globally, Unions 21 was searching for new opportunities to demonstrate to unions that being a collective is still possible in an increasingly digital world. This was a real challenge because many unions are finding it hard to keep up with how people connect, learn, and take action today. Traditional ways of working can feel outdated, and digital tools often feel a bit disconnected or impersonal. For Unions 21, it was important to find a way to show that unions can still come together and stay relevant.
Solution
Unions 21 saw Howspace as a platform that could enable them to enhance their core mission by providing cutting-edge, accessible, and engaging online learning experiences for trade unions, thereby supporting their renewal efforts and future resilience.
Results
Howspace became the primary tool for delivering their comprehensive and unique training programs for unions. This led to an enhanced learning experience for their participants and a more empowered facilitation team that could put greater focus on building thoughtful, impactful learning journeys (without the fear of breaking anything), enabling higher learner satisfaction and engagement.
Supporting unions in times of change
Trade unions often have to grapple with external shifts like governmental policy and labor market changes while undergoing trade union renewal to stay relevant. This renewal involves challenges such as engaging new sectors, addressing the impact of digitalisation and AI, evolving internal democracy, strengthening their collective voice, and building the necessary capacity for the future.
Becky Wright, Executive Director at Unions 21, highlights that although those external forces are largely beyond the unions’ direct control:
“We have a choice in how we respond to them. And so our job is to try and help unions to think through what are the changes, what are the challenges, and then how do we respond and find our agency in that change?”
Unions 21 is an organization that leads the way in best practice and innovation for trade unions, aiming to help them build resilience today and for the future. They provide insight and support for unions through research, training, and resources, focusing on key areas like trade union renewal, digitalization, and building capacity. Based in the UK and Ireland with a European and global reach, Unions 21 leverages digital tools like Howspace to deliver quality online learning experiences, foster collaboration and community among unions, and demonstrate innovative digital practices to the trade union movement.
With a background in adult education, Becky has long been interested in and closely following the latest technical developments, especially as it relates to learning, because too often learning platforms are, in her words, “quite frankly rubbish,” because they are difficult to set up and to use.
She continues, “We won’t always get it right [at Unions 21] but we’re trying new platforms and new ways of doing things, so that we can be the guinea pigs, and some things we stick with like Howspace and some things we will try for a bit and then we’ll go off to explore new ones.”
“We won’t always get it right but we’re trying new platforms and new ways of doing things, so that we can be the guinea pigs, and some things we stick with like Howspace and some things we will try for a bit and then we’ll go off to explore new ones.”
Online learning that resembles an engaging, inclusive classroom experience
While Unions 21 had previously used meetings software for online interactions, they aimed to create a more immersive and effective learning environment that fostered a sense of community and active participation, similar to an in-person classroom.
Howspace provides a user-friendly space for collaborative discussions that can be contained and referenced within a specific learning context, unlike general meeting platform chats. This dedicated space also creates a feeling of being “all together” in both asynchronous and synchronous online environments.
Becky emphasized the AI-generated sense-making features, e.g. word clouds and summaries, allow for the easy aggregation and visualization of discussions in real-time, which was missing in their meeting software. She states, “If I’m not in a room with people, it’s lovely to see all of those conversations being brought together really easily.”
Unions 21 is a big fan of the translations feature because they are acutely aware of the need to create more inclusive learning environments for many individuals who are not native English speakers. As Becky highlights:
“The Translations feature is really important for us because we’re also really conscious of being English speakers in a European world and we want people to feel like they can still contribute meaningfully. You might have to listen to us in English, but you can write your thoughts and communicate in a way that feels more genuine and authentic to you.”
The translation feature in Howspace is a key tool in their efforts to create these inclusive environments where language is less of a barrier to participation and learning.
Finally, it also helps that Howspace’s interface is also modern and fresh or as Becky’s children would say, “aesthetic.” This enhances user-friendliness for both the Unions 21 team and their members, making the platform easy to use and less intimidating for the less digitally savvy.
Higher engagement, stronger participation
The impact of Howspace has been immediate and significant. Unions 21 saw high engagement levels in their online courses, with their AI fundamentals course achieving an 80% completion rate.
Becky from Unions 21 highlighted that this impressive completion rate was likely “a combination of Howspace — what we could do within Howspace — coupled with us spending the time to really think about the content and the pathway and linking that all in.”
She also emphasized that anyone on her team, regardless of their technical background, can confidently use the platform without fear of “breaking it”. This ease of use is crucial as it empowers the team to create well-designed and engaging learning spaces effectively, leading to greater learner commitment.
This pedagogical focus ensures that their sessions are not just about course completion but about creating genuinely valuable and impactful learning experiences for union members and leaders. Howspace enables them to deliver a “quality learning experience online that’s related to their everyday union job” and to demonstrate “that there are new ways of doing things”. This contributes to a more positive and effective learning environment, fostering a stronger connection among participants even in digital settings.
“The fact that Howspace is connected with the trade union world is actually really important to us because we feel like we’re working with an organization that understands the needs of unions and can reflect that. They don’t take them for granted. They’re not just another number. It’s an organization that is also committed to helping unions.”
The importance of a shared mission with a dedicated team
Becky also wished to emphasize the importance of a partnership grounded in a shared understanding and commitment:
“The fact that Howspace is connected with the trade union world is actually really important to us because we feel like we’re working with an organization that understands the needs of unions and can reflect that. They don’t take them for granted. They’re not just another number. It’s an organization that is also committed to helping unions.”
Her positive experience with all Howspace employees she has met reinforces this by providing valuable support and building trust.
Looking to the future, Unions 21 sees Howspace as crucial for strengthening their learning offerings, connecting education officers across Europe, and developing their community as part of their digitalization and renewal efforts.
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