Community delighted as Chancellor reinstates important skills fund

Community has welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement that the Union Learning Fund (ULF) will be reinstated in England after it was scrapped in 2021 under the Tories.

The ULF, which was set up in 1998 to increase access to learning and training in workplaces, will be hugely beneficial in helping to address the workplace skills shortage in England.

Community Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid said:

“We warmly welcome the Chancellor’s announcement on the reinstatement of the Union Learning Fund in England. This represents a win for workers and businesses.

“The ULR supported thousands of our members across England with workplace education and skills training until it was scrapped by the Tories in 2021, and our members in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – where the scheme was upheld – have continued to benefit from it.

“The Chancellor’s decision today will open up opportunities, and we look forward to working with the Government to ensure as many of our members as possible can participate in the renewed programme. Again, this demonstrates that the Labour Government is firmly on the side of working people.”