The fruits of good partnership

The Castleford Community Learning Centre (CCLC) was saved from closure three years ago thanks to the collaboration of the WEA. It is now transformed and recognised as a centre for adult and community learning.

At the time of the aftermath of the miners’ strike, the CCLC became one of the pioneers of community learning, establishing key partnerships with the university of Leeds and local education providers such as the WEA. However by 2006 cuts in adult education funding meant that CCLC was facing the possibility of closure. In response to this WEA’s solution was to relocate the WEA’s TUC activist provision to CCLC. This allowed the centre to remain open while also maintaining WEA’s status as a TUC-approved provider in Yorkshire.

In addition, thanks to the support of unionlearn, the centre has been totally transformed and the WEA’s TUC activist provision is going from strength to strength.

“CCLC provides a very friendly and supportive environment which has had a positive impact on the overall quality of teaching and learning,” says WEA/TUC Course Coordinator Brian Chadwick in last autumn’s National Union Learn publication.

“WEA tutors and trade union learners are very comfortable here: they are made to feel at home and look forward to coming back and doing another course.”

The WEA’s relocation to Castleford has helped it develop new union partnerships and a more diverse and interesting trade union curriculum. It has opened up access to trade union education for new communities and the facilities and teaching resources have improved significantly.

“Moving to CCLC was the best thing we could have done: it’s pleasing to see so many organisation pulling together in the same direction and sharing the same principles and values and providing a valuable service to unions, union reps and wider sections of the community ,” says Brian.