SIPTU College, Ireland’s only Trade Union College, is committed to the principle of worker empowerment through knowledge.
Trade union and political education fosters activism and workplace democracy, by delivering courses designed and delivered by trade unionists for trade unionists, to equip Shop Stewards, activists and Union staff with the knowledge and skills to explore and articulate alternative arguments to the those put forward in the mainstream media.
Head of SIPTU College, Eira Gallagher, commenting on Educate to Organise, said: “It is vital to recognise the important role that trade union education and training plays in the lives of our members. Not only does SIPTU College provide skills-based training for workplace representatives, it also provides a ‘second chance’ for education, a very real and tangible opportunity for many of our members who did not have the chance to attend further or higher education after leaving school.”
The Certificate in Trade Union Studies programme sits at Level 6 on the National Qualifications Framework. SIPTU College delivers this course in conjunction with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the National College of Ireland. Trade Union Studies offers a valuable opportunity to earn a recognised educational award.
Pam Kennedy, who works as a Clerical Assistant with Bus Éireann studied the Trade Union Studies programme as a student in the Sligo area. She started the programme in January 2022. She said, “having never had any college experience before, the fear and panic that gripped me was almost enough to make me hightail it in the other direction”.
That fear Pam spoke of is common among learners returning to adult education but in SIPTU College our Learning Coordinators are there with participant learners every step of the way, guiding and supporting their learning journey. Learners are encouraged to engage in class discussions and engage with the group work sessions.
Gallagher added: “Our philosophy is centred on collaborative learning, where every experience is valuable and we all learn by sharing our knowledge.”
Pam said: “I settled myself in and started my first module and I never looked back”.
SIPTU College is continually working to ensure the learning environment is one where students are comfortable to fully participate and have the opportunity to reach their full learning potential. This environment is one where Pam flourished, she said: “I gained confidence, knowledge and a sense of achievement that has stayed with me every day”.
Pam is quite right to carry that sense of achievement with her every day and she is just one of the Class of ’24 that graduated with their Level 6 Certificates in the National College of Ireland last November. “I’m delighted to say I graduated last November and I’ve never felt so proud. The smiles on my family’s faces and the cert in my hand made all the hard work well worth it”, she added.
The Certificate in Trade Union Studies is a two-year part-time programme, delivered in modules. There are four core modules delivered over 10 weeks and four elective modules delivered over five weeks in our learning centres in Dublin, Limerick, Galway, Sligo and Tullamore.
As a SIPTU member, if you would like to follow in the footsteps of learners like Pam and countless other TUS graduates, and maybe get a second chance at attaining a recognised educational award, now is the time to consider studying with SIPTU College.
For further information e-mail college@siptu.ie