Public and Commercial Services Union

Every PCS regional centre organises a programme of training courses for reps.

These courses are non-residential and are usually held in PCS regional centres, in local colleges or at employers' premises.

All regions run six core courses. These are:

• An introduction to PCS 
• Organising
• Handling personal cases
• Tackling discrimination in the workplace
• Negotiating Skills
• Union learning reps

Many other courses are available as needs are identified.

If you have identified a particular need then your branch should contact your regional learning officer.

An introduction to PCS

This is a three-day course aimed at new branch representatives - or members who wish to become representatives. All new representatives are encouraged to attend this course. 

The course aims to develop your understanding of how PCS works as well as developing your skills and confidence.

The course covers all aspects of union activity including:

• your role and rights as a rep
• how PCS is organised and how policy is made
• the role of branches, groups and associations
• resolving local issues
• recruiting new members.

The course is designed to equip representatives with the basics they need to know to allow them to identify areas of interest where they may like to undertake more training and begin to develop in their role as a rep.

Through the activities you will also develop transferable skills that will assist you in your role representing members.

As you work through the course you will build an invaluable resource pack that will include information related to your own workplace.

Welcome to PCS is fully accredited by the National Open College Network.

Organising

This three-day course is designed for PCS branch organisers and reps who wish to improve union organisation in the workplace.

The aims of the course are to help you to:

• gain a clear understanding of the union’s National Organising Strategy and why it is important
• fully understand the role of the branch organiser
• improve your organising & campaigning skills and develop a plan to take back to your workplace.

Handling personal cases

This three-day course aims to help you to:

• develop best practice
• develop skills for handling day-to-day issues
• understand, identify and use relevant procedures/agreements within your workplace
• build confidence in using in-house procedures
• develop interviewing and negotiating skills
• gather information around issues, to find out where to go to find out information.
 

Tackling discrimination in the workplace

This course focuses on dealing with discrimination and cases with a discrimination element.

It covers the law affecting discrimination on grounds of sex, race, disability religion or belief, and will enable the rep to apply the law at work in both personal and collective cases.

Negotiating skills

This three-day course is aimed at PCS representatives who negotiate with management. It will be particularly useful for representatives who are new to negotiations. The course aims to help you to: consider best practice; develop planning skills; and practice negotiations.

The course covers:

• agreements and procedures
• planning negotiations
• preparing for negotiations
• developing a strategic approach.

Negotiating skills is fully accredited by the National Open College Network.

Union learning reps

This course aims to help union learning representatives to:

• encourage the take up of learning in the workplace
• help members to identify their learning & skills interests/ needs
• support members in planning and managing their learning
• work with colleges, learndirect and other organisations to bring learning into the workplace
• strengthen the presence of PCS in their workplaces

Learning rep courses are five-day courses, usually held either one day a week over five weeks or as a 2 or 3 day block.

The courses are organised by PCS regions and taught by TUC tutors. The learning representatives course is fully accredited by the National Open College Network.

Once you have been nominated as a learning rep you will automatically be allocated a place on a course in your region.