Lily Allen in TUC learning film

Today unionlearn, the TUC's learning and skills organisation, will launch a new animated film called Kate and Umar's Incredible Learning Journey. Featuring cartoon characters of Lily Allen and the Levellers, the ten-minute animation is intended to reach new audiences and encourage individuals to return to learning.

The film celebrates the contribution trade unions are making to tackling the skills crisis in the UK and how they are improving individuals' skills. It will be shown at Glastonbury and broadcast to a wider audience through You-Tube, MySpace, and Facebook. Unionlearn worked with animator Laurie Peters, famous for his work on the record-breaking Ricky Gervais Podcast and BAFTA-winning script-writer Danny Stack.

The film features Kate, a Union Learning Rep (ULR) and Umar, a would-be learner and highlights the work of over 18,000 Union Learning Reps throughout the country. Unions and ULRs are helping a wide range of people to retrain or improve their skills. For example, the Professional Footballers Association has helped ex-footballers to retrain in professions as diverse as wine tasting, law, theology, and teachers.

Over 150,000 individuals have been helped by their unions to access literacy, numeracy, and IT courses, as well as higher education, Continuing Professional Development, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The film also has Polish, Spanish, and Portuguese sub-titles.

Liz Smith, unionlearn director said:

'This animation is a first for the TUC's unionlearn and we are pleased to be reaching new audiences with the learning message. Through showing this DVD at events such as Glastonbury and other music festivals we will be able to encourage people from all walks of life to consider how their unions can help them with their education. There has been a quiet revolution in the workplace, in which trade unions and Union Learning Reps are helping to improve the workforce's skills, which benefits employers, individuals, and the economy.'

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