National Learning at Work Day,
the biggest annual celebration of workplace learning,
took place on Thursday 22 May 2009.

"Come With Us & Learn Centre" Northallerton, North Yorkshire.
‘Sustainable Workplaces’ was this years theme

Workers at the BT depot in Northallerton celebrated Learning at Work Day by taking part in activities as diverse as Tai Chi, Indian Cookery, Family learning, IT skills and Polish language.

Workplaces throughout the region hosted special events designed to encourage people to try something a bit different and to learn something new. BT workers in Northallerton spent their lunch break performing Tai Chi and lessons in learning to cook Indian food proved particularly popular at the Depot on Darlington Road.

Many workers also tried their hand at IT studies and basic skills such as reading and writing all of which were organised by John Brookes from Stockton Adult Education.

Workers Stephen Whitehead, Steven Weighell and Matthew Bond said “The Tai Chi looked easy but when we took part it was a different story and the fresh hot Indian food cooked there right before our eyes yumm! Delicious but it soon all disappeared.”

John Blevins, who works at the BT depot in Northallerton, said: “The scope and scale of these events shows just how important learning is to people at work. Union learning reps are creating fantastic opportunities for staff to return to learning and discover new talents. We know that when people have a taste of learning they want to continue and they gain more and more confidence. We also know that a skilled workforce also benefits employers and raises productivity.”

The events are funded by unionlearn's Learning at Works Day Fund.