GENERAL Federation of Trade Unions (GTFU) education courses will be open to unaffiliated trade unionists from today.

The federation’s Educational Trust has launched an education fund, allowing it to offer its online and residential courses to non-affiliated unions for an annual donation.

Affiliation to the GFTU requires the sign-off of the national union, resulting in free access to all of the union’s Educational Trust courses.

Bakers’ union general secretary and GFTU president Sarah Woolley said: “Over the last two years, we have seen a 100 per cent increase in the number of registrations, and in this programme alone, we have seen courses fill up six months ahead of time.

“We are constantly expanding, broadening, and deepening our educational work for the whole movement.

“The launch of the education fund today provides a way for unions to support the expansion of high-quality trade union education for all trade unionists.”

GFTU general secretary Gawain Little added: “We have seen a dramatic rise in the use of and interest in our educational courses from members of non-affiliated unions.

“We believe our combination of online and residential courses provides the much-needed development and support to help a whole new generation of trade union activists.

“Many of these coming out of the recent strike wave. We look forward to welcoming our first union branch and region.” 

Friends of the GFTU’s Educational Trust launched in Parliament in March last year.

Hosting Labour MP Richard Burgon said: “Self-educating our class is a proud tradition of the trade union movement.”

He stressed “the wide range of courses available at reasonable prices” from the trust.