CALLS are being made for the Government to scrap plans to axe the Union Learning Fund.

The TUC in Yorkshire and the Humber and Aegis the Union say the fund has helped many people across the district learn skills and gain workplace opportunities.

Supporters say Keighley Apprenticeship Hub and schools are among those to have benefited from the fund.

Aegis the Union assistant general secretary, Brian McDaid, said the scheme had made “an enormous contribution” to improving access to skills.

And TUC regional secretary Bill Adams said: “From basic skills to helping people learn English – and retraining for the jobs of the future – union learning transforms lives. It has made a massive contribution in the Bradford district, offering invaluable support for typically hard-to-reach learners.

“Union learning is a local and national success story. Over the past 20 years, it has a fantastic track record of getting people back into learning and has helped millions gain qualifications – including here in North and West Yorkshire. We are urging government to rethink this decision and save union learning.”