SWU members can access the GFTUET Education Programme training courses free of charge*.
*With some exceptions including the Activists’ Academy and the Trade Union Leadership Innovation Programme (T.U.L.I.P), which offer a discounted rate for GFTU affiliates including SWU members.
Welcome to the General Federation of Trade Unions Educational Trust’s (GFTUET) education programme for 2026–2027.
Across the past three programmes, we have pushed ourselves further each year—because the stakes are rising. Our mission is clear: to educate, organise, and inspire the workplace leaders our movement will need in the 2030s and beyond.
This year, our programme takes a decisive turn. We are focusing our energy on one of the defining challenges of our time—the rise of the far right. Trade union education cannot stand aside from this fight. It must meet it head on. That is why we are launching two new courses, already trialled in Scotland with the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), and developed in collaboration with sister unions across the movement.
FOREWORD Rebuilding Solidarity is about more than understanding the problem—it is about action. It brings together hard data, organising strategies, political economy, and the conversational skills needed to confront division, challenge racism, and rebuild unity in our workplaces and communities.
Women’s Voices in Challenging the Far Right is a space for women to organise, resist, and lead. It takes on the far right’s cynical attempts to present itself as a defender of women and girls—and equips participants to expose and defeat those claims.
Our approach remains rooted in accessibility and collective learning: bringing people together in person, building momentum through follow-up online sessions, and opening up knowledge through free webinars for the whole movement.
But this programme is not just about resisting the far right. It is about renewal. It is about building a stronger, more confident, more united trade union movement— one that is ready to fight and win.
At the heart of this work is Quorn Grange Hotel—our “Worker’s Retreat”—a vital space where activists come As more of our programme becomes freely available, the role of our Friends of the Educational Trust and our Education Fund becomes ever more critical. They ensure that independent, movement-led education can grow, and that branches, regions, and trades councils can access the tools they need to organise and fight back.
The demand for this education shows the hunger across our movement. Courses fill fast—so book early, get involved, and be part of the fight.
We are ready. Join us.
You can also click here to view a full list of the GFTU Education Programme 2026-2027 training courses, click here for a PDF version of the full timetable of courses, or keep reading below.
Trade Union and Working Class History (Online)
Our most popular series is back. The last few years have seen a huge increase in the amount of people joining our trade union and working-class history series. This year’s theme is strikes and struggles that framed the 20th century, and is run in partnership with the Marx Memorial Library, Working Class Movement Library, and People’s History Museum.
Price: Free
Dates: These online sessions will each last for 90 minutes and begin at 7pm. See the sessions below for dates:
- 24 September 2026 – National Unemployed Workers’ Movement (NUWM)
- 22 October 2026 – Seattle General Strike (1919, United States)
- 19 November 2026 – Belgian Mass Strikes
- 21 January 2027 – May 1968 (France)
- 18 February 2027 – Hot Autumn (Italy)
- 18 March 2027 – UCS Work In
- 22 April 2027 – New Zealand General Strike 1979
- 20 May 2027 – PATCO Strike 1980
- 17 June 2027 – Bombay Textile Strike (India)
- 22 July 2027 – Spanish General Strike 1988 (Spain)
REGISTER HERE. Please note: You only need to sign up once to access all online sessions.
Watch previous Trade Union & Working Class seminars on the GFTU Educational Trust’s YouTube playlists:
- 2025-2026: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf157HLv68RCXBcIVBvh2TI_XJckeRNCy This year’s course focuses specifically on the role played by women in trade union and working class history, and are run in partnership with the Marx Memorial Library and Working Class Movement Library.
- 2024-2025: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf157HLv68RAVwnIw9fQItVXAEtW9mcWM
- 2023-2024: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf157HLv68RCFUBDzzfTQc1K0UGoj8eyZ
Young Members’ Development Weekend
Price: Free for SWU members and GFTU affiliates. £375 for non-affiliates.
Location: GFTU Quorn Grange
Dates: 13 – 15 November 2026
If you are new to union membership, then this residential event is for you! Full of inspiration, opportunity, education, and networking, this is a real chance for young members across the movement to develop their skills, gain knowledge and create links with other trade unions.
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is October 30th 2026.
Activists’ Academy
Residential Course: GFTU Quorn Grange
Alongside our high-quality courses throughout the year, everyone who signs up to a Workplace Reps Stage 1 course will automatically become part of our Activists’ Academy.
The Academy is designed to keep the learning going long after the course ends. Participants are connected with an experienced trade union mentor and become part of a peer-to-peer network, creating a space to share experiences, build confidence, and support one another in taking action.
Because the real challenge isn’t just what we learn in the classroom, it’s what we do with it back in the workplace.
The Activists’ Academy exists to bridge that gap: turning knowledge into action, and action into lasting change. It supports activists to apply their learning, overcome obstacles, and build power where it matters most.
To find out more about the Activists’ Academy, get in touch: campaigns@gftu.org.uk.
Bitesize Sessions (Online)
This year, our bitesize courses will be delivered as a flexible, correspondence-based course designed to fit around your life and commitments. Each week, over 10 weeks, participants will receive a video and a set of questions to work through in their own time. There are no live sessions, allowing you to learn at a pace that works for you.
Videos and questions will be delivered weekly every Monday at 6pm for 10 weeks.
Political Economy
Price: Free for SWU members and GFTU affiliates. £100 (£10 per session) for non-affiliates.
Dates: Every Monday from 21 September to 23 November 2026, 6pm
Bitesize Political Economy will be delivered in partnership with SOAS, University of London.
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is September 7th 2026. You only need to sign up once to access all sessions.
Employment Law
Price: Free for SWU members and GFTU affiliates. £100 (£10 per session) for non-affiliates.
Dates: Every Monday from 11 January to 15 March 2027, 6pm
Bitesize Employment Law will be delivered in partnership with The Institute of Employment Rights.
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is December 28th 2026. You only need to sign up once to access all sessions.
Equalities
Price: Free for SWU members and GFTU affiliates. £100 (£10 per session) for non-affiliates.
Dates: Every Monday from 24 May to 26 July 2027
Bitesize Equalities will be delivered in partnership with The Equality Trust.
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is May 10th 2027. You only need to sign up once to access all sessions.
Strategy Series (Online)
Strategy is not just a word. Strategy is about how we all within the trade union and wider labour movement build the power and capacity to improve workers lives. The employers have strategy, the managers have strategy, and it is vital that as a united labour movement we build our own.
Get on the Job and Organise – Lessons From ‘Salting’ in The USA
Price: Free
Dates: 15 October 2026, 7pm
Get on the Job and Organise – Lessons From ’Salting’ in The USA will be delivered by Jaz Brisack, organizer and Inside Organizer Schoolcofounder, helped unionize Starbucks, organized across companies, and authored Get on the Job and Organize: Standing Up for a Better Workplace and a Better World, published in 2025.
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is October 1st 2026.
Women, Race, Class – Strategy for Union Renewal
Price: Free
Dates: 4 February 2027, 7pm
Women, Race, Class – Strategy for Union Renewal will be delivered by Angela Davis, an American Marxist and feminist political activist, philosopher, academic, author and social theorist who was an active member in the Communist Party and the Black Panther Party. She has written extensively on women, race and class; prison abolition; democracy and freedom.
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is January 21st 2027.
Rebuilding Class-Conscious Trade Unionism
Price: Free
Dates: 10 June 2027, 7pm
Rebuilding Class-Conscious Trade Unionism will be delivered by Gawain Little, General Secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions and co-author of the book Lessons in Organising: What we can learn from the war on teachers. He was previously an education union activist.
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is May 27th 2027.
Mental Health: A Trade Union Response (Online)
Price: Free for SWU members and GFTU affiliates. £125 for non-affiliates.
Dates: 19 October 2026, 10am-4pm
We are facing a growing mental health crisis in our society. The role of our trade unions is to organise a response. Collectivising around mental health and understanding it is a health and safety issue is vital.
This course will look to equip trade union reps for union strategies to address this growing crisis.
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is October 5th 2026.
Trade Union Leadership and Innovation Programme (T.U.L.I.P)
As working people and their trade unions face unprecedented challenges, our Movement needs leaders with the skills, ideas, and drive to make the world a better and fairer place. Carrying on as we have before in the hope that more of the same will save the trade union movement is not an option.
The time for change is now and if you are a union leader who aspires to build our Movement through effective, innovative, and bold leadership, then this programme is for you.
In addition to the attended sessions, there are some great online learning materials that are included in the course, which can be accessed anytime, from anywhere via the internet.
Price: See description below.
Location: GFTU Quorn Grange
Dates:
- Thinking About Leadership: 22 – 23 October 2026
- Critical reflections on leadership and management
- Leadership in trade unions
- Thinking and acting strategically
- Creating a compelling vision
- Transforming Individuals: 18 – 19 November 2026
- Coaching and mentoring
- How do we support individuals to change?
- Changing thinking and behaviour
- How adults learn
- Developing People: 9 – 10 December 2026
- Building collaborative learning cultures
- Developing effective teams; managing difficult conversations
- Embedding development in your union
- Creating Conditions for Change: 13 – 14 January 2027
- Managing budgets; financial decisions and policy choices
- What is quality work?
- How do we create quality working environments?
- Leading Innovation and Change: 3 – 4 February 2027
- Leadership as the process of making change happen
- Managing change
- Facilitating creativity
- Developing a change project
Your Commitment
- Attend all 5 residential sessions (run over two days each at Quorn Grange Hotel, the GFTU’s Hotel in Leicestershire).
- Commit to one-to-one online sessions with the programme tutor.
- Complete the “self-study” elements according to the level you sign up to.
- Have the backing of your union in terms of course fees, time to complete the course, and the support of a mentor.
This course can be completed at various levels of accreditation.
GFTU-accredited programme
• Attend tutor led sessions
• Access to e-learning materials
• Pre-course work for each session
• Complete a learning review log
Affiliate price: £1500 / Non-affiliate price: £2000
ILM Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management
• Attend tutor led sessions
• Access to e-learning materials
• Pre-course work for each session
• Complete a learning review log
• Completion of up to 6 workbooks with associated assignments (3 of which are mandatory)
Affiliate price: £2400 / Non-affiliate price: £2900
The prices above include all accommodation, food, and course materials for the five two-day sessions outlined above.
We have very deliberately established this as a blended programme with a number of “taught” residential sessions that will be led by an experienced team of tutors who are expert in their subject area.
As a trade union run programme, we have been able to keep the costs of the total of 10 days residential training plus online modules roughly equivalent to an online only commercial training company, providing a great learning opportunity and exceptional value for you and your Union.
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is October 7th 2026.
Series in Advanced Political Economy (Online)
This online international seminar series is jointly organised by SOAS University of London, our KTP partner, the New School for Social Research in New York, and Forum for Real Economic Emancipation (FREE) in Tulsa.
The Series in Advanced Political Economy (SAPE) connects the academic discussions to the real-world power struggle and workers’ everyday lives. For each session, we will invite leading experts on the subject and analyse what’s been going on by identifying key challenges. Together with the audience, we want to think about how we can fight against the challenges and build a movement toward a more systematic change.
Energy and Food: Towards Public Ownership and Reorganising Production
Price: Free
Dates: 21 October 2026, 6-8pm
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is October 7th 2026.
Why Can’t Our Universities Be Free? Higher Education, Financialisation and Workers’ Struggle
Price: Free
Dates: 9 December 2026, 6-8pm
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is November 25th 2026.
The Resurgence of Blue-Collar Jobs? AI, ‘Bullshit’ Jobs, and NEET
Price: Free
Dates: 13 January 2027, 6-8pm
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is December 30th 2026.
Balance Sheet Imperialism and Militarism
Price: Free
Dates: 10 February 2027, 6-8pm
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is January 27th 2027.
China Ascendant: Challenger to the US, Model for the Future?
Price: Free
Dates: 17 March 2027, 6-8pm
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is March 3rd 2027.
Manchesterism: Industrial Policy and Popular Sovereignty
Price: Free
Dates: 14 April 2027, 6-8pm
REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is March 31st 2027.
Communities Taking Back Power: Decommodifying Housing and Participatory Budgeting
Price: Free
Dates: TBD
Health and Safety
Health and Safety Stage 1 (5 days)
The essential first course for new union representatives – both shop stewards and safety representatives. The course is split into a 3-day residential course followed by two further days delivered online. We will explore the trade union approach to health and safety, how to spot and deal with safety hazards, the rights and responsibilities of union representatives, and the main aspects of health and safety legislation. We will also cover how to carry out safety inspections and participate in safety committees.
All pupils are provided with a Google Classroom of materials.
Price: Free for SWU members and GFTU affiliates. £500 for non-affiliates.
Dates:
- Autumn:
- Residential course: 26-28 October 2026
- Online dates: 26th –27th November 2026
- REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is October 12th 2026.
- Winter:
- Residential course: 11 – 13 January 2027
- Online dates: 11 – 12 February 2027
- REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is December 28th 2026.
- Spring:
- Residential course: 24-26 May 2027
- Online dates: 24 – 25 June 2027
- REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is May 10th 2027.
Health and Safety Stage 2 (5 days)
Building on the Stage 1 course, this course is suitable for new representatives wanting to develop their knowledge and skills and is also suitable as a refresher for more senior representatives. The course is split into a 3-day residential course followed by two further days delivered online. We will build knowledge of workplace safety legislation and how this can be used to not only ensure a safer workplace but also as a tool for building wider union organisation.
All pupils are provided with a Google Classroom of materials.
Price: Free for SWU members and GFTU affiliates. £500 for non-affiliates.
Dates:
- Winter:
- Residential course: 23-25 November 2026
- Online dates: 17 – 18 December 2026
- REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is November 9th 2026.
- Spring:
- Residential course: 8-10 February 2027
- Online dates: 11 – 12 March 2027
- REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is January 25th 2027.
- Summer:
- Residential course: 21-23 June 2027
- Online dates: 22 – 23 July 2027
- REGISTER HERE. Please note: The application deadline for this course is June 7th 2027.
More GFTU Education Programme 2026-2027 training courses are being added here every day. Click here to view a full list of the training courses or click here for a PDF version of the full timetable of this year’s courses.
GFTUET course recordings from previous years
Political Economy International School 2025-2026 (video recordings)
Made up of 10 sessions in total, watch our complete series of the Political Economy International School as part of our 2025-2026 education programme: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf157HLv68RDfiI8gK3Xqa6cz38uY5b65
This series is built upon the joint Lecture Series in Advanced Political Economy (SAPE) by SOAS University of London and The New School for Social Research in New York in 2021-23. With an additional partner The Center for Heterodox Economics (CHE) at the University of Tulsa, this seminar series connects the academic discussions to the real-world power struggle and workers’ everyday lives.
We talk about current affairs, trends in production and work, and their implications on trade unions and the working-class movement. Each week, we invite leading experts on the subject and analyse what’s been going on by identifying key challenges.
Together with the audience, we want to think about how we can fight against the challenges and build a movement toward a more systematic change.
Strategy Series 2024-2026 (video recordings)
This online international seminar series is built upon the joint Lecture Series in Advanced Political Economy (SAPE) by SOAS University of London and The New School for Social Research in New York in 2021-23. With an additional partner The Center for Heterodox Economics (CHE) at the University of Tulsa, this seminar series will connect the academic discussions to the real-world power struggle and workers’ everyday lives.
We will talk about current affairs, trends in production and work, and their implications on trade unions and the working-class movement. Each week, we will invite leading experts on the subject and analyse what’s been going on by identifying key challenges.
Together with the audience, we want to think about how we can fight against the challenges and build a movement toward a more systematic change.
You can view the GFTU’s YouTube playlists for this series here:
- 2025-2026: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf157HLv68RBeicrVjmy5oHpV39aCs2TU
- 2024-2025: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf157HLv68RCe1iDiOut8_27cyQQeCWM2
Solidarity Series 2024-2025 (video recordings)
Solidarity is a key founding principle of the General Federation of Trade Unions and our educational trust. Through this series, we will explore domestic and international campaign groups, organisations and unions that help us think about and deliver solidarity that matters. Join this series and help build a stronger union movement across our country and beyond.
You can view the GFTU’s YouTube playlist for this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf157HLv68RBBjCeiRxJnnu8bqDaoTFG6
Social Justice Unionism Today – 16 September 2024
This public meeting took place on 16th September 2024 from 6-7:30pm at The Wesley in London, Euston. Speakers were:
- Cecily Myart-Cruz, President of the United Teachers Los Angeles
- Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union
- Gawain Little, General Secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions
Join Cecily Myart-Cruz in conversation with Daniel Kebede and Gawain Little to learn about the experiences of UTLA and discuss what lessons we can draw here. This was Cecily’s only public event on her visit to the UK in 2024.
Cecily, the first Black woman president of the UTLA, has led the union during a period of renewed organising and campaigning. UTLA has secured major victories in this time:
- 21% pay rise for teachers
- increased staffing in schools – including psychologists and social workers
- housing support for low-income families
- immigrant support in schools
These wins have come from a conscious strategy of building member power; forging alliances with students, parents, and community groups; and ‘bargaining for the common good’.
Reviving the Trade Union Movement, Defying Anti-UnionLaws, and Building Power – 17 September 2024
This online session was led by veteran union negotiator and labor lawyer with over 30 years experience negotiating labor agreements, Joe Burns. Joe is currently the General Counsel and Director of Collective Bargaining for the Association of Flight Attendants, CWA. He graduated from the New York University School of Law. Prior to law school he worked in a public sector hospital and was president of his AFSCME Local. He is the author of three books on labor: Class Struggle Unionism, Strike Back and Reviving the Strike.
The True Causes of Inflation: Weak Production and High Profits
By Costas Lapavitsas, James Meadway & Doug Nicholls
The “cost of living crisis” in the UK can be simply summed up: prices, especially of essentials, are too high, and wages, and other working-class incomes are too low. The basic steps to resolving the crisis are simple: prices, especially of essentials, must be brought down, and wages, salaries, benefits, and pensions must be increased.
This pamphlet published in September 2022 shows that the big businesses dominating production and distribution make huge profits out of high inflation, while working people lose out. It sets out factual evidence to illustrate that the source of record profits is the fall in real wages as inflation rises. A large part of the income of working people is transferred directly into the profits of big business.
Download a copy of this PDF here.
A Series of Seminars: Economic Policy & the Role of Trade Unions Recordings
Each of these seminars will consider critical, but overlooked, contemporary economic issues. These have to be discussed if fresh policies are to be developed with trade union participation to achieve a new deal for working people, our communities, and the environment.
The dominance of the finance sector and lack of investment in the productive economy have created a volatile and fragile environment. It is imperative to consider the latest thinking that could inject dynamism into productive activities, create good jobs, channel finance away from speculation, and achieve environmental targets.
Professor Costas Lapavitsas, Larry Elliott, Economics Editor Guardian, and Grace Blakely, Economics Editor, Tribune, will be among those contributing to this series.
It is hoped that the seminars would lead to new policy development for unions and community organisations.
Economic Seminar 1: Dealing with the Rising Cost of Living (published 16 June 2022)
This is the first in a series of online seminars on the British economy by the General Federation of Trade Unions and SOAS, University of London, in collaboration with the research network, EReNSEP. This seminar covers:
- The causes of inflation in the Pandemic Crisis.
- Government intervention in favour of big business.
- Measures to protect the income and livelihood of working people.
The Bigger Picture: Autumn 2022 Series of Online Seminars
This is a series of GFTU online seminars that took place every third Thursday – starting on 15th September 2022. More sessions are planned for the New Year.
Trade Unionists have to deal with the day to day and the here and now. But what happens at work is affected by wider, global forces also? The balance of those world forces, particularly the US and China is changing. The changes will have dramatic impact.
You can view the first of these free GFTU seminars designed to stimulate online discussion with international experts:
GFTU Seminar: China in the World Today (15 September 2022)
“The Chinese people have adopted a completely different developmental approach than the West. This route is constantly vilified and attacked and distorted in the media. So what is the truth, what are the policies that are driving China, is it a force for peace and progress and social and economic development or not? Is a country that has raised 850m people out of extreme poverty as bad as it has been depicted? Do the people have a say or is everything determined by the 96m Communist Party members? Why have 147 of the 193 nations who are members of the UN signed up to its vast belt and road initiative? Why has the US surrounded China with arsenals of weapons? How does China’s foreign policy compare with that of the US and Britain?
To consider these and many other issues surrounding China and our perceptions of it join Keith Bennett and Carlos Martinez (who are both expert writers and advisors on China), to take part in an informed discussion.”
GFTU Seminar: The Decline of US Imperialism (20 October 2022)
“The United States is marred by severe structural difficulties that are increasingly impairing its former ability to get its way and shape the world to suit its narrow interests. A combination of increasing indebtedness (already larger than its GDP), sustained neglect of its domestic infrastructure, poor economic performance and extraordinary levels of military spending are driving it to lose its world supremacy in almost every field.
This situation the US faces is compounded by the rise of China as part of an emerging multipolar geopolitics, but more acutely by the growing challenge to the petrodollar. All of this lies to an important degree at the base of both the string of defeats suffered by Latin America’s right-wing forces and the beginnings of the re-emergence of the Pink Tide with left wing electoral victories in Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile (possibly also in Colombia and Brazil), plus the survival and recovery of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. This context offers promising opportunities to progressive forces in Latin America.
This discussion will be facilitated by Dr Francisco Dominguez, Specialist in the political economy of contemporary Latin America at Middlesex University.”