At The Open University we understand the pivotal role the UNISON members, ULRs and branch teams play in publicising the partnership and the learning opportunities that it offers. With this in mind, we will be pleased to help and support you in any way we can with your local learning ventures. Below is a guide to the support you can access through the local and national OU teams.

• Course information. This website hosts an array of course information. Visit our Learning Zone to access these and other helpful studying tips, such as guides to your own learning, suggested career pathways and helpful links to the OU Careers Advisory Service. You can also access information about any course the OU has to offer on the Study at the OU section of the main OU website.
• OU literature. You could contact the OU directly for some course flyers, posters or brochures for use at a local event. You can do this either by contacting your local regional centre or by emailing us directly at HSC-UNISON@open.ac.uk. Alternatively, you can view and print electronic PDF versions of a number of these from the Publicity Materials page, which you will find later in this section.
• Funding advice. Why not demonstrate the Funding section of this website to your potential learners? You will be able to show them the discounts and funding grants we offer. You can even show them how easy it is to use our online Financial Assistance Calculator for an immediate indication of the funding they are eligible for.
• Want some help with a local event? If you contact your OU regional centre and speak to one of our staff tutors, we may be able to send someone along in person to your event to speak to potential learners about a theme, course or higher education in general. We’ll certainly explore all the possibilities with you and help you to get your employer on board.
• Got a specific question? Drop us an email at HSC-UNISON@open.ac.uk and let us know where you are based. We’ll do our best to help or put you in touch with someone who can.
• Raise the profile of the partnership and your local learning activities. If you’re holding an event locally, why not contact us and tell us all about it? You can capture comments from members, send us photographs and give us feedback on the popularity of courses, use of the website, etc. We’d be delighted to hear from you, so send us an email at HSC-UNISON@open.ac.uk.  You could end up as the next stars of the website!

The possibilities for working together to spread the word about learning are endless. If you’ve got an idea for an event or resource that we haven’t covered here, we’d love to hear from you!