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The OU and trades unions are working for you to widen life opportunities and offer support through learning and skills development. Union members, whose unions are part of the TUC family, are entitled to a 10% discount* on fees if they are studying a level 1 course worth thirty (30) or sixty (60) credit points with the Open University for the first time. This discount was negotiated by Unionlearn, the education wing of the Trade Union Congress, in 2006. Since then the 10% discount has also been extended to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses which are flexible online courses aimed at developing specific career skills. (See link to the list of CPD courses below).
Two types of courses that the discount applies to:
1. Level 1, 30 and 60 point courses
The discount can only be claimed by students new to the OU who haven’t studied with us before and the discount can not be claimed back retrospectively.
2. CPD flexible online courses
Union learners can register multiple times for these courses (they don’t have to be new to the OU like the above option).
How much are the OU courses?
Level 1 courses can vary in price. Once you have an idea of what you want to study visit the website or call Student Registration Services to talk about the prices of specific courses:
From within the UK 0845 300 60 90
Republic of Ireland (01) 6785399 or +44 28 9032 3722
The CPD courses cost up to £450 (inc VAT and 10% discount) and will not only improve self confidence, motivation and new skills with real applicable value but you’ll also be awarded with a certificate that is recognised by businesses throughout the UK.
To claim the discount on level 1 courses with 30 and 60 credit points, union members must first decide what course they want to study, noting down the course code. They must then call the Student Registration Service stating that they are calling from a union, following which they will then be asked to provide proof of membership.
The numbers to call are:
From within the UK 0845 300 60 90
Northern Ireland 028 9032 3722
For CPD flexible online courses, students can register online via the CPD website (please follow the link provided above to courses that already have the discount applied) Union learners can register multiple times for these courses (they don’t have to be new to the OU like the Level 1 courses).
Can I claim the discount retrospectively?
The 10% discount is only available to students new to the OU (i.e. those who haven’t studied with the OU before) for a level 1, 30 or 60 point course. The discount can not be applied retrospectively, however, if union members are looking to reduce the cost of learning there is information about financial support on http://www3.open.ac.uk/studyatou/apply/financial-support.shtml.
Is my union affiliated?
Check at -
TUC website - www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/unions_main.cfm
ICTU website - www.ictu.ie/about/affiliates.html
STUC website - www.stuc.org.uk/links
WTUC website - www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/regions_info_wales.cfm
Am I eligible?
Yes, if you are a member of any union that is affiliated to the TUC, ICTU, STUC or WTUC and are NEW to studying with the Open University. If you have only taken a 10-point Openings or Short course before, you will be considered to be a NEW student for this offer.
What discount am I entitled to?
10% on any single level 1, 30 or 60 point course. 3 x 10 point courses cannot be substituted for a 30 point course.
Exclusions
You will not be eligible for the discount if you have already passed a course of 20 points or more, or are currently studying with the OU.
Terms
You will need to prove your union membership by providing a copy of your union membership card with the OU course registration documents.
No retrospective claims are allowed.
Please quote fee code - UL (unionlearn)
Terms and conditions apply, please ask when you call the numbers above
Union members are only entitled to do one level 1 course at the discounted amount. (More extensive OU financial support is available for those who are eligible - see below).
However the Open University understands that the development of career skills is a vital part of career progression and therefore union members have the option to do as many discounted CPD courses as they wish.
View list of discounted CPD courses
Unison, the public services union, has a strategic relationship with the Open University enabling special arrangements with some OU faculties to offer Unison members discounts for all levels of OU courses. More information on this can be found on the Other benefits for union members page (see navigation bar on the left) or on the OU-Unison website - follow the link below
