History of EDPs in the UK

Although the origins of organisational support for the non job-related learning of employees can be traced back to philanthropic companies such as the chocolate manufacturer Cadburys in the early part of the century and before, and also to initiatives in the armed forces after World War II, the current interest in EDPs in the UK can be traced to the Ford Motor Company which, together with the trade unions representing its workforce, established an Employee Development and Assistance Programme (EDAP) in 1988.

Ford EDAP, which was developed from a similar scheme run in the USA by Ford and the UAW trade union, not only demonstrated all of the principles of EDPs, it was also largely decentralised, with much decision making done by local committees at plant level. These are made up of one third company management representatives; one third representatives of trade unions for "white collar" (salaried) employees and one third trade unionists representing "blue collar" (hourly paid) employees. All Ford employees are entitled to up to £200 per year for learning and health/fitness activities so long as these are not related to their work. Annual uptake is in the region of 30%. A further feature is that independent advice and guidance is provided by Local Education Advisers who report to (and are managed by) local joint committees but who are employed by an external agency (currently the University of East London). This feature means that the Advisers are completely separate from the company's industrial relations apparatus.

Other major companies in the UK with similar schemes include Lucas Varity; Peugeot; Rolls Royce Cars, Coats Viyella; Zeneca and the Rover Group. The UK government estimates that there are now more than 400 organisations with EDPs. NIACE would welcome any information about additional companies with schemes - please e-mail Alastair Thomson on alastair.thomsom@niace.org.uk.

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