Stepping into the role of a union representative is meaningful, but also demanding. New representatives often face the same questions early on:
What is expected of me? What does my role actually involve? How do I handle this in my day-to-day interactions with management and colleagues?
Delta wanted to address these questions head-on- The union saw a clear need to strengthen its training for new representatives, ensuring that more people feel confident in their role from day one. The ambition was to deliver a training program that is relevant across sectors, provides a clear understanding of the role, and enables participants to apply what they learn in real-life situations.
Delta is a nationwide trade union representing employees in the public sector and organisations with public-sector affiliations. With members across a wide range of professions and sectors, there are high expectations for the training of union representatives. The content must be broadly relevant, while still being concrete and useful in each participant’s daily work.
While the existing training program provided useful information, Delta found that many participants lacked a clear link between theory and practice. New representatives needed support in understanding their responsibilities and how the role is carried out in practice. There was also a strong demand for increased focus on reflection, dialogue, and experience-sharing among peers.
Together with the client, we developed a new pedagogical framework, moving from a traditional lecture-based format towards learning methods that actively engage participants.
Dialogue mats was developed as a central tool in the program. Through structured conversations in small groups, participants explored key topics related to their role, responsibilities, and daily work, using their own experiences and real-life cases from their work as union representatives.
A core principle for the solution was that learning should be interactive and involve the participants. By sharing perspectives across sectors and finding common ground, many participants quickly became more confident in both their dialogue with others and in their new role.
The training was built around clear learning objectives and a well-defined structure, making it easier to see the link between responsibility, role, and practical day-to-day work. The reflections around the dialogue mats helped create a shared language and collective understanding that would help participants moving forward.
The solution was designed to be delivered using Delta’s internal resources, supported by clear facilitator guides and a pedagogical design that provides structure and support for both facilitators and participants.
The result is a more engaging and practice-oriented training program that contributes to greater confidence among union representatives, stronger dialogue and a sense of community from the very start.
