Support
Merseytravel gets reading
7 April 2010
Employees at Merseytravel are taking part in the Six Book Challenge for the second year running thanks to the efforts of Ya Ching Darnell, Corporate Partnership Support Assistant and ULR.
Ya Ching spreads information about the Challenge using posters, emails and ULR meetings in workplace. "We've run it twice, last year with 16 people and this year we have 18 people involved so far. Through the Challenge we also can refer them to take part in Skills for Life courses if they find they need to improve their reading skills. The Challenge built up my reading confidence and it also gave me opportunities to meet different people and to find out their needs."
Ena, a part-time evening cleaner, heard about the Challenge through Ya Ching. "I used to read newspapers, magazines and news from websites but have seldom finished a hard copy book. I can get enough support from Merseytravel and we share some interesting books we've read. It's been good to foster my interest in reading books and to increase my English skills."
Andy Thornton, Manager of Merseylearn, Merseytravel's own learning organisation, is a keen supporter: "The Six Book Challenge works for us because it is so flexible. With such a diverse workforce - including ferry captains, police officers, mobile staff, customer service staff, and a wide variety of white and blue collar teams - it has something for everyone. We've linked it to World Book Day and Quick Reads, in which one of our staff has a story published, so it motivates people to think about books and reading, and encourages them to engage with our Skills for Life team to upgrade their skills and improve both morale and skills within the organisation. It's a very simple, flexible system which anyone can engage with, at all levels of the organisation. We will you run it again in the future. I would encourage other businesses to run the Six Book Challenge in their workplaces - it's a stepping stone to improved morale, book swapping systems, Skills for Life, and a really useful workplace dialogue."
