Ged Bretherton
From working in a warehouse to attending meetings at Westminster, life has been transformed for Ged Bretherton since he took his first tentative steps into learning.
Ged left school with only two O-levels. In his late twenties, whilst working in a warehouse office, he took part in a Trade Union Congress course and became a shop steward for the GMB. Soon after this, he became a union learning rep and began his own learning journey.
Over the last six years, Ged has taken literacy and numeracy courses, completed two Level 3 NVQs, and received a first-class Social Sciences Degree in Politics and Social Policy from the Open University. Studying politics inspired Ged to get involved in local politics, even going to visit European MPs in Brussels, and by 2006 he was elected as a local councillor at Wigan Council.
“Learning has been very important to me in giving me more confidence and allowing me to gain better employment,” said Ged. “I thought I’d missed my chances, but was given a second chance through the trade union learning opportunities. Since then, I’ve embraced learning. I wanted to prove to myself I wasn’t stupid. I wanted a degree for my self-worth, self-confidence, and to prove I could succeed.”
Ged is currently studying with the Leadership Centre for Local Government, which is helping him develop his role as a local councillor. He is Chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee and the Chair of Councillor Services Group, which aims to improve the role of councillors through learning opportunities.