UnionWare University: A Look Inside Our Hands-On Training Program

We brought UnionWare University to Winnipeg this May for two days built entirely around hands-on work, held at the UFCW 832 Training Centre.

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What It Is, and Why We Run It

We built UnionWare University around hands-on training: working through real configuration, search, and reporting tasks together, with time built in to connect with other UnionWare users along the way. It's open to new users and to anyone looking to get sharper with tools they already use.

We kept the class small on purpose, so there was room for real back-and-forth instead of a one-way presentation.

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What Was Covered This Round

We covered building smarter lists for everyday workflows, configuring the system to match each union's setup, advanced search and reporting tools, managing roles and access through Positions Administration, building communication dashboards, staying organized with notes and reminders, and setting up custom fields (Extras) to track whatever data matters most to a given local. We closed the two days with an open Q&A and peer exchange session.

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The Part That Outperformed the Agenda

We also heard a couple of suggestions: splitting future sessions into separate tracks for membership work versus event work, and spending more time on setting up events and managing member files.

What stood out most wasn't the agenda. It was the conversations it created: people working through the same problems, in the same system, comparing notes in real time.

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We offer UnionWare University sessions to clients each year. For clients interested in attending the next UnionWare University in Vancouver, Canada, please contact accounts@unionware.com for details. Interest has already been very strong, and with attendance being limited to 30 participants, spots are expected to fill quickly. The registration deadline is August 21, 2026, so be sure to secure your place while space is still available.