Posted on Tuesday 13th September 2022
Philip White
A national programme to boost adult numeracy skills leading to better job prospects and improved day-to-day living will launch in Staffordshire next month.
The county council secured £4.2million by the Government as part of the £570million Multiply scheme. It is a three-year fully funded programme, giving people the opportunity to learn when and where they want.
Staffordshire County Council will soon launch its Multiply programme – an adult numeracy skills scheme to help people boost job prospects and improve their day-to-day living.
The scheme will be accessed through a new digital numeracy platform and local courses that will range from learning festivals to pop-up one to one support sessions. These will be flexible courses that fit around people’s lives and tailored to specific needs, circumstances, sectors and industries. They will be delivered online, at work, in the evenings, part-time or intensive over a brief period.
Improving numeracy skills can not only help career prospects, but also help with important tasks in the home including managing household finances and supporting children with their homework. Businesses that develop their employees’ numeracy skills can boost productivity, increase profits, and improve employee retention.
Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills Philip White said:
The Multiply programme nationally is aimed at approximately 17million adults or half of the working age population who do not have strong numeracy skills. It will support those adults to develop numeracy skills for the future.
Improving numeracy skills can help in everyday life, whether at work, managing household finances or helping children with their homework. It can also help career prospects, whatever your line of work.
Many people are not confident about their numeracy skills including some in top professions. That is why we’d encourage anyone who feels like they could improve to find out more about our Multiply programme.
The county council secured £4.2million to deliver targeted, easy to access and straightforward courses to enable more adults to achieve maths qualifications, improve employment chances and increase numeracy across Staffordshire’s population.”
The programme launch is set to be approved by the county council’s cabinet next Wednesday, September 21.