Adults across Hull who want to improve their numeracy skills can sign up for free courses and activities thanks to a £1.5m investment. It’s aimed at boosting opportunities for more people to progress and secure well paid jobs.
People who improve their numeracy skills are more likely to be in employment, have higher wages, and better wellbeing. Around 17 million adults in England – half of the working-age population – have the numeracy skills of primary school children. Poor numeracy skills can hold people back from having the confidence to get on in life and into work.
Hull City Council has been awarded the cash boost from the government’s £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund so they can offer tailored courses that meet the needs of the local community as part of the rollout of the government’s flagship Multiply programme.
Multiply will offer adults who do not already have a GCSE grade C/4 or higher in Maths or equivalent, and need to improve their numeracy, free flexible courses that fit around their lives.
The free courses and initiatives are available to residents on either a part-time or full-time basis and will help people become confident to take the next step to improving their numeracy skills. A wide range of courses are on offer including practical maths skills needed for work and at home, understanding value for money when purchasing; what inflation and rising prices mean for your budgets, and how to use maths to get the best deals. Other courses on offer will help people to prepare meals on a budget, understand energy and utility bills, manage time and money or how to measure improvements to your health and fitness.
Businesses that develop their employees’ numeracy skills can also boost productivity, increase profits and improve employee retention.
Local employers will also benefit from the scheme, with courses and activities tailored to a particular area or jobs at no cost to them offered to their employees to help boost their numeracy skills.
Research also shows that sectors with a high proportion of workers with basic or advanced numeracy skills have experienced the most rapid growth in employment over the last decade.
Councillor Paul Drake-Davis said: “Multiply offers adults in Hull a great opportunity to improve their maths skills for free. These courses are a fantastic way boost residents’ numeracy confidence, helping them to get new jobs, encouraging families to support their children with schoolwork and providing residents with new skills to manage their finances. The council has worked with local education providers and voluntary and community organisations to provide Multiply programmes which are available across the city. The project will also work with employers in Hull to encourage and support staff to train, helping to fill skills gaps and deliver economic growth.”
Councillor Kevin Bentley, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s People and Places Board, said: “We are pleased to see the Government working closely with councils and devolved authorities to get the Multiply programme up and running at speed, as they know how best to deliver this much-needed investment and tailor it to local need.
“They have first-hand experience of delivering adult and community learning, as well as other council services which residents rely on, with the broadest reach into the voluntary, community and training sectors, housing associations and local employers. Local government is best placed to engage residents who would benefit from increasing their numeracy skills to get on in life and work.”
The courses and activities will be delivered across Hull by trusted local organisations like Hull College, Hull Culture and Leisure, Hull Training and Adult Education, the Humber Learning Consortium.
To find out about the opportunities available locally through the Multiply programme, contact Claudia Carrizo-Smallwood at Hull Training and Adult Education on 01482 612519, Claudia.Smallwood@hcc.gov.uk.
