‘Multiply’ is a new initiative that will offer over 14,000 Essex residents easy access to free maths and finance training.
We have asked Government for the maximum £7.9 million which will be used to help residents gain a qualification, get into employment or generally build their confidence in using numeracy at work or in their everyday life.
The funding, which will be spread over the next three years, comes following analysis of skill levels which showed a significant gap in adult numeracy in Essex. This is compared to the national average and can limit people’s ability to get a job and to get promoted in work.
Launching this autumn, Multiply will support adults who don’t currently have a maths GCSE at grade C or equivalent.
There will be courses for beginners and those who want to build on the foundations of their maths knowledge. There will also be more advanced courses such as GCSE maths.
The free training will support Essex residents as well as local businesses by ensuring potential employees have the knowledge and training needed to fulfil their role.
Through Multiply, Essex will be able to expand its support and learning offer to parents to upskill and to support their children with their school work. This will further compliment next steps for our Essex Year of Reading, where we will be looking to develop a similar approach around numeracy for 2023.
Our investment plan proposes the following priorities for Essex:
- Helping people use numeracy to manage their money - to help address cost of living pressures.
- Numeracy skills required in the workplace delivered with employers
- Helping parents increase their numeracy skills in order to help their children and themselves – working closely with schools.
- Engaging the hardest to reach learners - such as the long-term unemployed and recent care leavers.
Cllr Tony Ball, Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, said: “Now more than ever, people need basic maths and numeracy skills at work, and to manage their household finances effectively. We have asked the Government for the maximum funding allocation and have submitted an ambitious and innovative plan to ensure we reach the Essex residents who most need these core skills.
“Training will be provided in partnership with the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) across Essex, Further Education colleges and other local partners, as well as through ECC Services like ACL Essex and Libraries. Further information about how to access the courses will be shared in the autumn once the Government decides whether to approve the plan that ECC has submitted and give the maximum funding allocation of £7.9m.”
You can read more about our proposed investment plan at our website.