Adults across Leicestershire who would like to boost their confidence with numbers and improve their numeracy skills can get the help that they need, thanks to Leicestershire County Council’s involvement in a nationwide numeracy drive.
The council has been awarded £3 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to deliver hundreds of free courses, support and workshops to adults aged 19 and over who do not already have a GCSE grade C/4 or higher in maths or equivalent and need to improve their numeracy skills, as part of the national Multiply programme.
Multiply is led by the council’s Adult Learning Service and gives people the numeracy skills they need for everyday life, to allow them to be confident in things like budgeting, working out bills, helping with children’s homework and improving job prospects.
The free Multiply courses will be available across Leicestershire in person or online, at work or at home, either on a part-time or intensive basis.
They will be delivered by the council and a range of partners, including further education colleges and training providers, charitable and voluntary groups, and employers.
The council’s Multiply team and community providers are hosting several free events on National Numeracy Day, Wednesday 17 May, to showcase what they have got to offer and to encourage people to come along and find out how they can boost their own number confidence.
Events taking place on National Numeracy Day include:
- Helping Hands are running a fun games and activities event at the Memphys Hub on Bassett Street in South Wigston from 10am-3pm, with prizes to be won
- RCC is holding a games day at Melton Carnegie Museum in Melton from 10am-2pm, with a chance to win a £25 Morrisons voucher
- Voluntary Action Leicester is holding pop-up events in Lutterworth and Braunstone, with games, fun numbers worksheets, maths apps and BBC Bitesize sessions. The Lutterworth event takes place on Tuesday 16 May at the Wycliffe Rooms from 1pm-3pm, while the Braunstone event is running on National Numeracy Day itself at the Braunstone Civic Centre and Library from 2.30am to 4.30pm
- Falcon Support Services is holding a drop-in event at its Coalville centre at the George Smith Hub on Hotel Street from 10am-4pm
Numeracy is a vital skill that has so many practical applications in everyday life, and boosting those numeracy skills improves lives.
We are proud to be taking part in National Numeracy Day, which aims to empower people to be more number-confident and improve their numeracy. I would encourage people to come along to one of the events or look at our website to take that first step in their learning journey.
Person:Councillor Christine Radford, cabinet member for adults and communities
More information about National Numeracy Day and the Multiply programme can be found on the council's Multiply webpage.
People are also being encouraged to try the national Numeracy Challenge, a free and easy to use website which allows users to check their numeracy levels and to improve their skills at their own pace.