Posted on Thursday 2nd March 2023
Philip White
Employers in Staffordshire can help boost numeracy skills within their workforce through free county council-led courses.
They are being offered through the national Multiply adult numeracy programme.
Most support is designed to be built around the specific needs of each business and can include technical and specific numeracy skills for the workplace, confidence-boosting skills and role-specific maths skills for sectors from health and social care to construction. Courses can lead to formal qualifications and can be face-to-face, online or in groups, either in the workplace or at learning centres.
Employers can find out more about the programme at: https://bit.ly/ExploreFreeCourses
Staffordshire County Council is coordinating the Government’s national Multiply programme locally. Other numeracy courses are supporting people to manage household budgeting to ease cost of living pressures and lead people towards qualifications. Courses are delivered by professional training organisations and the county’s colleges.
The county council secured £4.2million from 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. Courses are both online and in-person, easy to access and suited to people’s needs and lifestyles.
Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills Philip White said:
We know from recent surveys that around 65 per cent of Staffordshire businesses need their workforce to have improved numeracy skills.
This can help people better understand their roles, become more proficient and confident and lead to workplace progression.
The Multiply programme offers free and easy to access numeracy courses to suit everyone, whether that’s in person or online, and includes one-to-one guidance sessions. We’re working with local providers to support people where they need it most, whether it’s managing finances, at work, supporting children with homework or gaining qualifications which can lead to employment opportunities.
The courses are up and running now so we’d urge people to get in touch to find out more.”