West Northamptonshire Council launch free adult numeracy courses

The courses, known as Multiply, are designed to make maths simpler for everyone and show that even those who struggled with maths in school can feel confident with numeracy in their day-to-day lives.

Launched as part of the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund programme, Multiply includes numeracy courses for beginners and those who want to build on the foundations of their maths knowledge, to more advanced offers such as GCSE Maths and Level 2 Functional Skills Qualifications.

There are a range of flexible online courses available as well as one-to-one mentoring – all designed to fit around people’s busy schedules.

People can take a short quiz to understand which areas of numeracy they might want to improve by visiting the Skills for Life website.

The free Multiply courses are available for individuals who:

• live in West Northamptonshire and are aged 19 and over
• have not achieved a maths GCSE of at least a Grade C or equivalent
• may want to develop numeracy skills for work
• want to brush up and develop their numeracy skills for everyday life

Multiply forms part of almost £575k allocated to help improve adult numeracy in the area by the Department for Education in partnership with WNC.

Councillor Daniel Lister, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth, said: “Feeling confident with numbers helps in every aspect of life, from measuring food ingredients, mixing hair dye and checking invoices, to helping the children with their homework or even setting up in business.

“Through Multiply, we want to boost people’s confidence and ability to use maths and numbers effectively in daily life, at home and work. This includes helping people attain a formal qualification to open doors to new jobs, career progression and further study.

“If you want to brush up on your numeracy skills and feel more confident with figures, don’t hesitate – take a look at the courses available today.”

For more information about Multiply and to view the full range of courses, visit the WNC website.