Multiply Grant Scheme
What's happening in Wiltshire
Wiltshire Council has been awarded £2.1 million of government funding to give adult learners a chance to develop the numeracy skills to be more confident at home and work.
The funding will be offered to adults who do not currently have Level 2/GCSE maths at grade 4 (previously known as a C grade) through a variety of schemes and courses. Courses will give adult learners a chance to develop the numeracy skills to be more confident at home and work.
There will be a variety of schemes and courses available across Wiltshire. Officers from the council's Employment and Skills team are already working with local organisations and businesses to develop courses and provision using the Multiply funding, which include:
- Wiltshire College offering courses to develop confidence with numeracy
- Wiltshire Citizens Advice will provide support with money and budgeting to assist with the current cost of living crisis
- Numeracy courses hosted at Wiltshire libraries
The funding is part of the government's flagship Multiply programme and has been allocated over a three-year period (22/23 - 24/25).
17m adults in England - half of the working-age population - have everyday maths skills roughly equivalent to those expected of a primary school child (Entry Levels). This compares poorly internationally - below the OECD average, and behind countries such as Japan, Germany and Canada.
Multiply is a new up to £559 million programme set up by the Department for Education (DfE) to help transform the lives of adults across the UK, by improving their functional numeracy skills through free personal tutoring, digital training, and flexible courses.
Adults looking to improve their numeracy, up to and including Level 2/GCSE level 4, (previously known as grade C) will be able to access free flexible courses that fit around their lives - whether that be in person or online, at work or in the evening, part time or intensive.
How are your maths skills? Take a numeracy quiz
Local courses
We are working with a number of organisations to deliver numeracy courses close to you. For information on how you can get involved and what's going on in your area visit the Multiply website
