A GRANT aimed at helping people get to grips with numeracy has been awards to Reading Borough Council’s adult learning service.
New Directions is to receive £700,000 to support adults who don’t have maths to GCSE grade C standard.
Awarded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and the national Multiply programme, New Directions will deliver more than 176 courses to 1,108 learners over the next three years.
They include innovative numeracy skills programmes delivered with employers, courses aimed at care leavers aged 19 or over, and courses for parents wanting to increase their numeracy skills.
Multiply is a new government-funded programme and the courses are free.
The agency says that good numeracy skills may unlock job opportunities and lead to higher wages or prepare you for further study.
The skills can also help in everyday life, such as helping children with homework and budgeting money.
The Multiply provision across Reading will be directly delivered by New Directions College, alongside additional commissioned courses by the local further education, voluntary, and community sectors.
Libraries, children’s centres, churches, community spaces and within local services, such as Job Centre Plus, will be the venues for the sessions, to ensure maximum accessibility for learners.
Cllr Ruth McEwan, Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health, said the grant was positive news for Reading.
“I’m delighted New Directions College will have the opportunity to build on its excellent provisions for our local community,” she saded.
“This initiative sits in the context of the Council working to ensure everybody can share in Reading’s success.
“Good numeracy skills are so essential for everyone as a core life skill.”
She added: “Our ambition is to improve how people understand and work with numbers in everyday life, creating better opportunities and futures.
“We know many people lack confidence with numbers and it can have a negative impact on their daily lives. Improving numeracy needs encouragement, support, and good teaching – and if we are successful in this generous bid, we know we can make a real difference for many people.”
For more details, or to sign up for a course, log on to: www.newdirectionsreading.ac.uk, or call: 0345 842 0012.
