Keighley College has secured more than £45,000 to boost adult numeracy skills in the district.
The college will receive the money via the Department for Education-led Multiply programme.
It will use the funding to help adults in the area who don’t have a Level 2 qualification – roughly equivalent to a GCSE grade 4, or the old C grade – in maths.
The work will involve supporting learners through putting on new, flexible courses designed to fit around their lives, and training more staff to teach numeracy.
The focus will be on functional, rather than theoretical, maths to show how useful it can be in real-life situations ranging from budgeting for shopping to understanding borrowing, credit and interest.
Keighley College’s Principal, Kevin O’Hare, added: “Numeracy is so important for all of us as we try to negotiate the daily challenges of education, life and work.
“Skills like budgeting are essential, especially now while we are facing a cost of living crisis, but many people find it difficult.
“We are therefore delighted, as a college dedicated to supporting the community, to have secured funding to help local adults, in all walks of life, feel more confident in such areas.
“Our aim will be to give them the motivation and tools to improve their financial skills in everything from planning meals and creating shopping lists to understanding taxes and pensions.”
A 2022 report found that more than half – 52% – of adults in West Yorkshire were at ‘entry level and below’ in terms of numeracy. National Numeracy’s research, meanwhile, says low numeracy skills could be costing the UK up to £25 billion a year
The Multiply programme – which is being funded over three years, with West Yorkshire Combined Authority distributing the finances – will seek to address the issue locally by reengaging adults with maths.
Keighley College is already piloting a project that asks English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students to take on tasks like banking or supermarket shopping.
The programme will also open up new work and educational possibilities for participants, and take them a step closer to being able to benefit from further support such as the Lifelong Loan Entitlement.
Mr O’Hare added: “We need to support those who still need to acquire basic maths skills, and have a fear of the subject, to thrive in their personal and professional lives.
“This will enable them to create a system to feel more financially secure, now and in the future.”
Multiply’s aims are part of a wider push by the government to improve and extend maths skills across the country, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently announcing his ambition to get everyone studying maths until the age of 18.
