A recent report showed an estimated 750,000 people in West Yorkshire – around 52 per cent of adults – were found to be at entry level or below in numeracy.
Leading training provider Realise, which was appointed to deliver Multiply by West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said almost 300 people had already completed a course and it was confident of hitting the landmark of 500 people trained over the next few weeks.
Sarah Birkinshaw, delivery manager for Realise, said: “We are delighted with the progress of the Multiply programme and we will soon have passed the significant milestone of 500 people trained in West Yorkshire.
“We have seen many people increase their numeracy confidence, which will greatly improve their performance in the workplace, as well as increasing their employment opportunities moving forward.
“We work closely with businesses to ensure we provide relevant, bespoke training for their needs.
“It’s a massive benefit to both employee and employer and we look forward to working with more local people in the months to come.”
Realise has so far trained 105 individuals in practical workplace maths across 47 different West Yorkshire employers.
As part of the legacy of the scheme, it is hoped each business which signs up will create ‘numeracy champions’ to ensure all current and future employees have access to in-house expertise.
Currently, 38 workplace numeracy champions have been trained to provide ongoing support to their colleagues.
Meanwhile, working with training providers, local authorities, community hubs and local charities, a further 150 people across Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees have become numeracy ambassadors to help fellow West Yorkshire residents with ongoing advice and guidance around working with numbers. Regular meetings are held to bring the ambassadors together.
Businesses can find out more and register an interest by visiting https://www.wybusiness-skills.com/skills/mathssupport/
The scheme is open to any business – regardless of which sector it operates in – which has staff who live in West Yorkshire, are aged 19 and over and don’t have a grade C or 4 in GCSE maths.
Depending on the requirements of each business, the training is delivered for between two and 30 hours either in-person or online.
Any business that allows one of its employees to attend Multiply Ambassador or Numeracy Champion training will receive compensation up to the value of £100 for their time out of the workplace.
Realise provides first class skills, education and employment services to more than 7,000 learners and thousands of employers across a host of sectors in the UK every year.
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