Council partners with Bath College to help employees improve their maths skills

Businesses are being encouraged to help staff develop their numeracy skills and confidence by signing up for a new national training initiative to be delivered by Bath College in partnership with Bath & North East Somerset Council.

Multiply is a new national Skills for Life initiative that has been designed to support businesses to invest in their workforce. The programme is funded through the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).  

The council’s Achieve in B&NES team is working with the college to deliver a programme of free tailor-made industry/sector short courses to help local employees become more maths confident in the workplace.

These introductory short courses or one-off workshops will be delivered in the workplace, online or at local community hubs. Bespoke courses for employer could include:

• Working with databases to build in formula
• Understanding how to work out accurate costings
• Working with money, including discounts and mark-ups
• Feasibility or understanding ratios and proportions for mixing accurately and without waste. 
• For employees who want to progress, there will also be options to study for a Level 2 Maths qualification, equivalent to a GCSE Maths pass grade.

Councillor Dine Romero, cabinet member for Children and Young People, and Communities, said: “The Multiply Programme gives businesses an opportunity to help local employees improve their numeracy and confidence. It could also have a positive impact on their business by helping to improve staff retention and career progression and enabling the company to become an employer of choice.”

The courses are free and available to all employees aged 19 and over who are UK Residents or have a Right to Live in the UK. They must not already have a Level 2 Maths qualification.

There is more information on the Multiply Programme on the West of England Combined Authority website.

Local employers and business owners can find out more about the scheme by emailing achieve@bathnes.gov.uk or acl@bathcollege.ac.uk, or by calling +44 (0)1225 328822.