Sunak’s numeracy skills strategy must add up...
FROM hospitality to hair and beauty, social care to construction, the ability to communicate well is key in all sectors– and that’s the case with being able to use basic maths.
Even something as fundamental as being able to fill in a timesheet requires competent numeracy and can put someone at a real disadvantage in the workplace if they lack the right knowledge.
Good numeracy, literacy and digital skills are vital. In fact, all three are a golden thread for individuals to get on in life and in work.
However, too often, the further education sector is expected to pick up the pieces when schools haven’t been able to teach our young people the basics in these functional skills.
Shockingly, 40% of young people still leave school without a pass in maths and/or English.
It is positive therefore to see the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, call for a renewed focus on maths recently.
This is something he pushed for as Chancellor through the introduction of the Multiply scheme, but whether his latest plan of teaching all young people maths until the age of 18 is achievable, I am just not so sure.
Any proposals to build capacity and skills in numeracy must be met with a suitable plan to deliver the necessary infrastructure and funding arrangements.
That needs to be the case for both young people at school, and for those who leave compulsory education without strong numeracy skills. We have a desperate shortage of maths teachers and tutors. In addition, low funding rates for post-16 English and maths means that many of the training providers that AELP represents are struggling to deliver the high-quality provision we need.
In particular, that is a problem for study of functional skills within an apprenticeship as government funding rates for these remain unbelievably low – without any review since 2014.
As the cost-of-living crisis peaks, this is having an impact on the number of people that go on to actually complete their apprenticeships.
That’s not good for the learner, employer or the wider economy.
Although we should applaud the ambitions of the Prime Minister to improve numeracy, there needs to be a proper thought-out plan about how this can be done at all ages, and all levels. That will need a proper conversation around funding rates – and how we can attract more people to teach basic skills.