Actress Denise Welch was “that scared” of maths at school, she used to throw up before classes. The former star of Coronation Street made the confession last summer at an event organised by Gateshead Council to drum up interest in the government’s Multiply scheme.
Across the country, providers are hoping that people who, like Welch, lack confidence in their mathematical prowess, sign up to Multiply.
But a year on from the scheme’s launch, recruitment has proven challenging and providers have told FE Week of their frustration at the slow pace of the rollout.
Gateshead Council hailed its Multiply roadshow event as a success. It has since used Multiply to train more than 200 adult learners in subjects such as budgeting, maths for work and travel, and language of maths for ESOL learners. It’s also given £125,000 to third sector organisations that have delivered community-based math projects to 70 learners.
