We at National Numeracy have long held the belief that numeracy is not just number skills, but that it also requires a gamut of other skills and attitudes required to have good numeracy; namely value (seeing the value of numeracy skills in daily life and the workplace), belief (a growth mindset) and persistence (sticking with things, not just improving numeracy skills, until you reach your goals). And above all else, confidence with numbers – being comfortable with situations that involve numbers and data.
That’s why it was so exciting to attend the launch of Essential Skills Tracker 2023 from Skills Builder Partnership, backed by the CIPD, Edge Foundation and KPMG, revealing that essential skills are a missing piece in the UK’s productivity puzzle.
These eight highly-transferable skills act as a scaffold, enabling people to unlock the potential of other skills and expertise, and there is great crossover between these Essential Skills and our own “Attitudes to Numeracy”, as outlined in our 2019 report Building a numerate nation: confidence belief and skills.
