Home > News > September 2004 > 20-Sep-2004

New poster campaign shows how maths makes things work

Posters encouraging people to "do the maths" will be appearing at thousands of locations across the country from today. The posters, devised by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) with support of the Department for Education and Skills and the European Social Fund, show how a good grasp of maths can be useful in everyday life, from shopping for bargains to DIY.

According to NIACE, the need for millions of adults in England to improve their maths skills was highlighted in a national Skills For Life survey. Very few people who took part in the survey - even those with the lowest ability levels - regarded their skills as ‘below average'. And only a tiny proportion of those with very weak skills felt these had hindered their job prospects or led to mistakes at work; many may not have even realised the negative impact weak skills can have on their life.

Susan Pember, Director of the government's Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit, said, "Millions of adults experience difficulties with everyday maths and many do not realise the benefits that people can see from improving their skills. We welcome the work that NIACE are doing to recognise the importance of maths in everyday life. It's time now to really break the myth that it's okay to be bad at maths."

The Skills for Life survey, published in October 2003, showed a strong connection between people's ability to do maths and their earning power. It found that almost seven out of ten full-time workers with numeracy skills assessed at Level 2 (A* - C at GCSE) or above earned more than £20,000 a year before tax, while those assessed as having the skills expected of an 11 year old were less than half as likely to earn this amount.

Francisca Martinez, NIACE Publicity Co-ordinator, said, "For many people, the memory of maths is trying to learn algebra and fractions at school and this may not have seemed all that relevant. But maths has a big impact on all of our everyday lives. Having the ability to work out how much of a saving 70% off is, or being able to buy the right amount of wallpaper or carpeting can save you time, hassle and money. There are free maths courses all over the country. All you need to do is pop into your local adult education college or ring learndirect on 0800 100 900 for more information. That call could not only save you money on your weekly shop but could lead to a qualification and a better job."

External links

For more information on the poster campaign, visit www.signupnow.org.uk/mathsworks

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