Multiply is the government’s £560 million programme to help transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of adults across the UK and will be delivered through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The Multiply Project is a scheme, launched by the Government, to offer organisations funding for ideas that can redress the growing problem of poor numeracy in adults.
It was launched in response to research which showed that around 17 million adults in England – half of the working-age population – have the numeracy skills of primary school children.
Numeracy is the ability to understand and use maths in daily life, home, and work. Whether that be improving household finances, helping children with homework, making more sense of the stats and facts in the media, or improving numeracy skills specific to your line of work.
People who improve their numeracy skills are more likely to be in employment, have higher wages and better wellbeing, and will be more able to progress to higher levels of free training to secure a skilled job in our economy.
The multiply programme was created to help adults improve their numeracy skills and gain a greater understanding of the impact that poor numeracy skills can have on their lives.
To address this in Knowsley, FACE has received funding via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to deliver programmes to adults who do not already have a GCSE grade C/4 or higher in Maths or an equivalent qualification.
What can be funded?
| Target Groups | Interventions delivered with Multiply funding |
| Courses designed to increase confidence with numbers for those needing the first steps towards formal numeracy qualifications | This may include:
· pre-entry level provision to engage our hardest to reach members of the community; this includes confidence building, incorporating a holistic approach where basic maths is learned by stealth · provision for members of our community whose first language is not English · provision for women who can be vulnerable due to personal circumstances and low self-esteem · provision to those new to education with dedicated numeracy champions to mentor and support learners |
| Courses designed to help people use numeracy to manage their money | This may be programmes that offer everyday practical advice about money management and the everyday challenges some people face, linked to numeracy e.g., budgeting, shopping, utilities, cooking on a budget, personal finance delivered in community settings |
| Courses aimed at people who cannot apply for certain jobs because of lack of numeracy skills and/or to encourage people to upskill in numeracy to enable them to access a certain job/career | Maths courses to benefit claimants and community members who need better numeracy for career progression. Provision could be bespoken to specific sectors |
| Numeracy courses aimed at those 19 or over that are leaving, or have just left, the care system | There is already established AEB funded provision which has a specific focus on Looked After Children aged 16-18. Multiply presents an opportunity to extend this offer to care leavers aged 19 plus and may include:
– Financial awareness and budgeting skills, particularly for those moving into independence and – Preparation for employment |
How to get involved?
We are inviting charities, social enterprise or voluntary groups from across Knowsley that are routed within their local communities to apply for funding to deliver Multiply courses to a minimum of 20 learners, a maximum of 40. Each learner will need to complete a minimum of 6 hours study. Organisations with ideas for adult numeracy projects are being encouraged to apply for a pot of funding up to a maximum of £10,000 before the deadline on Friday, 26 April 2024.
Shortlisting will be conducted on Wednesday, 1 May, 2024. Applicants will be notified shortly thereafter with successful organisations being invited to attend an onboarding meeting, 9.30am – 11.30am on Tuesday, 14 May 2024 at New Hutte Neighbourbood Centre, Lichfield Road, Halewood L26 1TT.
