Lincolnshire will be allocated £4 million from the government to improve adult numeracy skills in the hopes of boosting job growth and opportunities.
A total of £270 million is being invested in England as part of the government’s Shared Prosperity Fund to help people secure jobs with increased skills, and Lincolnshire County Council has been given £4 million from that.
The money will fund courses for adults over the age of 19 who don’t already have a maths GCSE at grade 4 or above, with the view to improving numeracy skills and offering a greater likelihood of employment.
Courses will be available this autumn in person or online, at work or at home, and either on a part time or intensive basis, while employers could also benefit by working with their local authority to deliver work-ready functional skills qualifications, at no cost to the business.
Cllr Bradwell, executive councillor for adult learning at the county council, said: “This is a huge amount of money over three years – and more than we expected. It will make a real difference to the prospects of adults in Lincolnshire who are being held back from their dream jobs.
“Good maths skills are so important in adult life, but we know about half of working age people haven’t developed numeracy skills over primary school levels.
“There are already free numeracy courses available in the county, but this money means we can arrange new courses, and work with businesses to be innovative in how they are delivered.”
Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for economy at the county council, said: “Many of our businesses are telling us that they are struggling to fill vacancies with qualified staff. We want our county to offer highly skilled and trained employees and in return they have a range of good quality and well-paid job opportunities.
“This really is a key part of efforts to boost our county’s economy and attract and keep businesses here.
“Businesses that develop their employees’ numeracy skills can also boost productivity, increase profits and improve employee retention.”
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