We are in the midst of Number Confidence Week - an initiative from National Numeracy.
The UK’s numeracy levels are significantly below the average for developed countries, with 49 per cent of the UK’s working-age population having the expected numeracy levels of a primary school child.
Poor numeracy currently costs the UK economy a staggering £25 billion a year.
Number Confidence Week aims to address why some people struggle with numbers and what needs to be done to improve it.
Over the past six months, National Numeracy carried out research and discovered the reasons that 26,000 people have given for wanting to improve their number confidence and skills when using the National Numeracy Challenge online tool. The leading reason given is ‘to progress with work’.
The charity also discovered that women feel significantly less confident with numbers than men, even if they have a high level of skill when it comes to maths.
Peter Sawkins, winner of The Great British Bake Off 2020, and ambassador for National Numeracy, supports Number Confidence Week.
He said: “Numeracy skills are essential in so many aspects of day-to-day life. They help us manage personal finances and shopping budgets right through to even baking better cakes.
“Numbers actually helped me win Bake Off! Everyone can improve their numeracy skills, and National Numeracy is a great place for you to find number confidence and build these skills for a better life.”
It’s crucial that greater attention is paid to improving confidence as a stepping-stone to boosting skills, opening up access to learning and progression opportunities, and the benefits for employment that improved numeracy brings.
Number Confidence Week covers three crucial topics - supporting your children; managing your money and getting into, or progressing at, work.
The week is supported by global markets infrastructure and data solutions provider, TP ICAP.
Nicolas Breteau, group chief executive of TP ICAP, said: “Our research has shown that low confidence with numbers remains a significant barrier for many, and often holds talented individuals back from considering a career in financial services.
"It’s important that we change that, which is why we became a founding partner of Number Confidence Week.”
National Numeracy is also supporting the government’s 'Multiply' scheme, a new initiative which was announced last week.
It comes in the form of a £560 million numeracy scheme that will support up to 500,000 adults with low numeracy skills.
Sam Sims, chief executive of National Numeracy, said of the scheme: “It provides recognition of the role that basic numeracy plays in opening up opportunities for individuals, and the benefits numeracy can bring to the economy and society as a whole.”
