Sign up to be a Maths Champion Tuesday, March 5, 2013 - 17:59

NIACE is encouraging more people to sign up as Maths Champions as part of Maths4us, the initiative taking action on adult maths. Hundreds of Maths Champions have already had their training and many more are signing up every day.

Maths is a crucial part of people’s everyday lives – from managing monthly household budgets, saving up for a holiday or day out and understanding payslips to measuring baking ingredients and planning journeys. Yet sometimes people need a bit of extra help to improve their skills so they can get better at dealing with these daily tasks, more confident in helping their children with homework or improve their job prospects.

Maths Champions can help people to overcome the fear often associated with maths, as well as provide reassurance that maths may not be as difficult as people often think. People can sign up here and they will have access to a range of short training courses, on and offline, as well as lots of other tools to become Maths Champions.

Sue Southwood, NIACE Programme Manager for Numeracy, said:

"The idea for Maths Champions is rooted in the findings of NIACE’s national inquiry into numeracy in 2011 that recommended new approaches to encourage more adults to improve their maths skills. Going on a maths course can be daunting for many and it can help if a trusted colleague, friend or family member shows how much maths is used every single day and how maths learning can be both useful and enjoyable. Research shows that the stronger your skills the better your health, your job prospects and access to qualifications and even housing will be. The Maths Champions’ role in encouraging and enthusing people about maths is crucial to help people overcome their fear of maths who will then go on to help themselves, their families and other colleagues.

"Every day more and more people are signing up to be Maths Champions. Whether it’s at work, at home, a community centre or a sports club, when you sign up, you will be given training and resources to help you promote a positive maths message. We need a groundswell of support that challenges the prevailing attitude amongst many that maths doesn’t matter and Maths Champions will be vital in achieving this."