Stoke by Numbers has been set up to help adults across the city improve their ability to understand and use maths in daily life, including in the workplace. The programme, led by Stoke on Trent College and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, also provides help on a number of numeracy topics – including this advice on overcoming maths anxiety at work…
We all deal with numbers in our daily lives, whether it’s knowing how to build a household budget, doing calculations at work or helping our family. However, everyday maths is something everyone feels differently about, and some people feel a lot more confident using numbers than others.
Government statistics for 2021 suggest that 17 million adults – 49 per cent of the working-age population of England – struggle with maths and have the numeracy level that we expect of primary school children.
This can be a serious issue for employers as maths skills are essential to everyday business, from working with budgets and organising schedules to measuring materials and managing time. Employees who are anxious with numbers at work can also feel less confident in their role and struggle to make progress in their career.
National Numeracy, the independent charity dedicated to raising awareness of poor numeracy levels in the UK, offers 5 tips for overcoming maths anxiety.
- Talk about your feelings about maths
Being able to talk about it can help relieve anxiety. Often we will learn that those feelings are understandable and lots of people experience them too.
- Challenge your own beliefs
Are the ways you are thinking about maths being fair on yourself? People often say they can’t do maths, but we all use maths on a daily basis.
- Try not to compare yourself to others
Instead of focusing on where you are compared to others, focus on your own journey.
- Reduce pressure
Feeling under pressure is a source of maths anxiety, so it naturally follows that reducing it can help. Find ways to help you reduce time pressure and social pressure.
- Set realistic goals
Aim to learn in bite sized chunks. This helps our confidence to grow as we are more likely to meet our objectives that way. Setting unrealistic targets can damage our confidence.
Stoke by Numbers, part of the government’s national Multiply programme, aims to help adults across Stoke-on-Trent improve their ability to understand and use maths in daily life, including in the workplace.
Working with training providers across the city, Stoke by Numbers can deliver maths GCSEs, work-ready Functional Skills Qualifications or bespoke maths programmes within the workplace – all completely free of charge.
To discover more, and find a learning location, visit stokebynumbers.co.uk
