Multiply Programme in Hampshire
The Government recently launched the new UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to replace EU funds and as part of its Levelling Up policy. The UKSPF overarching objectives are to build pride in place and increase life chances, with a £2.6 billion budget over the next three years to fund programmes across three core investment priorities – Community and Place; Supporting Local Business; People and Skills. Alongside these priorities, a new Multiply programme is to be offered to support adults to improve their numeracy skills.
In Hampshire, UKSPF core allocations are being awarded to district and unitary councils, with Hampshire districts set to receive a total £11 million directly across the next three years. Multiply funds are additional and being allocated at county and unitary level. Hampshire County Council has an allocation of up to £5.7 million over the next three years. All funding is dependent on investment plans being submitted and approved in the Summer, with programmes to commence from September 2022.
The aim of the Multiply programme is to help transform the lives of adults across Hampshire with bespoke adult numeracy programmes to improve their numeracy skills, helping people unlock new job and training opportunities, support in work progression, get higher wages, and improve wellbeing. Boosting numeracy abilities can also help with everyday tasks like bills and budgeting or helping children with homework. It will offer adults (employed and under/unemployed) who need to improve their numeracy and do not already have a GCSE grade C/4 or higher in Maths or equivalent, free flexible courses that fit around their lives including face- to-face and virtual delivery.
We will be creating an ambitious Hampshire programme that is high quality and far reaching, building on what already works well and using our strong existing partnerships to develop and deliver new opportunities for our residents, including programmes to be delivered in partnership with employers. This will require a collaborative approach in design, delivery, and support, and we want to work closely with all partners to ensure investment plans for Multiply and the local UKSPF are complementary and add value.
The Department for Education has provided a list of proposed interventions in the Multiply Investment Prospectus Multiply: funding available to improve adult numeracy skills - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).