Seventeen million adults in the UK – that’s almost one in three - have difficulty with numbers. To help counter this, a national numeracy campaign - Maths Takes You There - was launched on Thursday 2nd October 2008, by NIACE (the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education) with funding from the LSC (Learning and Skills Council).

Maths Takes You There was launched at a conference in Sheffield to encourage more maths learning in the community and the workplace. The conference included interactive learning to reduce the fear often associated with maths, as well as a series of workshops to delegates develop an action plan, empowering them to engage their own reluctant audience.

The conference also saw the launch of a publication called Maths Takes You There, to complement the campaign and to help adults improve their maths skills. A website was also launched, offering further support and featuring a workplace challenge to encourage people outside of the conference to get involved with the campaign.

David Lammy MP, Minister for Skills, said:

"Employers are absolutely fundamental if we want to improve the skills base of the UK and maintain our competitiveness and prosperity. Two thirds of the 2020 workforce have already left compulsory education so businesses, Union Learning Reps and advice & guidance staff have a crucial role to play in unlocking the talent of our people. Driving up numeracy skills is one of our biggest challenges and the partnership between Government, colleges and employers is absolutely key in this agenda."

Richard Crabb, NIACE Numeracy Campaign Officer, said:

"To a lot of adults, maths can seem boring, pointless or even scary. Many people are still haunted by the memories of struggling with it at school. It’s hard to deny that maths plays a huge part in everyday life – from figuring out your personal finances to going out for a meal with friends - and even though most people claim they can’t ‘do maths’, people use maths every day, often without realising. By launching a national campaign, we hope to eliminate the fear that is so often associated with numbers, build people’s confidence up and help them realise that maths can be as enjoyable as it is useful."

Click here to go to the Maths Takes You There website.