Free maths and budgeting courses with Multiply

At the Cheshire West and Chester Work Zones, you can access free maths courses to improve your skills, learn how to manage a budget, or get qualifications to help you find quality employment. All you need is to be over the age of 19, and to not already have a Level 2 qualification in maths (A-C at maths GCSE).

The government-funded Multiply programme is designed to help people gain skills and feel confident using maths in their daily lives. There are a wide range of courses available.

Maths workshops

If you don't want to do a qualification but do want to learn practical numeracy skills, the Work Zones offer interactive courses that help you apply maths to everyday tasks like cooking. For example, the Ellesmere Port Work Zone offers courses on food budgeting and money managing. Learning how to cook an affordable meal and stay on top of how much you're spending on your groceries is more important than ever as the cost of living rises.

Alternatively, you could do a 'Brush up on your Maths' course at Chester Work Zone to build your confidence in maths.

The workshops take around 5-10 hours and can be completed in a couple of sessions. They're very flexible, so you can do them in-person, in the Work Zones or school hubs, or online.

Get a maths qualification

If you want to get a qualification in maths, you could do a Functional Skills Maths course which will have an assessment at the end. You can do Entry 3, Level 1, or Level 2 functional maths skills. A Level 2 qualification is equivalent to an A-C GCSE in maths.

Maths Award courses

If you're less confident in your maths or find assessments stressful, you can take a Maths Award course. These courses will be adapted to fit your ability and your learning style to help you gain maths skills that will be useful in your daily life. You can use your coursework to achieve the award instead of an exam, and then go on to do a Functional Skills qualification afterwards if you wish.

How do I book a course?

To find out more about the courses and sign up, please contact your local Work Zone from the list below to see what they offer. If you don't want to phone, you can pop into the Work Zone.

• Ellesmere Port Work Zone, The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65
• Tel: 07990 532 869
• Northwich Work Zone, Waterside House, Navigation Road, Northwich, CW8 1BE
• Tel: 07833 236 675
• Winsford Work Zone, Wyvern House, The Drumber, Winsford, CW7 1AH
• Tel: 07766 205 389
• Chester Work Zone, The Bluecoat Buildings, Upper Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 4EE
• Tel: 07775 717 122

Alternatively, you can send an email to multiply@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk to get more information and sign up for a course. Or, you can call Simon Dutton:

• Tel: 07798 742 100

Multiply for parents

If you are a parent, Multiply also offers courses in certain schools, including how to 'Help your child with maths'. For more information, contact your local Work Zone from the list above.

Book-keeping courses coming soon

From September 2023, Work Zones are also going to be offering workshops on bookkeeping. So, if you want to set up a business or run one already, you can gain the skills you need to manage your own finances.