Lancashire Adult Learning is offering free English and Maths accredited courses to workforces across the Red Rose county.

 

Improving an employee’s English and Maths skills can have huge benefits to organisations, including boosting efficiency and reducing accident rates. Individuals feel the personal advantage too, with increased confidence and self-esteem.

 

By improving English and Maths, essential workplace skills are being developed including letter writing, formal emails, clear record keeping and the understanding of numerical data in orders, invoices and written directions. It can also be vital for health and safety matters in the following of written safety practices, for example, directions for use of chemicals and equipment.

 

Incorrect record keeping, bad grammar, poor communication and miscalculations can all hold back business growth and impact on a business’ performance and prestige.

 

A study undertaken by the Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills found that workplaces with a basic skills gap reported a range of costs to their business. The most commonly cited is an increased number of errors by employees: reported by 43% of employers with a basic literacy gap and 50% of employers with a basic numeracy gap (the equivalent of 3% to 4% of employers in England).

 

The report concluded that employers reporting a basic skills gap are also more likely to report a higher volume of customer complaints, are more likely to have experienced accidents and are significantly less likely to have had no accidents.

 

One in 10 employers specifically with a numeracy deficit reported fewer sales or lower profit margins as the result.

 

Learning with LAL is flexible and can either take place within the workplace or learners from different local employers can be brought together to allow smaller numbers to learn.

 

All learners are offered the chance to fast track to City and Guilds English and Maths qualifications at the level most suitable to them.

 

To discuss English and Maths support for your business, call Lancashire Adult Learning today on 0333 003 1717 or go to www.lal.ac.uk.