Numeracy Literacy Research
“17 million adults are working at ‘Entry Levels’ – roughly equivalent to the standard expected by the end of primary school. The equivalent figure for literacy is 5 million adults.”
Employers
Recent surveys show widespread concern amongst employers about their employees’ basic skills. The CBI’s 2008 audit surveyed 735 firms employing 1.7 million people between them.
• over half said they were concerned that they would not be able to find enough skilled people with the right qualifications in future
• there were serious concerns about employees’ ability to spot simple numerical errors, write in sentences, spell correctly and use accurate grammar
Self-perception of numeracy difficulties
• only 8% of the working-age population rate themselves as below average in numeracy
• more than a quarter (28%) of adults with poor numeracy rate their skills as ʻvery goodʼ. Only 5% of this group rate their skills as poor.
Source: National Numeracy Organisation