College Celebrates the Success of the Multiply Project

As the Multiply Project concludes, City of Glasgow College reflects on its tremendous impact. This UK-wide project distributed over £559 million to thousands of partners, to provide numeracy classes to learners. At City of Glasgow College, the Widening Access and Communities team worked with over 400 learners across two academic years, to build their numeracy skills, boost confidence and open doors to new opportunities.

At City of Glasgow College, our Widening Access and Communities team have been proud to play a key role in delivering Multiply, bringing a creative, hands-on approach to the initiative. Instead of focusing solely on traditional maths, Multiply integrated numeracy into everyday activities such as budgeting for meals, measuring fabric for sewing, and applying numeracy in mental health and wellbeing. This approach made maths more relevant and accessible to learners, ensuring they could directly apply these skills to their lives.

The success of Multiply is rooted in its innovative teaching methods. Learners didn’t only solve abstract problems—they used numeracy in real-world scenarios, from grocery budgeting to calculating recipe ingredients. One learner shared, ‘I never thought I’d feel confident using numbers, but embedding numeracy into our mental health classes has shown me how to use these skills for my wellbeing. It’s made everything feel more manageable.’

Our bespoke numeracy courses were designed to meet the diverse needs of our learners. Classes included subjects like textiles, cookery, and personal finance, all of which connected numeracy to areas of personal interest. This creative approach made learning both meaningful and engaging.

Nicola MacTaggart, Curriculum Head for Widening Access and Community at City of Glasgow College, shared, ‘It has been a joy to be part of Multiply, delivering maths and numeracy in ways that directly relate to our learners’ lives. The project has allowed us to embed numeracy into classes like finances, cooking, wellbeing, and personal development, building confidence and essential skills.’

For many participants, Multiply marked their return to structured education after years away. The welcoming environment, coupled with engaging materials, helped learners overcome the anxiety often associated with maths, allowing them to feel supported and empowered.

Beyond numeracy, Multiply also fostered connections among learners. One participant from our sewing class noted, ‘I’ve learned so much—not just how to sew, but how to budget for materials and plan projects. It’s given me the confidence to start making things for myself. I feel more independent, and it’s helped me connect with others.’

The success of Multiply also relied on collaboration with key community partners such as the Marie Trust, Maryhill Integration Network, Simon Community, and The Barn. These partnerships enabled us to reach a wide range of learners, delivering the project in both College and community settings.

James Davies, Associate Dean - ESOL and Communities, reflected, ‘We’ve embedded numeracy into a range of subjects, making it accessible for everyone. Many of our learners had negative experiences with maths in school and never imagined they could achieve a numeracy qualification. Multiply has changed that.’

As the project concludes, we celebrate the accomplishments of our learners. They have achieved numeracy qualifications ranging from SCQF Levels 2-5, and also progressed to further education, with some advancing to SCQF Level 6 and HNC courses. One learner expressed, ‘Developing my skills in accountancy has given me confidence. I never thought I could pursue this career again, but Multiply helped me reconnect with my passion.’

City of Glasgow College is incredibly proud of the role we’ve played in Multiply and is excited about the ongoing impact it will have on our learners and their communities. The skills and confidence gained through this initiative will continue to benefit individuals long after the formal sessions end. To all the learners, educators, and community partners involved, we offer our heartfelt thanks. Together, we’ve made a real difference, and we look forward to the continued success of our participants.