ADD2632 London Multiply Engagement and Outreach programme 2023-24 and 2024-25 financial year

1.1 The London Multiply programme is free for Londoners aged 19+ who have no to low numeracy qualifications. The programme is being delivered by local authorities and colleges working in partnership with employers, schools, and community organisations, and will support a minimum of 31,000 Londoners to improve their numeracy skills across 57 providers. 

1.2 To ensure the programme has the greatest possible impact and provides value for money, the GLA needs to ensure as many eligible Londoners are aware of the London Multiply programme and are accessing the new skills provision available.  

1.3 However, based on existing GLA programmes and research, and external research, some challenges to increasing awareness and driving participation levels in adult learning have been identified:

i. There are significant attitudinal barriers that stop Londoners accessing numeracy skills provision, including maths anxiety and a lack of confidence, sometimes resulting from negative experiences, and a culturally accepted negative attitude to maths.

ii. There is a lack of awareness about the London Multiply programme and the opportunities available that are not traditional maths learning experiences. GLA officers also know that Londoners most in need of support are not always engaged with pan-London communication channels and traditional adult education providers.  

1.4 The GLA also knows from research that dedicated engagement solutions proposed in this ADD are effective at reaching Londoners not engaged with adult education.

1.5 The overall funding for the programme has been approved by MD3035, which included £3,545,795 for growth and supporting activity for delivery from the 2023-24 AY.  Authority for the decisions set out in this form was delegated to the Assistant Director – Skills and Employment under MD3035.

1.6 Funding for each FY is split as agreed in MD3035 (see section 5.3), as funding can not be carried forward overall expenditure for each FY will not exceed totals set.

Inter-related decisions

1.7 The SfL Community Outreach programme is currently funded jointly by the Adult Education Budget (AEB) and the Mayor’s Skills Academies programme. The AEB’s programme’s budget for the 2023‑24 FY is covered by MD3100. The London Multiply programme would contribute approximately £200k per FY to expand the programme’s reach and ensure there is a strong numeracy skills focus.

1.8 The SfL Employer Engagement Strategy and Campaign will be funded by AEB and Multiply. The programme’s wider budget is also covered by MD3100. The London Multiply programme will contribute approximately £500k per FY to expand the programme’s reach and ensure there is a strong numeracy skills focus. It is proposed that the service commences as a pilot in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 FYs, taking a targeted approach working with employers in sectors with a higher density of skills challenges.

2.1 This proposal recommends using the funding allocated for additional activity within the London Multiply programme to address engagement and awareness challenges and drive participation in numeracy provision across the city, helping to meet the Mayor’s ambitions for learning in London. 

2.2 The expected outcomes for the multi-strand London Multiply engagement and outreach programme include:

i. Londoners have increased awareness of London Multiply provision

ii. Londoners have increased numeracy confidence and skills

iii. attitudinal barriers to numeracy learning are reduced

iv. more businesses and community organisations referring into adult education.

Community engagement and outreach strand – Expansion of the SfL Community Outreach Programme

2.3 Approximately £400k will be contributed to the SfL Community Outreach programme over two years, £200k for the 2023‑24 FY and £200k for the 2024-25 FY.

2.4 The London Multiply programme will contribute funds to expand the programme’s reach and ensure there is a strong numeracy skills focus. The contribution from the London Multiply programme will bring the total budget of the Community Outreach programme to £700k for the 2023‑24 FY.

2.5 Based on the first Community Outreach programme (2023-23), funded activity will:

i. promote and raise awareness of London Multiply learning opportunities with target communities

ii. generate referrals into London Multiply provision and AEB numeracy provision

iii. strengthen relationships and referral pathways between grassroots community groups and organisations, adult learning providers

iv. collect evidence about how community groups can support referrals into Multiply numeracy provision

v. support with setting up models of good practice and signposting to Multiply numeracy provision.

2.6 The Community Outreach programme will increase awareness of the numeracy support available to Londoners through London’s Multiply programme (as well as the wider AEB numeracy provision) and support referrals to London Multiply provision from priority groups who are often hard to reach, this includes Multiply priority groups and those impacted by the cost of living crisis.

2.7 Performance indicators for the Multiply contribution will include:

i. the number of Londoners engaged (5000 per annum (p/a))

ii. referral numbers into the London Multiply programme and/or AEB maths provision (3000 p/a)

iii. the portion of learners attending a course (approximately 60 per cent).

These are the same as the wider SfL Community Outreach programme.

Local Community Numeracy Roadshow 

2.8 Approximately £1m will be invested in a local community numeracy roadshow that will focus on local engagement aiming to reach Londoners not formally engaged with skills provision and/or pan‑London communication and engagement channels; £500k for the 2023-24 FY and £500k for the 2024‑25 FY. 

2.9 The GLA will procure a supplier(s) to deliver the roadshow. It is likely funded activity will include:

i. work with community organisations, boroughs, schools, and other relevant stakeholders, such as residents’ associations and faith organisations, to run local events to raise awareness of Multiply and wider adult numeracy and skills provision – it is likely this will include numeracy workshops or activities

ii. running a local programme to train local numeracy community champions, similar to National Numeracy community champions

iii. work in partnership with community organisations to reach numeracy cold spots and areas not funded by the community outreach programme, such as outer London boroughs

iv. production of non-digital assets to share at roadshow events to raise awareness of London Multiply provision, including assets in other languages

v. work with providers to help raise awareness of and build on provider local engagement activities.

2.10 The campaign will increase awareness of numeracy provision available via the London Multiply programme (and wider AEB), support referrals into London Multiply provision and provide wider learnings on how to conduct local engagement on Skills programmes with communities.

2.11 Performance indicators will include number of Londoners engaged (15,500 p/a) and a number of events held (22 p/a).

2.12 Roadshow activity would target priority Multiply groups, care leavers, parents, and people with experience of the criminal justice system, working with key stakeholders such as schools and local authority institutions to reach these groups.

2.13 The roadshow will also support a long term goal of breaking down attitudinal barriers to numeracy by creating a culture of numeracy learning, celebrating its importance and its relevance to support Londoners with their everyday lives and work

2.14 The local community numeracy roadshow will further complement pan-London Multiply communications and digital engagement, which will reach Londoners through the Mayor’s digital communication channels and develop assets that can be used to promote and celebrate the programme.

Employer engagement

2.15 Approximately £1m will be provided for employer engagement activity, including a contribution towards the SfL Employer Engagement Strategy and Campaign to run a programme of support connecting employers to skills and employment support in London, with up to £500k for the 2023‑24 FY and £500k for the 2024‑25 FY.

2.16 The GLA will grant fund or procure a supplier or partner organisation to deliver the employer engagement activity. It is likely that funded activity will include:

i. running a series of London Multiply engagement events for small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the city to raise awareness of the programme

ii. engaging sectors the GLA knows have numeracy skills needs

iii. brokering relationships between SMEs and Multiply funded skills providers

iv. working with planned UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) business support for each borough.

2.17 The SfL Employers Engagement Strategy and Campaign will aim to improve businesses awareness and access to skills provision. The GLA will procure a supplier(s) to deliver the programme. The programme of support will:

i. provide a single front door service that is supported by professional, impartial skills brokers who will operate across London to help identify skills requirements

ii. develop a training needs assessment

iii. broker relationships with relevant skills providers.

2.18 The service will work with SMEs who do not always have the funding or resource for workforce planning and Learning and Development (L&D) or have relationships with skills providers. London Multiply funding will ensure the programme of support has a strong numeracy focus and Londoners are being referred into London Multiply provision.

2.19 London Multiply funding will contribute to the performance indicators for this service and a specific one related to the Multiply programme. For the first year of the service, the performance indicators will include the number of employers reached (approximately 500-700) and the number of Londoners referred into Multiply provision (approximately 2500). These numbers could be subject to change as they will be dependent on the funding contributed by London Multiply in the first year. It is likely these numbers will increase for the second year as the service will be established and can learn from its first year of delivery.

2.20 Due to attitudes and barriers to maths learning, it is possible that engagement with employers and employees could prove more difficult than other skills offers.

Evaluation

2.21 Strands of the London Multiply engagement and outreach programme will be included in the wider London Multiply evaluation. The GLA will conduct an in-house evaluation of the London Multiply programme that complements both the national evaluation and the GLA’s existing AEB evaluation. The London Learner Survey has also been extended to include London Multiply funded learners, ensuring alignment with the GLA’s AEB monitoring.

2.22 If needed, additional funding from the Multiply management and administration  budget can be used to support the London Multiply evaluation to ensure it includes the engagement and outreach programme.

London Multiply growth element

2.23 The remaining budget of approx. £1,145,795 will be for supporting growth funding for London Multiply activity where it is shown to be particularly successful or is overperforming against quarterly reporting targets (£718k and £427k per FY). This would likely focus on expanding existing provision to reach more Londoners. Possible changes to funding allocations are set out in the existing London Multiply funding rules.

2.24 This element will be flexible, with the possibility of funding being moved to support other strands of the engagement and outreach plan if needed.

3.1 To ensure the London Multiply programme meets the GLA’s Public Sector Equality Duty an Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) was carried out to demonstrate how equality groups and equalities impact were considered in the development of the programme and set out the likely impact delivery would have on equality groups and address wider issues of socio-economic inequality.  

3.2 The London Multiply programme will give Londoners without Level 2 numeracy qualifications the opportunity to learn and develop essential numeracy confidence and skills they need in life and work. From the EqIA, the GLA knows those without a Level 2 qualification are more likely to be low-income, older, disabled, or from a minority ethnic background. As such, this provision is likely to reach equalities groups and support them to upskill, supporting progression into further learning and good work. 

3.3 The different work strands set out in this proposal aim to expand the reach to equality groups, including those in most of needs of numeracy skills provision and those impacted by the cost of living crisis. This will ensure awareness of and participation in the programme among those groups increases. This includes Multiply target groups, parents, care leavers and those with experience of the criminal justice system.

3.4 Expansion of the SfL Community Outreach programme will also ensure more community organisations working with equality groups are supported to refer Londoners into adult education. 

4.1 The London Multiply engagement and outreach programme outlined in this ADD aligns with commitments made in the Mayor’s Skills for Londoners Strategy, Skills Roadmap for London, and the Mayor’s commitment to support to Londoners through the cost of living crisis and his mission to build a fairer and more prosperous city for everyone. 

4.2 Funding amounts set for each strand of the programme are indicative and will be flexible to the needs of the programme (within each FY), with the overall expenditure remaining at up to £3,545,795. Future reprofiling between streams will generally be agreed by the Assistant Director – Skills & Employment, in line with internal governance processes.

Key risks and issues

4.3 For the Multiply programme, the GLA has a funding agreement with the Department of Education (DfE) up to March 2023 and grant determination letters are signed for each FY. The GLA does not expect the funding amount to be reduced, but as these funding commitments are contingent on future grant determination letters, officers will build in flexibility to adjust proposals if the funding amount is reduced.

4.4 The DfE retain the right to reclaim any unspent funding at the end of each FY. The GLA will take steps to ensure funding is spent in the FYs, in line with its investment plan. This includes clear deadlines and milestones in delivery partners contract(s) and GLA officers with project management responsibilities.

4.5 There is a risk that inter-related work programmes may not be set up in time to meet London Multiply deadlines and reporting requirements. To help mitigate this, officers will build in flexibility to adjust proposals if needed. It is also possible the numeracy requirement could be lost alongside other programme needs. GLA officers will work closely with corresponding officers to ensure the development of these programmes works for the London Multiply programme and the numeracy element is included in relevant programme documents and delivery partner contract(s) where appropriate.  

4.6 There are no conflicts of interest to declare from those involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision.

5.1 This ADD seeks approval for the expenditure from the London Multiply programme budget of:

i. approximately £2,400,000 for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 FYs to fund new outreach and engagement activity

ii. approximately £1,145,795 for supporting growth and expansion of successful Multiply activity (£572k+ FY).

5.2 MD3035 approved expenditure of up to £3,545,795 for growth and supporting activity for delivery from the 2023-24 AY and delegates authority to the Assistant Director – Skills & Employment to make all further programme-level decisions via an ADD, as necessary.

5.3 The approximate. split of the expenditure by FY is set out in the table below. Funding amounts set for each strand of the programme are indicative and will be flexible to the needs of the programme, with the overall expenditure remaining at up to £3,545,795.

5.4 Budget allocation for future FYs (2023-24 and 2024-25) will be subject to the annual budget setting process and is subject to change. The expenditure of £3,545,795 from the London Multiply programme budget across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 FYs is assumed to be affordable and can only be confirmed when the budget allocation is formally approved in March 2023.

5.5 Any contracts that commit the GLA in future years are subject to appropriate break clauses.

6.1 The next steps are summarised per strand of work below:

Appendix A - DfE/GLA Multiply grant determination letter

Appendix B - MD3035 Multiply Programme 2022-24