Get On…with the new numeracy campaign

2008 is set to be an exciting year for Skills for Life as we begin to work towards the ambition that 95% of adults will have functional literacy and numeracy skills by 2020. As we know, numeracy is a particular challenge for us, with an estimated 6.8m adults having numeracy skills below Entry Level 3. For this reason, the Get On campaign will return to our screens shortly with a new focus on numeracy. The LSC will be taking forward the Get On campaign in partnership with DIUS. To maintain the success so far and to hit our existing target of 2.25 million qualifications by 2010, we decided that after six successful years, the ‘gremlins’ should make way for a new campaign.

The first phase of this new marketing campaign will introduce the issue and aim to get adults thinking about improving their numeracy skills. The campaign is designed to build people’s confidence in their ability to do a maths course and reassure them that attending a college with other adults is nothing like the experience they may have had at school. Respondents to the campaign will be given details of the Skills for Life numeracy courses in their local area. They will also be sent a new motivational film on DVD showing other adults who have improved their skills - and their lives – through Skills for Life. A second phase of the campaign in late summer will provide a further push for enrolments in advance of the new academic year.

The new campaign will launch on 17 March 2008 with PR activity, TV, radio and press advertising, and a new consumer website.  Look out for more information on the new campaign over the following weeks. Although the gremlins will be disappearing, the blue Get On logo will stay, so many of the existing marketing materials can continue to be used.

The LSC Statement of Priorities published in November 2007 detailed plans to improve the basic skills of over one million adults in the period 2008 to 2011, including 390,000 to achieve a first Entry Level 3 (or above) numeracy qualification. To ensure we meet this challenge and help all the adults who can benefit from improving their numeracy skills, we are encouraging providers to find out more about the campaign and get involved.

To order free Get On promotional materials, please call the Get On campaign office on 020 7544 3130 or download an order form by clicking here.

The new website will be operational at www.direct.gov.uk/geton from 17 March.