Students across London have taken part in a new programme from The Mayor’s Fund for London in partnership with rail supplier Alstom that takes place at Acton’s Old Oak Common train depot to help with improving numeracy and maths.
The ‘Numbers @ Work’ programme aims to help the students who are at risk of exclusion from mainstream education.
Last month saw students from Heath School in Camden take part in weekly sessions which explored maths in the rail industry looking at engineering principles, problem-solving as well as helping the students develop skills in communication and confidence.
Ella Downs, project manager at the Mayor’s Fund for London, said: “Maths confidence and numeracy are vital life skills which have a protective affect against disadvantage. We were delighted to run ‘Numbers @ Work’ with Alstom and see the positive results, giving young Londoners skills as a springboard to future employment.”
Ms Downs added: “It was great to see the group learn the process for how train carriages for the Elizabeth Line are made, something they use every week. They engaged with the considerations the engineers make and put the learning into practice with their own designs.”
Nina Atwal, skills, employment, education and diversity project lead at Alstom, added: “The impact of the sessions was clear to see through the engagement we had with the students over the course of the programme. Their confidence, problem solving, teamwork and communication skills all developed over the three sessions, and it was a pleasure to see this.”
