Numbers are everywhere — from your shopping trolley to your finances, time management, or DIY projects. Understanding and using basic mathematics is vital to everyday life, since it helps us process information, solve problems, and make decisions. Yet, research by the independent charity National Numeracy shows that many adults struggle with their numeracy skills and confidence. The effects of this can be dire — people with poor numeracy skills are more likely to face unemployment, make detrimental financial decisions, or suffer from depression. Anxiety about numbers is often also passed down from one generation to the next.

National Numeracy offers a range of resources for both children and adults to improve their confidence and competence in working with numbers. Working with communities, teachers, and employers, the charity provides training and workshops to improve numeracy, while also contributing to government policy.

Oliver Wyman was engaged on an eight-week project to help develop National Numeracy’s three-to five-year strategy. We worked together with the charity’s leadership team to challenge its current model in the context of risks such as waning adult engagement. 

As a part of this process, we conducted a detailed analysis of National Numeracy’s as-is situation and shared key findings with the leadership team. Furthermore, we helped the charity develop a strategic direction for the next few years, including a clear view on target beneficiaries and key offerings. Finally, we developed a set of tools to enable the organization to prioritize and categorize its offerings and shared a framework to enable them to implement the strategy roadmap.