Promoting Maths in Real-World Careers – A Collaborative Effort for Maths Week Scotland 2024
4 October 2024
In September, Developing the Young Workforce Inverness & Central Highland (DYWICH) took part in a powerful campaign for Maths Week Scotland 2024. Running from 23-29 September, this campaign aimed to showcase how maths plays an integral role in everyday life and careers, often in unexpected ways. By highlighting real-world examples, we sought to encourage young people to see the value of the maths skills they learn in school, challenging the idea that maths is only for the classroom.
Campaign Highlights: Maths Tales in Action
The theme of this year's Maths Week was “Maths Tales,” designed to illustrate how maths is woven into our daily routines and workplace tasks. To kick off the week, DYWICH welcomed Paralympic Gold Medalist Fin Graham from Strathpeffer, who shared how essential maths is to his training, race strategies, and success in competitive cycling. His story demonstrated how maths can fuel performance, even in the sports world.
From there, we heard from professionals across different sectors. A Site Manager from Morrison Construction explained how maths is a critical tool in the construction industry. From calculating concrete quantities to verifying site measurements, maths helps ensure that projects are completed safely and efficiently.
The Collective Hair Salon in Inverness shared how they use maths daily to create the perfect experience for clients. From timing colour treatments to calculating ratios for the ideal hair formula, precision with numbers is key to their work.
Bringing Economics to Life: School Visits with the Fiscal Commission
In collaboration with the Scottish Government’s Fiscal Commission, Maths Week culminated with two school visits from the Fiscal Commission's outreach team. Over 70 pupils participated in interactive sessions, learning what it’s like to work as an economist. They debunked myths around economics, often perceived as a subject focused solely on finance or business. The team highlighted the diverse opportunities in the field, from environmental policy to tackling poverty.
Callum, an economist from the Commission, shared, “We promote economics because research suggests that exposure to economics in school can influence whether pupils pursue it at university. By raising awareness of economics, we aim to increase representation, particularly from young people in the Highlands, in Scottish Government roles. Diversity in economists leads to diversity in policymaking.”
One of the key goals of these visits was to break down barriers and inspire more students from underrepresented backgrounds in the Highlands to consider a future in government roles.
Results and Recognition
The impact of the campaign was far-reaching. Our Maths Week campaign earned national recognition from Maths Week Scotland for its engaging and insightful series of videos, which raised awareness of the value of maths at local, regional, and national levels. Over 70 young people and numerous educators took part in the outreach sessions, contributing to the campaign's success.
The benefits were immediate: following the session at Millburn Academy, one student was inspired to change subjects and join the economics class. The talk had opened their eyes to the wide-ranging opportunities in the field, from transport and environment to education and net zero initiatives.
Reflections from DYWICH
Liz Fletcher, DYWICH Programme Lead, shared her thoughts on the success of the campaign:
“Our goal is always to help young people see the bigger picture—that the skills they’re learning in school have a real impact on their future, whether that’s in the workplace, their personal life, or in their communities or even for the future of Scotland and the wider world. Maths Week Scotland gave us the perfect platform to do that, and we’re incredibly proud of the response from students and businesses alike.”
Moving Forward
By connecting maths to real-life careers and dispelling myths around economics, this campaign succeeded in encouraging students to think differently about their future pathways. With support from local businesses and the Fiscal Commission, we hope to continue inspiring young people to see the endless possibilities that maths—and other subjects—can offer.
