Mathematical literacy (ML) is a fundamental learning area of GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 [SAQA] training. It contributes 16 credits towards the qualification.
In line with the objective of this learnership, the focus of this learning area is to teach proficiencies that are used in all aspects of life. This is over-and-above workplace literacy skills that are required to secure and retain employment, as well as grow careers.
Andreas Schleicher best defines the importance of mathematical literacy (ML) in all aspects of life. Schleicher is Director for Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [Andreas, Schleicher | OECD]. He says that “good numeracy is the best protection against unemployment; low wages; and poor health.”
Extensive research has shown a deep connection between innumeracy and poor outcomes. For example, citizens with poor numeracy skills are more than twice as likely to be unemployed. Data by the OECD also demonstrates a direct relationship between wage distribution and numeracy skills. Refer to EDUNAEC1.pdf (oecd.org). Good numeracy is also associated with a range of positive financial behaviours. This includes saving frequency and staying abreast of financial obligations. Financial literacy – as this ability is also known – is further developed by GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 life orientation (LO) studies. This is a core learning area of GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1. OECD skills reports also show a strong correlation between innumeracy and poor physical and mental health.
GETC: AET/ABET bridges the gap
GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 ML bridges the gap between maths taught at school and those required in the workplace. Adult numeracy training is also used to lift the basic number skills of employees who did poorly in maths at school. Certainly, it is also a way of refreshing older employees’ maths skills which they may forgotten over the years.
The application of numeracy in the workplace is not straightforward, transcending a command of “core’ mathematical content. Increasingly, workers are performing sophisticated functions which require confidence to identify, use and apply mathematical procedures. Thus, modern employees need to be able to recognise and identify how and when mathematics is used in the workplace. They must also understand mathematical concepts, procedures and skills and the types of practical tasks that they involve. In addition, they require knowledge of the strategic processes that they should use in applying mathematical knowledge.
Unfortunately, many school leavers do not know how to integrate these skills in the workplace. This is considering that existing maths tuition at school generally emphasise these skills separately.
Numeracy is applied in both routine and complex tasks that require sophisticated use of mathematical skills and problem-solving procedures. Mathematical demands can be present implicitly in jobs, often via tasks that are not obviously mathematical in nature. Therefore, many employees who have a fear of maths are unaware they are using this skill to perform their jobs. They may have learnt their basic number skills on the job.
GETC: AET/ABET ML and LLC
There is a deep connection between GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 ML and Literacy, Language and Communication (LLC). Thus, LLC is another fundamental GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 learning area. These skills are used together to perform jobs. As such, they are generally simply referred to as “workplace literacy”.
There is a growing need in the workplace to communicate information effectively based on mathematical data and inferences. Employees communicate this data with managers, colleagues and customers. Team-based work is also becoming more common because it is an important way of improving processes. It includes using mathematical reasoning and ideas through appropriate language and representation.
In other aspects of adult life, the efficient use of maths skills also relies on language. Technical vocabulary; problem solving; and clear verbal communication; and writing in math are all supported by sound language skills. In our increasingly interconnected world, understanding this relationship is critical.
GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 numeracy
GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 numeracy skills imparted by ML facilitate the use of technology.
Many employees are expected to use technology, such as a spreadsheets and graphical outputs. Technology is transforming workplace practices at a rapid rate. It is also changing the mathematical skills required by employees. Therefore, workplace numeracy has become even more important and embedded in the roles performed by modern employees. The extensive use of technology is not only changing the way that work is done. It is also transforming work, itself. More advanced processes and analyses can now be done using technology. Therefore, employees need to be more mathematically competent to understand processes that must be performed. They also need to know how to assess and reflect on the accuracy and appropriateness of results generated by technology. This is in addition to possessing an understanding of the information generated by these analyses and how to interpret it.
Leading GETC: AET/ABET provider
Leading GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 training provider, Triple E Training has helped many companies to equip employees with basic numeracy skills. This is through the provision of quality mathematical literacy (ML).
In its dealings with companies operating across many industries, the AET provider has identified seven key workplace numeracy skills. They include measurement; estimation; number skills; and use of formulae. Employees also need to be able to interpret plans, diagrams and scale drawings. Moreover, they must understand what is being communicated via graphs, charts and tables. Then there is the important ability to evaluate, critique and model using mathematical concepts.
There are many workplace numeracy skills associated with measurement. Generally, they include the ability to make initial estimates of measurement correctly and perform it using appropriate instruments. Moreover, they entail an ability to interpret concepts and measure units. These also need to be described correctly by using suitable language and symbols. Skills associated with measurement also entail the capacity to choose appropriate formulae to calculate quantities of common shapes. Moreover, they involve being able to convert between metric units. This is in addition to being proficient in checking reasonableness of results and interpreting them in terms of original purpose.
Meanwhile, estimation is used to determine approximate answers when exact calculations are not required. It is also a valuable skill to verify mentally whether an error has been made. However, employees also need to know when to estimate or to calculate based on the situation. This is a fundamental skill associated with estimation. This is but one example of critical and logical thinking skills that are developed by GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 ML.
GETC: AET/ABET basic number skills
GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 ML addresses the basic number skills that employees use to perform their jobs. Basic number skills are those deployed to do simple calculations.
Even when using technology staff think through a problem to determine the correct calculations to perform. Moreover, they must be competent in the use of the technology. Multiplication, addition and subtraction are common calculations performed in the workplace. They are performed on whole numbers for product quantities and decimals, associated with measurements and money, for instance. Employees also calculate percentages to communicate various information such as productivity and performance to colleagues and higher-ups. The ability to compute ratio and proportion is also a widely used basic number skill.
Meanwhile, a diverse range of simple mathematical formulae are used by employees when calculating areas, volumes, dimensions and flow rates. They also need to be able to select and use suitable formulae to calculate measurement properties of common shapes. Employees must also know how to create formulae by understanding relationships between variables.
Many employees use drawings, plans and diagrams in their daily work routine. This entails reading and interpreting the meaning of the symbols and measurements used to convey important information.
Reading graphs, charts and tables are also associated with many jobs. These include tables of product sizes, specifications and costs. This mathematical data is critical for problem solving and quality improvement. Thus, workers need to be able to read, interpret and transform data from charts and spreadsheets.
Many tasks also involve workers in problem-solving and decision-making using mathematical skills. They use mathematical techniques to investigate and solve problems. This includes the ability to reflect on the reasonableness and accuracy of the results and possible alternative methods and solutions. Moreover, employees need to be able to model and communicate mathematical information.
GETC: AET/ABET ML comprises
GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 ML comprises four key learning areas. They include:
- Learning how to describe and represent objects in terms of shape, space and measurement. This counts five credits towards ML. Refer to SAQA.
- Learning how to evaluate and solve data handling and probability problems within given contexts. Again, this counts five credits towards ML. Refer to SAQA.
- Learning how to work with; operations with; and relationships between numbers. This counts four credits towards ML. Refer to SAQA
- Learning how to work with measurement in a variety of contexts, which counts two credits towards ML. Refer to SAQA.
To pass GETC: AET/ABET ML
To pass GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 ML, learners will have to demonstrate competence in the four learning areas.
They must show that they know how geometrical shapes are identified and described. This is in terms of their uses and measurement in different contexts.
They will also have to demonstrate how mathematical scales are used to interpret and draw maps. This is for specific purposes and given equations.
In addition, they must demonstrate an ability to solve measurement problems using various strategies.
Learners’ ability to measure everyday objects using the correct instruments and units is also appraised.
They also have to demonstrate competence in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data to show relationships and variations.
Learners also have to show that they know how to use number calculations to solve realistic and abstract problems.
Moreover, they must demonstrate competence in the use of various mathematical techniques and strategies to calculate problems. This must be done across a range of contexts. They include financial, measurement, statistics and proportion, comprising time, distance, speed, measurement, volume and temperature. Life issues include human rights, social, economic, cultural and environmental. These involve known geometric figures and solids, or measurement, estimation, calculation and use of formulae and measurement selection. Data is collected by selecting appropriate methods to investigate a question on an issue. Methods include using questionnaires, interviews and experiments.
This is in addition to consulting textbooks, libraries, the internet, media articles and documentaries. Issues include social, economic, environmental, political, human rights and inclusivity. This is in addition to characteristics of target groups; attitudes; or opinions of people on issues. Data is organised using a variety of techniques appropriate to the investigation. Techniques include summarising, sorting, sequencing and classifying.
GETC: AET/ABET skills in workplaces
So, how are these GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 ML skills deployed in typical workplaces?
They are used extensively by employees of manufacturers of steel products, for example.
Usually, raw materials moving in and products out of the factory are tracked by copious amounts of paperwork. These include order forms, delivery dockets, invoices and travel cards or job sheets. The vast majority of information conveyed by this paperwork is numerical in nature. It includes order, docket, job, shelf, operator, drawing, machine, invoice and customer part numbers. Add to this numbers of packs and quantity of pack. This information is interpreted by staff as raw material moves through the factory. Many of these numbers with six or more digits are also frequently copied by hand from one form to another. This may involve a variety of formats. It is critical that this is done correctly to keep track of inputs.
These employees will also undertake a number of arithmetical calculations on a daily basis. They may do this manually using pen and paper; mentally; or with a calculator. For example, an employee tasked with counting products in 10s, 20s and 50s may usually first undertake interim tallies on paper. Thereafter, he or she may calculate mentally. More complex calculations will then sometimes be performed with a calculator. These may entail multiplying numbers in rows by numbers of rows or determining the number of leftover products.
Employees use GETC: AET/ABET ML
In dispatch, employees use their GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 ML skills in various ways. This includes to calculate freight costs by multiplying and adding within a variety of methods. For example, they will calculate whole numbers mentally or with pen and paper. Those calculations involving larger numbers, decimals and percentages may be performed with a calculator. To check for accuracy if they are uncertain, employees will repeat calculations using various methods.
Warehouse employees will also use a range of arithmetical operations daily. For example, they will add for totals and subtract for leftover number of products. They will also deploy basic number skills to determine how many metal sheets are available in stacks. Moreover, arithmetic skills are used to determine the number of products that can be produced from these.
Notably, employees have to make the correct decision about suitable tallying systems for various products. This is based on their size and type of packaging. For example, products may be packed in eight layers per carton, or in combinations of bubble-wrapped packs of 10 objects. Large crates may be packed with 10 or 20 items per row as products leave the finishing line. Small items may be placed in plastic packs of 50 and sometimes verified by their weight. Employees make these decisions while keeping a progressive tally.
More sophisticated calculations involving decimals and percentages are also used by many of these employees. For example, they will use decimal multipliers, as well as straightforward addition and multiplication for costing. This is in addition to converting time to decimals and then adding and multiplying the outcome to complete timesheets. These calculations are also used to verify the remuneration received for hours worked. This is another example of how numeracy underpins financial literacy.
GETC: AET/ABET ML knowledge
Employees also deploy their GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 ML knowledge in many other important ways.
Workers employed in steel product factories, for instance, frequently measure using various instruments. Rulers and tape measures are deployed to determine length, width and depths of components and products. This is in addition to ensuring that holes are punched in specified positions. Verniers are used to determine the thickness of metal sheets delivered correlate with the specifications on factory orders.
These calculations are performed to varying degrees of accuracy. For example, in the assembly room, products may be measured within standard tolerance levels of 1mm in 500mm to 1 000mm. However, in dispatch, rougher length measurements are undertaken with a tape measure. This is considering that the specifications are sufficiently accurate to determine the volume of product. These calculations are performed to determine freight costs and transport methods. Scales are also used to weigh loads and products to calculate freight costs. Furthermore, they are deployed to determine the packaging and transport methods, as well as ensuring safety for lifting and storage.
GETC: AET/ABET ML estimation
GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 ML estimation skills are also often used in these workplaces. For example, employees visually estimate weights as loads are delivered by truck. This enables quick decisions to be made about appropriate lifting, storage and labelling of materials.
Support documentation storeroom workers also estimate when packing. They do so to ensure parcels remain under a specific weight limit. This is in addition to when determining whether to attach warnings to packaging containing light and fragile materials. Visual estimates are also made when choosing appropriately sized cartons or envelopes for packaging. Moreover, they are undertaken to estimate the size and weight of goods when packing them on trucks. This enables employees to determine which commercial vehicles to use to ensure compliance with legal carrying requirements.
Employees also estimate the time their duties will take to ensure deliveries and deadlines are met. Notably, time management is also a major focus of GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 LO.
In the cutting section of these factories, formulae underpin the selection of correct sizes of dies and punches. These are used on punching and stamping machines. “Bend allowance” formulae are also used based on the thickness or sheet metal. This is to ensure that the lengths cut can be bent to shape.
Formulae are also used in dispatch to calculate volume and freight cost.
There is also a great deal of spatial awareness applied by employees working in these factories. For example, they constantly load cartons on to pallets, trolleys and trucks in various configurations to ensure stability. Meanwhile, forklifts and hand-pushed trolleys are constantly being manoeuvred in confined spaces.
GETC: AET/ABET a foundational skill
GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 ML is a foundational skill that serves as the basis of the acquisition of more advanced numeracy proficiencies. Many GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 learners will pursue occupational and vocational trades to qualify as artisans. The theoretical training aspect is usually technical in nature requiring strong basic numeracy skills.
In the factory setting described before, employees also need to be able to read and interpret complex and detailed 2D-scale drawings. This skill is used to guide cutting, folding, assembling, welding and masking areas prior to painting.
Certainly, these plans are not generated by production workers. However, employees must understand them to attend to their own aspects of the drawing. For example, they need to recognise which areas to mask with the aid of margin notes and symbols on drawings.
Learn more about Triple E Training and our GETC: AET/ABET NQF 1 learnership for employees and unemployed individuals. www.eee.co.za