Name: Kathryn
Job Title: Booking Co-ordinator
Employer: Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust
Course: Move On with Multiply
Kathryn works as a Booking Co-ordinator at Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust (RCHT), where she is part of a team responsible for scheduling patients for Pre-Assessment appointments prior to elective surgery. Her job is high-pressure, requiring precision and good organisational skills.
Before attending the Multiply course, she felt anxious about maths and lacked confidence. Having failed maths at school, that experience left her with a deep sense of self-doubt. “I thought at my age I would never pick it up. I had failed once at school, and that was enough to knock my confidence,” she said.
Kathryn had been considering improving her maths for a while, however, she had been put off by the idea of online learning and worried about feeling out of place in a classroom of younger students. “I didn’t want to look silly in a classroom full of younger people,” she admitted. When she heard about the Multiply programme through a colleague, Vicki, who had successfully completed the course and passed, she changed her mind. Kathryn explained, “Vicki didn’t have a bad word to say about it, and that gave me the push I needed.”
Reassured by her colleague’s feedback, that the course was designed to be supportive and accessible to adult learners, Kathryn decided to sign up for the Move On sessions, delivered by the Multiply Programme at Truro and Penwith College. She saw the course as a stepping stone towards gaining a maths qualification that would open up more career options within the NHS.
Once on the course, Kathryn quickly realised how supportive the tutors were. “The teachers engaged with me and the rest of the class in a way that made me feel comfortable. You’ll learn in a way that works for you, with the best teachers who are there to support you all the way,” she reflected.
“It’s okay to feel nervous! They show you different ways to get the same correct answer, and you just need to decide what works for you. Anj, Asun and Liam built on anything I knew, showing me different ways to solve problems,” she added.
Throughout the course, Kathryn’s confidence grew. The tutors didn’t focus on a one-size-fits-all approach, instead encouraging learners to find the methods that worked best for them. This flexibility helped Kathryn shift her perspective on maths. “Before I started, I had zero confidence in maths. Now, I’m happy to give it a go, and I feel more capable,” she shared.
By the end of the course, Kathryn felt confident enough to take a Level 2 Functional Skills Maths exam and passed on her first attempt, something she once thought was impossible.
“I was over the moon to pass first time!” Kathryn enthused. “The team was so supportive throughout, and they were just as pleased for me as I was. I can’t thank them enough.”
“This course has opened doors for me to apply for other roles in the NHS and I’ve gained a sense of confidence that I never had before,” she added.
On a personal level, Kathryn now enjoys engaging with maths in everyday situations, such as answering pub quiz questions.
Kathryn encourages anyone considering joining Multiply to take the leap. “If anyone is sitting on the fence about doing this course, be brave. Take the plunge – you have nothing to lose,” she advised. “Everyone is in the same situation. Either they’ve failed maths before or forgotten most of it, and they just need help to rebuild their confidence and skills. It’s not like being back at school, and you won’t feel out of place.”
Kathryn’s journey from fear and self-doubt to passing her exam with confidence highlights the transformative effect of the Multiply programme. “I never thought I’d get here, but now I’ve got the qualification, I feel like I can take on more challenges,” she exclaimed. Thanks to the support from the team at Truro and Penwith College, she has gained not only a maths qualification but also a renewed sense of possibility in her career and life.
To find out more about the ‘Move On’ courses visit our Eventbrite Collection.
