Are you thinking of joining the Royal Navy?

This week's blog post focuses specifically on how numeracy is used in the workplace. 

If you or your child has ever considered becoming a member of the armed forces, the official Procedures and Practice Test will need to be taken and passed. 


(Photograph found- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2032581/HMS-Dragon-roars-life-Royal-Navys-latest-technologically-advanced-warship-launched.html) 

Using one's maths skills to get into the navy is not what someone would primarily consider, perhaps thinking of their physicality before their numeracy skills, yet the official test highlights that good numeracy skills are needed to succeed in the Royal Navy. 

The test is designed to measure your ability to quickly and accurately make calculations using the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Fractions, percentages and basic algebra are also included. 

Below is some sample questions and test examples taken from the practice booklet. Post your answers in the comment box below, and good luck!! 

1) Subtract 346 from 4328 

A- 3972 

B- 4982 

C- 3992 

D-4992 

E- 3982 

2) What is o.25 expressed as a fraction? 

A- 1/2 

B- 1/4 

C- 3/4 

D- 1/8 

E- 5/8 

3) What is the number 49.98724 correct to three significant figures? 

A- 49.9 

B- 49.987 

C- 50.0 

D-49.990 

E- 49.986 

4) If the perimeter of a square is 20cm, then the area of the square, in square centimeters is: 

A-250 

B-20 

C-25 

D-200 

E-50 

5) 44x28 

A-1200 

B-880 

C-132 

D-1400 

E-1232 

6) A pupil scored 60% in a test. If the maximum mark was 50, then pupil's mark was? 

A-35 

B-30 

C-15 

D-40 

E-20 

7) If x=15 and y=70, then y-x= 

A-55 

B- 50 

C-45 

D-85 

E-15 

8) 1/2 x 1/5= 

A-1/4 

B-2/10 

C-1/10 

D-1/7 

E-5/8 

9) What is the number 44.978942 correct to three decimal places? 

A-44.978 

B-44.979 

C-45.000 

D-45.0

E-44.9 

10) 40 x 0.75= 

A-20 
B- 65 
C-30 
D-70 
E-35 

The test in combination with an interview will result in the employee successfully joining the navy. So, thanks for reading! Post your results in the comment box below, and don't forget to follow Steam Powered Stories on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook! 

Head back to Steam Powered Stories blog next Wednesday for a new blog post! 

It's time to catch up!

Steam Powered Stories has been determined to develop and promote the 'What you say COUNTS!' project- a scheme that aims to promote the belief that every child can succeed in numeracy. As you can see from our previous blog posts, we have been providing various workshops in schools across Wales to promote numeracy in schools and its place in the workplace. 

Steam Powered Stories has recently worked with Brecon High School through a Maths Skills Day.  Pupils completed maths activities under time limits, subconsciously developing their maths skills as a result. 

We also administered both a Finance and Entrepreneurship and Maths Skills day in Dwr-Y-Felin Comprehensive School, Neath; both workshops were successful, and students involved gained valuable experience as a result. 

Additionally, Steam Powered Stories, and Learn & Grow, visited Morriston Comprehensive School in Swansea to conduct their Dragons' Den Enterprise Project that took place over a three day period. Students involved thrived in the process of becoming entrepreneurs as they created a brand, and an innovative product that they later sold to the Dragons! 

We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Morriston, Dwr-Y-Felin, and Brecon High School, and we look forward to working with you in the future. 

In addition to maintaining brokered links, SPS has also recently created new links with schools in Wales. We will be working with:

• Builth Wells High School, Powys
• Ysgol Bryn Aman Comprehensive School, Ammanford
• Ysgol Dewi Sant Comprhensive School, Haverfordwest

to provide excellent support through exciting numeracy-based workshops and projects in the new academic year. 

Additionally, to develop the links between schools and employers, multiple companies and services have kindly agreed to help us in our administration of the 'What you say COUNTS!' project.  The following companies have already agreed to get involved in our upcoming Finance and Entrepreneurship Day with Bwyth Wells High School, Powys-

•                                                                Fire Service 
•                                                                Police Service 
•                                                                Army Service
• Health Service 

If your business, or a company you know would like to get involved with the project, specifically in our entrepreneurship day in Bwyth Wells, please let us know by contacting Hayley Howe, Business Co-ordinator on 01685 872385, or Learn & Grow Wales Business Counts Schools Co-ordinator, Adrian Morgan, on 07592077878. 

 

As well as working with schools and employers, Steam Powered Stories interacts with members of the public. We are heading to Neath's Fun Day held on 24th July 2014 to raise awareness of the WYSC project, so come along, meet the team, and get involved! 

In addition to promoting the 'What you say COUNTS!' project socially, we have also been developing our online social platform. We have not only created a new blog, (the one in which your reading now!) but we have also created and transformed our Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr pages! 

Additionally, Steam Powered Stories has been involved with the official Welsh Government Facebook team to promote our blog- steampoweredstories-janro.blogspot.co.uk. We have attained the opportunity for our blog posts (posted every Wednesday) to be promoted on the official Education Begins at Home facebook page-  https://www.facebook.com/beginsathome

So don't forget to regularly check our Facebook page, and the education begins at home Facebook page to ensure you're keeping up to date on Steam Powered Stories' administration of the 'What you say COUNTS! project. 

We also have exciting news to share with you regarding the Swansea newspaper, Evening Post. We are working with the Evening Post to inform and incite others to get involved with the WYSC project, so keep your eyes peeled in the next couple of weeks; see if you can catch us in the headlines! 

So, as you can see we are all busy bees here at Steam Powered Stories working hard to promote and develop the WYSC project. Thanks to everyone that has got involved with the project so far, and for those who are looking to get involved, feel free to contact the Steam Powered Stories or Learn & Grow team directly through email (steampoweredstories.janro@gmail.com) or by contacting Hayley or Adrian on the numbers mentioned previously in this blog post! 

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr and thanks for reading! 

Head back to http://steampoweredstories-janro.blogspot.co.uk/next Wednesday for a new blog post. 

What does SPS have to offer you?

Steam Powered Stories administers a range of workshops and projects that can designed to accommodate you and your school's needs. Equally, we can combine aspects from workshops to create a suitable project for you! 

Below is the list of workshops and projects that Steam Powered Stories can offer you- 

1) Dragons' Den Day 

2) Finding a job Workshop 

3) Finance for Life Day 

4) Workplace Buddies Project 

5) Peer Mentoring Project 

6) Make maths fun Day 

7) Entrepreneurship Day 

8) Parents Evening 

9) Maths Quizzes 

10) Employment Placement Project 

11) Employer Visit

12) Inspirational Speaker 

(Photo of 'Funky Vinyls', Morriston Comprehensive School pupils that won Dragons' Den Enterprise Week)

If you require any further information about our workshops, or would like to book a project, feel free to contact Hayley, our Business Co-Ordinator directly on 01685 872385, or Adrian, Business Schools Co-ordinator on 07592077878. Additionally, you can email us on steampoweredstories.janro@gmail.com 

If you've read our previous blog posts, you can see how beneficial our workshops are to pupils, so book today to change the hearts and minds of the younger generation.

Don't forget to follow Steam Powered Stories on 

 Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook! 

Head back to this page next Wednesday for a new blog post from Steam Powered Stories. 

Thanks for reading! 

Dwr-Y-Felin Comprehensive School Maths Skills Day

Steam Powered Stories and Learn and Grow have been busy this week not only making new contacts with new schools and employers, (update coming soon!!) but on maintaining old ones. 

On 8th July 2014, the SPS team headed to Dwr-Y-Felin Comprehensive School to deliver a Maths Skills Day, where 250 year seven pupils participated. 

The aim of the skills day was to further the implementation of the 'What you say COUNTS' project. Students would be subconsciously developing their maths skills by taking part in activities; pupils would realise that everyone uses maths in their day-to-day lives even if they don't initially realise it. 

Year seven students took part in four maths activities, each activity lasting 15 minutes; this prevented the pupil losing interest and maintained excitement. Whether the pupil was playing Top Trumps, maths bingo, building lego towers, or playing cards, ultimately, students were using and developing their numeracy skills. 

Pupils were competitive, yet determined to succeed in each activity. Calculating maths questions under time constraints meant each child was encouraged to raise to the challenge, work with others to answer maths questions and beat each other's winning scores. 

Overall, teachers and pupils were fascinated and excited by what the Skills Day had offered. It was a winning day for pupils, SPS, Learn and Grow staff, and the 'What you say COUNTS!' project! 

Thank you to Dwr-Y-Felin Comprehensive School, Neath, for welcoming us to your school. We thoroughly enjoyed working with you and your pupils, and look forward to working with you in the next academic year. 

Additionally, thank you to all year seven pupils that participated. We hope you enjoyed the skills day and are feeling confident about facing any numeracy problems in your day-to-day lives. 

If you or your school require any information about not only the Maths Skills Day, but any other workshops that SPS and Learn and Grow provide, feel free to contact our Business Co-Ordinator, Hayley Howe on 01685 87238, or Adrian Morgan, Business Schools Co-ordinator on  07592077878. 

Also! Don't forget to support Steam Powered Stories and the 'What you say COUNTS!' project by following us on-

Twitter,   Tumblr,   Facebook. 

P.S. 
SPS will feature in the Evening Post, Swansea, in the next couple of weeks, see if you can spot us! 

Thanks for reading! 

Dragons' Den Enterprise Week

Steam Powered Stories, in association with Learn and Grow, opened the minds of 25 Morrison Comprehensive School pupils last week who took part in a Dragons' Den Enterprise Week.

The Dragons' Den Enterprise workshop aims to introduce students to the world of enterprise, and more importantly, to how maths is required and applied in the workplace.

The workshop began on Monday 23rd June where students were encouraged to understand the concept of enterprise and entrepreneurship, aspired to identify the two types of enterprise (social and commercial), and incited to recognise and learn what skills are needed to be a successful entrepreneur.

 Pupils named famous entrepreneurs. Sir Alan Sugar, the multi-millionaire who created his own business as a teenager, became a key role model for the students who would later create their own business and product.

(photograph from www.telegraph.co.uk)

Steam Powered Stories returned to Morriston Comprehensive School on Wednesday 25th June encouraging students as they began creating their businesses, and as they later planned and designed their innovative products.

Students were randomly placed into groups, and after considering roles and responsibilities,  the aspired entrepreneurs considered their target audience, where their product would be sold, along with the more prying matters of finance; this is where the application of numeracy in the workplace really came into play.

Steam Powered Stories and Learn and Grow worked alongside pupils to help them consider financial costs of making their desired products. Students were expected to consider:

1) How much their product would cost to make?
2) How much the company's workers would need to be paid in order to create the product?
3) What the company's monthly budget would be?
4) What price the company would sell their product for?
5) How many units the company would need to sell to make a profit?
6) If the product would be sold online, how much would package and shipping cost?

Although the above questions appeared complex and perplexing for students to consider at first, when the pupils sat down together and considered each question, they thrived in calculating costs, and were pleasantly surprised that good numeracy skills are needed in the workplace in order for a business to be successful.

After considering the above questions, students began creating their desired products. Each group had a unique business name and product:

Group one- 'A Pair and a Half'- Creating three socks to avoid losing one.
Group two- 'H20 Customs'- Range of novelty cups, handmade with various designs.
Group three- 'Generation 21'- Recycling and rejuvenating second hand clothes.
Group four- 'Funky Vinyls'- Using vinyl records to create handmade clocks.

By the end of the second day, students had considered the above questions and had created their products. In preparation for the Dragons' Den pitch on Friday 27th June, students considered what made their products unique and worthy of investment, and looked forward to the exciting challenge of selling their product to the Dragons.

Friday 27th June saw students pitch their ideas to three judges, Jess from Steam Powered Stories, Richard Breeze from Lloyds Bank, and Adrian from Learn and Grow; pupils praised their products and showed excellent knowledge of how much it would cost to create their products and how many units they would have to sell to make a profit.

'A Pair and a Half' pitch

'H20 Customs' pitch

'Generation 21' pitch

'Funky Vinyls' pitch

After considering each product, pitch and each businesses' use of numeracy skills to calculate profit for their products', the judges had the difficult choice of choosing the winning product.

Yet after thoughtful consideration, the judges believed that Funky Vinyls was an innovative and unique product that would sell out on the consumer market!

Steam Powered Stories (SPS) would like to congratulate all students who took part in the Dragons' Den Enterprise Week; you all did exceptionally well and are set to strive as entrepreneurs and in your future studies.

Additionally, SPS would like to thank Richard Breeze for coming along to support the day. Your presence epitomised the 'What You Say Counts' aims which strive to encourage everyone to believe that they can succeed in maths, and that society must comprehend that good numeracy skills are needed to achieve and co-operate in the workplace.

Many thanks to Morriston Comprehensive School for enabling the Dragon's Den Enterprise Week to go ahead; we look forward to working with you in the next couple of weeks through another workshop.

If you require any information about Steam Powered Stories, Learn and Grow and their excellent and effective workshops which aim to enlighten and educate the younger generation on numeracy and its place in the workplace, feel free to contact Hayley, Steam Powered Stories' Business Counts Co-ordinator directly on 01685 872385.

Additionally, you can contact SPS through email, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, and don't forget to follow SPS by clicking the links above ^^^

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more from Steam Powered Stories' blog next Wednesday!