Huws Gray is hosting courses to boost the career prospects of its workforce in partnership with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai's Multiply department.

The builders merchant has seen an increase in confidence among staff thanks to sessions on mathematics, spreadsheets and coding.

Multiply offers easy access to a wide range of free maths courses, with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai leading on the project across Gwynedd, Môn, Conwy and Denbighshire.

Huws Gray has been working with Multiply since February, and is currently offering staff courses in GCSE maths, coding and a Microsoft Excel masterclass at its head offices in Llangefni, Anglesey.

Dafydd Hughes, Head of Central Operations at Huws Gray, believes the project helps people develop their skills and progress their careers here in north Wales.

He said: “We’re keen to provide all our colleagues with an opportunity to develop their career and fulfil their potential. We’re fortunate in North Wales we have several links with colleges, other businesses and universities in the area.

“We’ve worked more closely with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai in recent months and we’re delighted to be part of the Multiply Project. It’s a fantastic opportunity providing various options for people to do their GCSEs, and improve their Excel and IT skills.

“Our colleagues have thoroughly enjoyed the sessions with the incredibly helpful tutors and have developed new skills and new-found confidence.”

Multiply tutor Kerry Barclay-Smith said: “As Huws Gray is in the building industry, we've been looking at it in connection with construction.

“We’re also looking at ways we can simplify the process so that they can get the results they need far quicker. So rather than relying on a specific formula, I will show them several different ways of doing things because everybody will find a way that is right for them.

“Maths can be very abstract, so it's really important to make the abstract something that's concrete that people can actually see. Also encouraging them to draw the problem out is a biggie.

“The big issue is confidence, so you need to understand where they're coming from, and you need to identify how they're going to learn.

“Having known one student here for just four weeks, she’s gone from having no GCSE to having me consider her to sit the higher GCSE paper, which is fantastic.”