In December 2009, Kate Bellingham, the government's career champion for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects launched http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/.
Talking about how maths made her career, Kate suggests that the great thing about maths was that the further you took it, the further it takes you. Her passion for the subject underlined how much she'd done in her own career to date: physics, sound engineering, teaching, TV presenting (formerly on BBC's Tomorrow's World), promomoting science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for the government.
She goes on to argue that research shows that A-level maths gives you 10% more salary - even if your employer doesn't know you've got it! For many they see maths as just sums. Sums are a good discipline but they are only part of mathematics. Mathematics is part of life, from choosing good deals in the supermarkets to assessing the risk of flying, to helping to choose a used car.
Finally, Kate would emphasise the importance of encouraging young people to work things out, measuring ingredients or deciding how to make Christmas decorations, which is actually looking at ratios and mapping out critical paths. No doubt this provides the confidence to put in the work needed to succeed at mathematics
Chris Bull, professor of mathematics at Bath University would say that
'maths is the best degreee for jobs: you can do virtually anything you want.'
The revised site read more has been re-launched with the desired intention of drawing in parents and those young people who study maths to16, but have few ideas of its potential regarding career openings. It wants to lay to rest the message that maths only leads to careers in finance.On the revised site, interactive graphics tempt visitors into real life puzzles and problems, from how to save the whale to the role of maths in championship cycling, and there are links to careers advice.
It is important for careers teachers as well as maths teachers within schools not only to bring it to the attention of pupils but also to encourage parents to navigate its contents. Oceans Maths read more works with primary and secondary schools to help improve pupils' maths by involving parents and carers. The content of the site will also demonstrate considerably how important maths skills are in the workplace.
Writing recently in the Guardian, Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Maths at Oxford delivers a very powerful argument for advancing the place of maths in young people's lives.
For me the motivation to become a mathematician was the sheer beauty of the ideas, structures and new ways of looking at the world. A world without knowing about primes, symmetry and 4D geometry would be like never hearing Mozart, seeing Picasso or experiencing Shakespeare.
The eminent Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science argues that the technology we all rely on is packled full of a rich and complex cocktail of mathematics. The best mobile phones are made by the company with the best mathematicians. The fact that Google invariably finds what you are looking for is due to clever algorithms that exploit the abstract mathematics of matrices.
The most efficient and elegant buildings, cars or aeroplanes depend on a keen understanding of geometry. Whether climate change is happening or not is down to understanding the numbers and what they are going to do next. Mathematic modelling is used in travel restrictions to tackling new pandemics like the H1N1 virus. Economists need sensitive mathematic analysis to balance pumping in money into the economy as against cuts in public funding.
Ignore maths and you become a passive member of society argues du Sautoy, unable to engage in debates that affect the future of the country and the planet. A mathematical 'work-out' is the best way of keeping your brain active, evidenced from the popularity of sudoku or brain training software on Ninetendo DS.
A world without maths would be impoverished politically, technologically, scientifically and culturally.
Marcus du Sautoy Professor of Maths at Oxford University
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