Like many people, Murphy’s journey has been shaped by a long period of low self-esteem and feeling uncertain about his future.
From a young age, he faced significant challenges, including a visual impairment caused by an accident when he was young, which affected his reading skills, prompting him to need an eye patch. This, combined with learning difficulties, left him feeling unsupported during his early school years, where he felt isolated and misunderstood.
It wasn’t until Murphy attended secondary school that he received support with dyslexia. He was grateful for the support, but by then, his confidence had already taken a hit.
After leaving school with no work experience, Murphy was unsure how to move forward. Claiming Universal Credit, the sense of not knowing where he belonged lingered until he joined The Forward Trust’s Restart Scheme in October 2024.
Murphy’s introduction to Forward’s employment support marked a turning point in addressing his low self-esteem and lack of direction.
Initially, Murphy resisted the idea of engaging with maths through the Multiply Programme but after embarking upon a budgeting exercise, he recognised the practical benefits of improving his numeracy skills.
Despite his uncertainty, Murphy signed up for the 1-day Multiply workshop. To his surprise, he found the course “engaging and useful”, especially when it came to learning more about managing money effectively. This positive experience gave him the confidence to consider the three-day Multiply course, even though he worried he might not be able to handle it.
The three-day Multiply course provided Murphy with both a challenge and an opportunity to grow. The course focused on more traditional maths concepts and processes and, while he found some parts of the content more difficult, he needed minimal tutor support.
Reflecting on his experience, Murphy stated that he enjoyed the course – a significant statement from someone who had long viewed education with trepidation. Through Multiply, he developed practical skills like budgeting and started to rebuild his confidence and sense of responsibility.
Most importantly, the course showed Murphy he was capable of learning and achieving, even in areas he once thought were too challenging.
