Enabling education has existed in Australia for over 40 years. It is a significant entry pathway for students who have not been able to access university education through the traditional school pathways. Such programs routinely include mathematics subjects as part of the core curriculum. To prepare students for the rigours of university study that involve the application of quantitative concepts, students must be able to apply the skills and knowledge they learn at the enabling level at the undergraduate level and beyond. In a mathematical context, it is to be expected that individuals will at times struggle to apply their mathematical knowledge and skills when solving problems in unfamiliar settings, particularly when writing about the mathematics itself. The struggle itself requires students to put in effort to make sense of the mathematics, particularly when solutions and the processes required to obtain them are not immediately apparent. While teachers can optimise learning conditions to the best of their ability, mathematical connections ultimately must be made by the students themselves and effort is required by the students to achieve this. This article presents a curriculum framework for an Australian enabling mathematics subject which aims to incorporate the above ideas. It reports on the implementation and effectiveness of the program through students' performance in undergraduate programs and teachers' and students' perceptions of its success and challenges.