Financial capability for learners at risk of becoming NEET

In partnership with ColgeauCymru/CollegesWales

Focus group members

Coleg Glan Hafren, Deeside College, Neath Port Talbot College.

Aim

To help vulnerable and hard-to-reach learners, including the unemployed and those on low incomes, gain financial capability skills with support from adult and community-based education providers.

Background

Questionnaire-based research carried out by focus group members signalled a lack of awareness of money matters among the 16-19 age group at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment, or training). Specific issues included budgeting, saving, and debt.

Action

The group explored the potential for fun-but-informative interactive sessions that would allow young people to acquire skills to help them control their finances throughout their adult lives.

Each college trialled different tutorial session formats. Examples included the use of hard-hitting case studies featuring loan sharks and credit card-themed activities. Using comments and feedback, both from staff and students, these sessions were fine-tuned, with tutorial resources made available on colleges’ intranets and Moodle platforms.

Outcome

Because of the tutorial sessions, there are signs that students are making positive changes to the way they handle money and assess their own financial situation. One tutor commented, “It was very interesting that students who normally have a short attention span were unusually well-behaved and found the sessions engaging”.

The colleges will carry out further work to make the tutorial resources a regular part of the students’ curriculum. This will give students an opportunity to grasp the money challenges they face and, most importantly, learn to help themselves to overcome those challenges.

Focus group members hope that other education centres seeking to adopt a similar programme of themed tutorials will benefit from this model.

Testimonials

Hairdressing student at Coleg Glan Hafren

“I didn’t know much about money management before this course, but now I realise how easy it is to get into debt. I’ve decided not to use my store card again and plan to return it.”
Tutor at Coleg Glan Hafren

“We’re really grateful for the Money for Life programme. We’ve created an invaluable resource for the future.”