Central Sussex College Launches Barclays Money Skills Weeks

19/03/2012

Students will be given advice about managing their money

Students from Central Sussex College are being given the chance to improve their financial skills, as part of Barclays Money Skills weeks, a national money management programme that's aiming to reach 125,000 students nationwide.

Research from Barclays shows that young people need additional support to manage their money, and so students based at the College's Crawley and Haywards Heath campuses are now being offered help with their finances this March. Research shows that 36 per cent of young people say they regularly run out of money; 28 per cent state that they do not discuss financial matters with family, friends or other students; and many young people felt they faced various barriers to saving, such as high living costs, a poor grasp of maths and lack of financial knowledge.

Barclays and the National Skills Academy for Financial Services have developed a week-long series of money-related activities to provide students around the country with an awareness of money management issues and give them the tools they need to stay in control of their budget. Students will participate in money management activities based on topics such as food, fashion, and independent living. The activities include structured tutorials, as well as fun, informal lunchtime activities and competitions.

Chris Hearn, Head of Education for Barclays Corporate, said: "It is critical that young people have the skills they need to manage their money effectively. Barclays and the National Skills Academy for Financial Services are working with further education colleges across the UK to deliver an education programme which aims to build students' financial skills, knowledge and confidence, and help them prepare for a secure financial future."

Sylvia Perrins, CEO at the Skills Academy said "The rising costs of education means that students today have more to consider than ever before. Not only this, continued instability in the job market together with the tough economic climate creates the need to help and support students when it comes to understanding their finances. Barclays Money Skills weeks are a proven way of providing this support, with 83 per cent of students that participated last year saying that they now feel better equipped to manage their money."