How money works: Students get budgeting skills and gig economy lessons

Students will be given lessons on budgeting skills, the gig economy and cryptocurrencies as part of a “no frills introduction” to how money actually works in a financial learning programme between the social mobility charity Brightside and Tandem Bank.

The ‘Money Hacks’ programme will be piloted in a local North London school to mentees aged 16-18 at the start of the new academic year to help develop their financial skills, and they are now on the hunt for a school to take part.

Ricky Knox, Co-Founder and CEO of Tandem Bank, said: “In the UK, young people don’t get enough guidance about how to look after their money and too often learn their lessons the hard way. We want to fix this, breaking down the jargon and helping mentees understand how money actually works.”

They claim that the current curriculum does not properly equip young people to deal with money as it is frequently bundled in as part of maths or citizenship lessons.

Anand Shukla, Chief Executive at Brightside, added: “We are always looking for new ways to equip young people with the skills they need to develop and thrive. Knowing know how to look after your money is a key life skill and I can’t wait to develop this programme with Tandem and see the impact it has on students.”

At the end of the programme Tandem will be offering students the opportunity to intern with them and kickstart their careers in the finance sector.