Education
Daniel Dawkins
Monday, October 4, 2010
I would make sure that young people are taught about finances while they are at school. When they leave school or college they will get a job and need to manage their money, pay bills and be self-sufficient, but no one actually tells young people how to do this.
They will get offered credit cards and loans as adults but may have no understanding of the charges involved, what interest is, or how much extra they will actually have to pay back. It's easy to get into debt.
I would also ensure that young people are taught that university is not necessarily the right route for everybody after school or college. They need to be told about the other types of vocational courses and programmes available to them. Work experience is also important for developing life skills, but should be relevant. Rather than just spending a week working in a shop, for example, it may be more useful to work in an estate agents, which would give someone an idea of what is actually involved in buying a house.
I have learned about life skills by attending the charity Fairbridge, which works with 13- to 25-year-olds. If these sorts of skills were combined with more traditional subjects in schools, pupils would leave education more prepared for life in the real world.
Do you know a child or young person who could tell adults a thing or two? Email gabriella.jozwiak@haymarket.com or call her on 020 8267 4729
