Budgeting to buy their first car and saving for their future has become one step easier for Liverpool high school students who are completing a TAFE NSW course to gain practical financial skills.

The four-week Be Money Smart course at TAFE NSW Liverpool is offered to students at Miller High School and John Edmondson where they learn how to read contracts and understand superannuation, as well as how to manage insurance and debt so they can be prepared for their future.

It comes as the NSW Government released an interium report into a review of what students learn from Kindergarten to year 12 in a bid to create stronger foundations in subjects like mathematics and English and be prepared for the jobs of the future and for attaining lifelong skills. [1]

TAFE NSW Head Teacher of Business and Finance, Michelle Dimond, said students completing the course have learnt the lifelong practical skills they need to financially prepare for their futures, considering research has revealed that two out of five millennials say it is either “difficult” or “very difficult” to meet their necessary cost of living expenses.[2]

“We not only teach students real world skills like how to budget for everyday expenses but we also help them plan for bigger events such as a holiday or buying a car. TAFE NSW has equipped these students with the skills they need to get ahead,” she said.

“It is our aim that by delivering this program to students we are providing life skills to help set them up for their futures, especially in cases where there are generations of families who are living week to week.

Students also had an excursion to Flight Centre as part of the program where they researched costs associated with a holiday to Hawaii including currency conversion checks, flight costs and hotel deals.

John Edmondson Careers Adviser Kim Tran thanked TAFE NSW for delivering the course to students.

“TAFE NSW is giving our students the opportunity to be whatever they want to be. The TAFE NSW teachers were very hands on with teaching the students practical skills they will then be able to apply to the real world,” Ms Tran said.

John Edmondson high school student Myah El Kotob said the program helped her think about her future beyond the classroom.

"I’ve really enjoyed the TAFE NSW course. I’ve learnt practical skills that I know will serve me well when I finish school and gain more financial independence,” she said.