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Politicians back new Programme in Personal Financial Planning
FINANCIAL
education charity the ifs School of Finance has marked the launch of
their unique new adult Programme in Personal Financial Planning (PPFP)
with a reception in the House of Commons. Over 100 MPs, peers,
teachers and a wide range of stakeholders were present at the event
to learn more about the programme and to hear three students from
Tower Hamlets College speak about their experiences of taking this
new financial education programme.
PPFP is taught in separate units, addressing 5 key components of
managing personal finances; making ends meet, keeping track of
finances, planning ahead, choosing financial products, and staying
informed about financial matters. PPFP enables adults from all
backgrounds to understand basic financial terms, to budget and to
deal effectively with everyday financial situations. The QCA
accredited programme is now available to any adult learning centre,
FE college or other institution that wishes to offer the course.
A
number of employers and housing organisations have also expressed
interest in offering the courses to their staff and customers.
Speaking at the event, Tower Hamlets College student Noorjahan
Rashid said:- “I have only been taking this course for 4 weeks
but have found it life changing. I know about mortgages and interest
rates now and all sorts of financial things… it’s really given me
confidence."
Fellow student Ferdous Akter added:- “When I started the
course I had no idea what an insurance policy was for, now I know
about all the different types of policies and what they are for…
The course has taught me how to budget.
Knowing how much money is coming in, how much is going out might
sound simple but so many people can’t do this.”
Finally, Noorun Ali added:- “I thought saving in a pension was
something you did when you were in your 50s but taking this course
means I know I should start saving for retirement as soon as
possible. My eyes have really been opened… most of you in this
room probably don’t even know what APR stands for but because I did
this course I know. Everyone should do this course because
everything you do in life involves money - going to University,
having children, going on holiday, everything!”
In addition to brief speeches from the students, senior politicians
from each of the three main political parties addressed those
present.
Liberal Democrat MP and former Shadow Chief Secretary to the
Treasury, Julia Goldsworthy, hosted the event. Julia hailed the
Tower Hamlets college students as “…really inspiring”
and added:- “I have seen, in my own constituency, the
difference that an ifs qualification can make to students
understanding of personal finance, but what’s good about this new
programme is that it will reach an even wider audience.
When
it comes to making good financial choices confidence is key.
What
these students have demonstrated today is that this course has given
them that confidence”
Conservative MP and Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Mark
Hoban, said:- “The ifs programme will give people the power
and confidence to take the right financial decisions.
It’s the gold
standard of financial education and we need more outlets for it…”
Labour MP Barry Sheerman, who chairs the Select Committee on
Children, Schools & Families, added:- “Our Committee has
looked at the issue of financial education and is keen to see more
done in this area. Programmes such as this can make a real
difference.”
For more information about PPFP, please call the ifs School of
Finance on 01227 818609. |
It’s official! Men are rubbish… at recycling
MEN
are 3 times more likely than women to bin their unwanted clothes and
shoes, a survey from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has
revealed. 15% of men have admitted they dodge their recycling
duties and would leave their unwanted items out for the bin men
before considering recycling them, despite the fact that 1 million
tonnes of clothing end up in landfill each year.
48% of men don’t consider recycling to be very important or part of
their everyday routine. This rubbish attitude towards recycling
textiles is also supported by a 3rd of women across the UK.
Only half of the population in the North West feel recycling is very
important and 19% don’t consider recycling clothes.
These findings are revealed as BHF Shops in the North West launch
their Recycle for Life campaign, to appeal to members of the public
to make regular charity donations as part of their recycling
routine. With at least 50% of textiles thrown away able to be
reused, BHF Shops want to challenge the attitude of the fifth of us
(18%) who don’t consider clothes recyclable. By highlighting these
statistics, the BHF wants to encourage more people in the North West
to recycle their unwanted clothes, shoes and accessories by donating
them to their BHF shops in the area.
Julie Clegg, an Area Manager for BHF Shops in the North West, says:-
“Recycling has become a routine part of our daily lives. But,
many of us still don’t consider our unwanted clothes, shoes and
household items as part of this. These items are vital to us and
last year alone helped us raise over £12.5 million to help fight
heart disease. We’d really urge people to stop being rubbish
and start recycling their good quality unwanted items, by bringing
them along to their local BHF Shop and recycle for life”.
With over 540 BHF Shops nationwide and 265 clothing banks, recycling
unwanted items couldn’t be easier. The Charity urgently needs good
quality clothes, shoes, toys, DVDs, books and bric-a-brac. To locate
your nearest shop, please call 0844 4125000 or visit
www.bhf.org.uk/shops.
Program Review - BBC iPlayer
THE BBC iPlayer is an interesting
development of the internet for the UK, but other countries have had
this type of program for years. One thing I think is a fantastic
about it is that with the change to Digital TV, you can save the
cost of having to get a VCR or DVD RW installed to keep viewing your
programs. One bad thing about it is the fact that you must have a
good internet connection to use it, and in the UK, that can be a
problem still. This is though, I feel, the way TV will be heading in
the future. TV on demand and I think that this, in the near future,
will start to replace your normal TV channels and pave the way for
smaller independent stations to broadcast. Already we have our
programs on line on Liverpool Reporter, also you have channels like
ChannelM in Manchester, but the UK still is a long way off.
If you want to keep up-to-date with the
programs, I would say, download it and have a go. But note, if you
do not live in the UK, it will not work, unless you pay...
Let us know your views about the BBC's
iPlayer by emailing us to
news24@southportreporter.com. |
