Need financial help? You can bank on it

UNEMPLOYED teenagers in Oldham are to receive priceless help on budgeting thanks to a new scheme backed by Barclays.

The Bank On It! programme is giving trainees from youth charity Rathbone advice on what banks do, how best to stretch your weekly income and keeping debt in check.

Rathbone Centre manager Paul Dean said Barclays deserves credit for recognising how difficult it can be for many young people to manage on a meagre income.

He said: “Some of our young people are experiencing extreme financial hardship. They are trying to bring up a family on benefits or attempting to gain an education on £30 a week.

“There are also learners at Rathbone who can’t afford to eat and others who don’t have the wherewithal to afford proper clothes to attend job interviews.

“Our society sometimes fails to recognise the fiscal pressures young people are under, so it is good to see Barclays offering practical advice and encouraging teenagers to take a tighter grip of their finances.”

The Rathbone Centre, in Union Street, Oldham, opened in November by Michael Meacher MP, runs apprenticeship programmes open to 16-18-year-olds, plus schemes such as Entry to Employment, which allow trainees to gain qualifications and a taste of the workplace.

Chadderton learner Stacie Storer (18) is working hard to get into childcare but receives only £30 educational maintenance allowance each week.

Out of that, she pays her bus fares from her home to the Rathbone Centre four days a week and her lunch.

Trainees on the programme will spend eight weeks learning financial skills. They will be credited with a Level 1 Key Skills qualification if they complete the course.

Barclays North-West community relations manager Rachel Herbinson said: “Barclays and Rathbone are proud to be working together towards a common goal.

“As financial decisions become ever more complex, it is essential we equip our young people with the knowledge they need.

“The Bank On It programme is one of a number of initiatives supported by Barclays to help young people better manage their finances.”

Throughout the programme, trainees will be invited to deposit their thoughts on a feedback wall behind the Rathbone Centre in Union Street.

Already featuring a montage of messages and images, including a Barclays crest, the wall was unveiled to launch the programme.

For more details about Rathbone call 0161-620 6767.