From education to employment

OFT updates consumer education programme for adult learners

A free web-based tool, providing adult education teachers with resources designed to turn their students into educated consumers, has been updated by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

A new version of the OFT’s Skilled to go consumer education programme now includes free on-site training workshops and curriculum referencing to the Adult Financial Capability Framework, as well as general updates to reflect recent changes in legislation.

According to a pilot evaluation last year, 64 per cent of course participants felt very or quite confident in knowing about their consumer rights, compared to 20 per cent at the beginning of the course.

"People of all ages have to engage in a wide range of transactions in an increasingly complex environment. Just like the fundamental skills of reading and writing, we believe that being able to handle consumer situations effectively is an important life skill and ingredient for successful money management," says David Murphy, OFT’s head of campaigns.

"The uptake of the Skilled to go toolkit has been impressive and although the development of consumer skills is a long term process, we’ve had excellent feedback from tutors and pupils – particularly from young men who aren’t always the easiest to reach in an educational setting."

For more information, visit: www.oft.gov.uk/skilledtogo


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