Do you wish you had more money but don’t know where to start? Or perhaps you want to learn how to make money from investing or develop your business skills?
Our online, twelve-month course will teach you the essential money management, investing and life skills from a personal finance and investment expert.
How does the course work?
The course is online, can be started at any time and is self-paced so you can fit it around existing commitments. The course material is delivered via your online account on our website.
Each week consists of a video to watch, followed by a practical (but theoretical!) task to help you develop your skills. Together, the video and task should take an hour to complete.
Our courses are tailored to young people, with lots of practical tips, step-by-step real-life challenges and inspiring case studies.
We also offer the option of three and six month courses.
What will the course cover?
The first part of the course focuses on money management. You’ll learn:
• How to choose the best bank accounts and the basics of budgeting.
• How to be a savvy shopper when it comes to getting the best price.
• Ways you can earn some extra money from a side hustle, and how to find the best value mobile phone contract.
• Everything you need to know about owning a car, getting your first job and buying a property.
The second part of the course focuses on how to invest in shares:
• You’ll learn about the basics of owning shares, why share prices move and how you can make a profit.
• How to create a balanced portfolio and how to balance risk and reward.
• You’ll research different sectors to see which would have made you the most money.
• We’ll explain how to analyse which shares to buy, including a simple introduction to valuation and key measures.
• At this point you’ll start a six-week investment challenge: you’ll pick shares and funds and set up a virtual portfolio. You’ll review how they perform against ‘blind tips’, learn some trading tips and work out the final profit or loss you’ve made.
The third part of the course covers the basic skills you need to set up your own business. You’ll learn:
• How to create and research your business idea.
• About creating a business plan, together with the basic finance skills you need to get to grips with the financial side of running your own business.
• How to create a brand identity, including how to choose a brand name, select a domain and create an eye-catching logo.
• The different ways of advertising and marketing your business.
• How to build a website and how search engine optimisation skills, including how to rank on Google searches.
The last part of the course focuses on everyday life skills. You’ll learn how to:
• Manage your time more effectively.
• Become a crack negotiator and confident communicator.
• Write a great CV.
• Book a great holiday using our tips and tricks.
• Cook a range of nutritious recipes, including chocolate brownies, homemade pizza, fish goujons and chips and American-style pancakes.
How does the sign-off process work?
We are a licensed Skills Section Approved Activity Provider (AAP) for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. This means our courses meet the requirements of the skills section for Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.
When you sign up, we will provide the necessary details for your eDofE account.
Once you’ve completed the course, we will complete your personalised assessor’s report, provide a certificate of achievement and sign off your skills section as completed.
