Use Your Expertise - for secondary schools
- Dedicated website
- Feedback from the initiative
- How to get involved
- provide support in preparing relevant learning materials and activities for use in the classroom, from PSHE education to citizenship, mathematics, enterprise and work-related learning
- give an insight into the financial world and use their experience to bring money matters to life
- use real life examples that make personal finance engaging for students
- use a wide range of materials available via the website to help them prepare for their volunteering in schools
- provide support before, during and after My Money Week 2010 (28th June to 4th July 2010).
- who are you and where do you work?
- do you need help with topics like savings and investments, or managing debt?
- when do you need a volunteer?
- have you worked with a volunteer before?
In 2006, The Use Your Expertise pilot project began in partnership with the Institute for Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and GE Money. The project explored how volunteers from the finance industry could work best alongside teachers in the classroom to help young people acquire the skills, knowledge and confidence to manage money. The success of the project so far in bringing financial expertise and experience to financial capability lessons shows how the finance sector and schools can work in partnership to provide real life learning for young people. Teachers and students have found it invaluable to be able to draw on the volunteers’ specialist knowledge and experience.
Encouraged by this success, pfeg began expanding Use Your Expertise in January 2009 and is currently welcoming volunteers from Rathbone Brothers PLC, The Personal Finance Society, Co-operative Financial Services, The Association of Accounting Technicians and The Coventry Building Society. This means that for the first time we are now able to offer teacher a truly national service.
All volunteers adhere to a code of conduct, undertake a bespoke training programme and are checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (enhanced disclosure), to give teachers the reassurance they need when involving members of the community in school life.
Dedicated website
Through a dedicated private website, www.useyourexpertise.org (needs a password to access – see below), teachers are able to find volunteers whose location, experience and skills match their needs. They can:
Feedback from the initiative
Teachers have found it beneficial to work with volunteers who understand school culture and the curriculum. Volunteers have been able to assist teachers in delivering personal finance education in a range of subjects, including mathematics and business studies, by contributing to lesson plans and acting as a source of information for both teachers and students. In June 2009 as part of the first ever My Money Week, 100 volunteers supported a range of activities such as Stockmarket Challenge events, financial capability workshops and drama workshops.
How to get involved
To register, visit www.useyourexpertise.org - it’s password protected so you will need to enter the following details:
Username: useyourexpertise
Password: financialcapability
To get you started you need to have a think about yourself and the kind of volunteer you would like to find:
You will be asked to read and commit to a Volunteering Code of Conduct and Partnership Agreement to work with volunteers and (once pfeg has received your completed registration) you will then become a verified member of www.useyourexpertise.org. This means that volunteers will be able to view your profile. You will also be able to search for suitable volunteers.
