Birmingham teenagers get financial advice

Youngsters in Birmingham received invaluable tips on how to make the most of their money – thanks to global giant HSBC.

HSBC’s Banking Futures Event was held as part of a long-standing ‘financial capability programme’ aimed at helping individuals and businesses with their finances both now and in the future.

The event gave young people aged 14-15 the chance to develop their financial knowledge as well as exploring different career pathways with leading brands.

A need for this kind of event for young people was highlighted in the Good Childhood Report 2023, where money and the ability to find a job topped the list of concerns of young people aged 10-15.

The school groups learnt more about career paths into banking, plus other digital industries such as gaming, influencers, streamers and esports professionals as well as publishing. They also attended seminars on how to avoid fraud, scams, how to ‘shop savvy’, and were able to direct questions to the HSBC UK leadership team.

Ian Stuart, CEO of HSBC UK, said: “It’s great we had nine schools joining on the Banking Futures Programme this year. Our young people drive the future, and we believe that every young person should have the chance to learn and fulfil their true potential.

“Our programme aims to help young people build their money skills and shape their career goals, as well as giving an insight into working at a bank, and in other careers such as in publishing and digital industries - thanks to colleagues from Deloitte, Excel sports, and #MerkyBooks, who helped bring possible future careers to life.”

Cllr Karen McCarthy, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families at Birmingham City Council said: “I’m so impressed by what I saw at the workshop.

“I observed a Q&A session with the HSBC UK leadership team and the panel mentioned so many topics that I felt were relevant to young people – giving them a really rounded view of the range of activities that HSBC UK has to offer. This included the graduate training programmes and apprenticeships. When I spoke to some young people afterwards, they sounded really inspired, which is great.”

The workshop sessions included:

Savvy Shopping: A chance to explore what is good value, advertising and making smart purchases.

Careers in Publishing: A look at your own values, career choices, becoming an author and how you get paid.

Fraud & Social Media: A guide to the scams and frauds you may encounter online, highlighting the red flags that you can spot on your social channels.

Influencers, Gamers, and Streamers: An overview of career paths into gaming: influencers, streamers and esports professionals.