成人头条

Emma Davis, Chief Customer Officer, Bath Building Society

Bath Building Society has partnered WizeUp for over five years, delivering financial education workshops to eight local schools and sixth forms, with over 2,500 students benefiting from the programme each year.

The Society works with WizeUp and the individual schools to tailor content to individual needs with topics including borrowing, saving and budgeting as the  students prepare for life beyond school, be that going to University or working life. The financial education programme has also covered separate sessions for  parents designed to help them navigate University finance and provide guidance for students preparing to leave home for the first time.

During UK Savings Week Bath Building Society and WizeUp hosted a session with local special needs  education provider, Three ways School, involving more practical sessions including ‘how to open a savings account’ with branch colleagues.

The Society is passionate about supporting the financial resilience of our Members and the local community - delivering financial education to our young people is a key part of this. With the cost of-living crisis, it has never been more important to help young people gain a better understanding of how to manage their money and avoid debt, while also improving life skills and employability.

WizeUp has an excellent reputation in delivering these specialist workshops and our partner schools  need back the positive impact the sessions  have on the financial literacy of students. Schools need  more support to deliver financial education which isn’t currently adequately provided through the national curriculum and we are looking to build on our strong education links in the coming year to involve colleagues in the Wize Up sessions – to share our own experience and expertise.

Michael Flack, CEO, WizeUp Financial Education

In recent years, society has faced numerous financial challenges, underscoring the need for financial resilience—the ability to withstand and recover from financial shocks. At WizeUp Financial  Education, we believe that financial literacy is crucial in building this  resilience and reducing financial vulnerability. Since inception in September 2011, WizeUp has been dedicated to equipping young people with essential financial skills for adult life.

Our programmess, delivered over six-hour sessions, cover vital topics such as budgeting, saving, investing, tax, pensions, cryptocurrency,  student finance, flat sharing, credit cards and ratings. We are committed to financial inclusion, ensuring that every student, regardless of background, has access to quality financial education. While digital resources are valuable, the impact of face-to-face learning with a  knowledgeable instructor is unparalleled and remains on of our unique  selling points.

This academic year, we’ve expanded our programs to support SEND & PRU students, furthering our  commitment  to inclusivity, whilst we have targeted our work toward young people aged 16-18, an age group that often gets forgotten due to the added focus of trying to educate those at primary age. Since September 2020, we’ve reached almost 80,000 students, with more than 112,000 student hours delivered since September 2022 alone. Our efforts have led to a 92% increase in financial confidence among surveyed students, many of hom now feel more secure about their financial futures.

Our success is made possible by the support of Building Societies that include; Bath, Buckinghamshire, Chorley, Darlington, Earl Shilton, Hinckley & Rugby, Mansfield, Market Harborough, Newbury, Penrith, Saffron and Vernon. 

We’re proud to be making our programmes more inclusive, with those regional partners having the programme we deliver named after them, meaning communities can see that their building societies, in collaboration with WizeUp, have their children’s education at heart.

Find out more

Find out more about Bath Building Society’s community work:

To get involved with WizeUp visit:

This article was first published in Society Matters magazine