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Matt Cicchini, Head of the Commerce Department at Waitākere College, believes that financial literacy is an essential skill and that all young people should have access to practical financial education to prepare them for life after school. Thanks to our Support Partner, Partners Life, Matt and his team have succeeded in bringing Banqer High to six-hundred students; almost half of the Year 9 to 13 students.
Waitākere College finds its solution for real-world financial education in Banqer High
Dedicated to raising the profile of financial well-being, Waitākere College sought a practical and engaging solution that was more true-to-life than existing teacher-created resources,
We looked at four programmes and found Banqer High to be by far the most relatable for our students. It was interactive, and the content was very realistic and of a high quality. Also, many of the intermediate and primary schools in the area are using Banqer Primary, so it is a logical next step.
Waitākere College has strategically implemented Banqer High throughout both their junior and senior schools, “In Year 10 students can choose to do a two-term Finance and Business course, and in the senior school it forms part of the Commerce option. We also embedded it into our ‘SHINE’ programme for gifted and talented students and our Rumaki full immersion Māori programme.”
Banqer High aligns exactly with the New Zealand finance curriculum. We built our courses around the expansions. It saves us time because of the supporting resources, lesson plans and videos and also because of the gamified approach. The students are really engaged and motivated to work through all the modules.
Transforming student perspectives using real-life financial lessons
Across the College, Banqer High is bringing to life the realities of everyday expenses and sparking insightful conversations about the cost of living, “In my Year 10 class, the students sat down with their parents and did a family budget and were surprised at how much some things cost. Their spending on Banqer High quickly went from frivolous to cautious!”
The insurance expansion, developed by Banqer High in conjunction with Partners Life, also provided a few wake-up calls for the students, “At first, they couldn’t see the point of paying for insurance as there was no guarantee that you would ever need it. Once we looked at the repercussions of a car accident and compared the insured with the non-insured, they understood. A big thing for the students was the peace of mind that insurance gives you if you are involved in an incident. They appreciated that you didn’t have to worry about money, at a time when you might have a lot of other concerns.”
Simplifying financial education for educators and students alike
With the large-scale introduction of Banqer High, some educators were apprehensive about navigating this new technology,
Myself and one other colleague had been introduced to Banqer High a few years ago. We then supported all the teachers, providing training and assistance. They were all quickly up and running as it is very straightforward to use.
When Matt has needed technical assistance, the Banqer High team are always available, “The level of support is amazing. I can’t fault it.”
With Banqer High effortlessly aligning with NCEA requirements and being simple for educators to pick up and use, Matt is committed to further expanding access to the programme, “For me it is very important for all students, and sometimes their families too, to understand financial management. Banqer High makes financial education easy to integrate, accessible for teachers and motivating for students. I would recommend it to all colleges to ensure their students’ financial well-being.”
