Book Review: Financial Help for Young People

Financial Help for Young People
The Learning and Skills Council
Free from 0870 900 6800 – quote reference LSC-P-NAT-060103

STAR RATING 3/5

Deciding whether to stay on in education or training or fi nd a job once you reach school leaving age makes for both an exciting and daunting time, writes Eve Taylor.

But whatever a teenager’s plans may be, how these plans will be fi nanced will be a key issue – and that is where this Learning and Skills Council booklet comes in. Financial Help for Young People sets out the support available for 16- to 19-year-olds and is split into sections covering different scenarios. These include young people in jobs without training, those who have learning diffi culties and those who are parents.

The booklet’s format is worth remembering as, despite its off-putting hefty appearance, only a small part of it is likely to be relevant to any one individual’s particular situation, meaning the
amount of reading required is far less than may originally be assumed.

Most of the sections are comprehensive and explain potentially complicated issues, such as the education maintenance allowance, clearly.

But a minority of sections, such as the chapter on apprenticeships, could do with more detail.
Despite this, overall this booklet is an excellent resource for teenagers and any time invested in it will be worthwhile as it could lead to signifi cant savings. 

Eve Taylor is a 19-year-old student