Pupils from Aberdeen City will learn the importance of numbers this week, including using sums to make financial decisions and working out the real cost of paying for things with a credit card, as part of National Numeracy Day on Wednesday (May 15).
TechFest in collaboration with Developing the Young Workforce North East (DYWNE) will deliver two workshops, designed to deliver valuable life skills, to secondary pupils in Dyce Academy and Oldmachar Academy.
TechFest’s ‘Maths into Money’ workshop teaches young people how to apply maths when making financial decisions, how to work out ‘take home’ earnings after tax deductions and the true cost of buying items on a credit card.
Pupils will also be asked to distinguish between purchases which are essential and those which are treats, completing monthly spending budgets based on a range of salaries.
DYW North East, which is a project funded by the Scottish Government, works to strengthen links between education and business to help young people prepare for the world of work.
DYW North East’s senior school and business coordinator, Martin Johnston said: “It’s vital pupils learn financial planning before they become responsible for their own earning and spending. These lessons aren’t currently covered within the secondary curriculum, so we’re really pleased to collaborate with TechFest to share some of these valuable messages.
“These workshops can help young people to make sound and informed financial decisions as they look to progress into further education and embark on their own careers.”
Pupils will also have the chance to take part in ‘Maths Maze and Interesting Numbers’ by recently retired maths teacher, Brenda Harden.
In this workshop Brenda will demonstrate how numeracy skills are used across a range of jobs, from optometry to working as a scientist.
TechFest is an Aberdeen-based charity which aims to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities to young people and the wider community.
Sarah Chew, managing director of TechFest said: “These workshops are great examples of how STEM skills learned in the classroom can be applied across a range of activities, including decisions about spending money through to animating some of our favourite TV shows.
“We are thrilled to work with DYW North East and promote National Numeracy Day to young people in the region. We hope these workshops will help raise awareness of the importance of numeracy skills and the benefits these can bring to our day to day lives.”
National Numeracy Day is run by National Numeracy and aims to help make people feel more confident with numbers and ensure that workforces have the necessary number skills to thrive in an increasingly challenging economic climate.