Westpac demystifies the working world

Four lucky students from Aotea College enjoyed having their own personal financial literacy and employment education workshop with Rachel Compton, Branch Manager of Westpac Bank, Upper Hutt.

Each of the students had a different motivation for attending – from family friends who work in banking, to a teacher recommending it and another’s aunty being an accountant.

Several topics were covered throughout the day including the future workplace, personality traits and skills, interview practice, financial literacy, payment methods and then some games to bring all the knowledge together.

The future workplace is changing in all industries, not just banking. With the advances in technology the need for adaptive skills and self-development is very important.

A very impactful session was held on personality traits and skills. This session covered what traits each of the young people naturally have, the skills they can learn, and how to tie these to employment so they can best sell themselves at interviews.

In the financial literacy sessions Rachel covered wants versus needs, how to turn dreams into reality by having a motivation to save (car, move out of home, holiday, new guitar) along with budget advice.

The final learning session of the day was defining the different payment methods and explaining which payment method, such as debit card, credit, eftpos, after pay, hire purchase or automatic payment, would be best for which situation.

A quiz and the “Cashtrophe Game” concluded the day, with all the students being very good at saving and ensuring they were protected for “Zombie Emergencies”.

Students said the key takeaways from the day were having a budget, and recognising their skills and values which will help them in their future workplaces.