Universities could be accused of “mis-selling” courses to teenagers who have little understanding of money matters, the public spending watchdog says. National Audit Office (NAO) head Amyas Morse said young people were taking out large loans to pay for tuition fees without much effective help or advice. It compared the higher education market to financial products, highlighting how little regulation universities faced. The government said its reforms were helping students make informed choices. But the NAO report
A report finds having a degree offers young women little help in the jobs market if they are also mothers needing flexible working hours, one young mum explains her frustration. “Money is so tight. You never really know how much you are going to get paid each month,” says Issy Mason a 26-year-old graduate, from Nottingham, who also happens to be a single mother. She has an upper-second class degree in languages and international business from Sheffield Hallam University, speaks fluent Spanish
While many young people celebrated their A-level and GCSE results this summer, far too many will struggle to make the leap from education to the world of work. Chartered Management Institute (CMI)’s research, An Age of Uncertainty, with the EY Foundation, showed that a third of 16- to 21-year-olds aren’t con dent about finding a job in the next few years. This is reflected in the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, which reveal that the
A teenager claims internet trolls “ruined her life” by superimposing her face on pornographic messages that were shared on social media. Victoria, from Leeds, was told to “go kill yourself” on the Live.me streaming app and her home address was shared on Twitter as a “house to burgle”. Figures obtained by BBC Yorkshire show reports of malicious communication have almost doubled to more than 200 a day. There were 79,372 offences recorded in 2016, up from 42,910 the year before. Police forces in England
The chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority has warned of a “pronounced” build up of debt among young people. In an interview with the BBC, Andrew Bailey said the young were having to borrow for basic living costs. The regulator also said he “did not like” some high-cost lending schemes. He said consumers, and institutions that lend to them, should be aware that interest rates may rise in the future and that credit should be “affordable”. The head of the FCA was talking
