Finance-savvy skills empowering Canterbury-Bankstown youth

Thanks to a $15,000 donation from Canterbury League Club, thousands of local primary and high school students are gaining access to an important financial literacy education program run by The Business Concierge.

The Survivor Life Skills Stage 3 Finance Literacy Program covers topics such as budgeting for life, how money is earnt and spent in the household, goods and services, what is a payslip, tax, superannuation, credit cards, debit cards, and introduction to banking.

“Through my work in finance and community volunteering, I saw that many people lacked basic financial knowledge,” said Howard Smith, Managing Director of The Business Concierge.

“Parents often don’t have the time or skills to teach budgeting or credit use, and schools only offer this through Commerce electives, which not all students take. I wanted to ensure every student could learn essential financial skills, regardless of their subject choices.”

In 2024–2025 alone, The Business Concierge delivered the program to 3,134 students across 25 schools in the Canterbury LGA. With a track record spanning over 26 years, and strong partnerships with 30 schools in the Canterbury/Bankstown region, demand for their services continues to grow.

Howard further emphasised: “Thanks to the Canterbury League Club’s support, we’re able to bring these programs directly into schools, where both teachers and parents consistently tell us how valuable they are.”

“The work that Howard and his team at The Business Concierge do contributes to the development of necessary life skills and helps build the confidence of young people. Their program helps elevate the pressure that schools and teachers face to prepare students with skills needed to cope in the adult world, without also having to teach them financial literary too,” said Peter Winchester, Chairman of Canterbury League Club.