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Melanie Johnson MP

Launch of Confident Consumer
Melanie Johnson MP

Manchester Foyer.


Tuesday, October 09, 2001


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Thank you Peter (Smith)- for those words of introduction...

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am delighted to be here today to launch "Confident Consumer" along with Gay Lobley of Basic Skills Agency and Ruth Gee of Consumers' Association. Thank you both for giving up your time to be here with me today to support this worthwhile event.

Confident Consumer is an innovative new teaching package that will help young people acquire the skills, knowledge and confidence to become discerning consumers.

We are all consumers. We all live in a consumer society. Everyday we make decisions from purchasing the mundane, like a cup of coffee to the more sophisticated, like a mobile phone. The latter puts a strain on us all!

Consumer skills are an important qualification for survival these days. We all need the skills and knowledge to make the best choice to suit our pockets.

But the world is changing. More and more, people have to take control of their own lives. Discerning consumers make the right choices at the right price from the right suppliers. And suppliers respond to this. The best make sure that all complaints are taken seriously, treated politely, and remedied quickly where there is fault on their side. There is no need for anyone else to be involved.

But when things do go wrong, people need to sort out their problems quickly, and it is important that they know what to do, or where to turn for help when things go wrong. Changing markets offer new opportunities.

We must make sure change doesn't leave some behind.

Unfortunately many young people in the UK today leave school inadequately equipped to function effectively as consumers. Increased use of new technology will not decrease the problem. Technology will not replace the need for competence in speaking, understanding, reading, writing and calculating. Basic skills and basic consumer skills underpin all education and training, and are a prerequisite for active citizenship and community participation. They are skills for life.

A number of initiatives have served to promote the need for effective consumer education. These include:

  • The introduction of Citizenship as a subject in secondary schools. From September 2002 some elements of consumer education - rights and responsibilities of consumers - will be compulsory at Key Stages 3 & 4 (11 - 16).
  • To complement this, under Personal, Social and Health Education, pupils from 5 upwards will be taught about personal finance.
  • The Government's Skills for Life and Lifelong Learning, and recent Don't Get By, Get On initiatives.
  • The DTI White Paper : Modern markets: confident consumers - identified consumer education as a priority. It indicated one of the most effective forms of consumer protection is education.
  • And on the European stage: Substantial funding towards this project underlines the European Commission's commitment to consumer education.

Before the demonstration of the CD-Rom, I would like to say a little bit about Confident Consumer which we are launching here today. As those of you who have helped pilot the materials will know, the project has been carried out by the Basic Skills Agency and Consumers' Association over the last 18 months.

This is a fine example of partnership and co-operation in action. Partnership between the European Union, Government Departments and agencies, educationalists, consumer organisations, consumer bodies, charities and young people. All of whom have participated in the development of the course and helped to make it the success I am sure it will be.

It aims to:

  • give adult learners the skills, confidence and knowledge to be discerning and effective consumers;
  • train educators, teachers, tutors and trainers to use consumer skills and consumer contexts; and
  • create opportunities for a wide range of organisations, like the Foyer Foundation, to network and develop local programmes to deliver consumer education together.

The project puts the serious business of learning new skills in the context of everyday life situations which makes learning more enjoyable. I hope it will help shape people's attitudes to learning and encourage them to go on to further or higher education and employment. Exactly the path some users have already taken. As well as helping them to act as better informed, educated and responsible consumers.

This is not just a course for consumers; it's a lesson for life.

But before the demonstration of Confident Consumer I would just like to thank the Manchester Foyer for hosting, and providing the venue for this event here today. I am sure you will join me in thanking them...
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