Leading the Development of a Multilingual Financial Education Programme Across Europe
Project Overview
The Financial Education for Educators (FEES) project was a European strategic partnership designed to tackle a growing challenge facing education systems across Europe: improving financial literacy amongst adults while ensuring educators had the knowledge, skills and resources required to teach financial education effectively.
Delivered between 2018 and 2020, the project brought together seven organisations from six European countries to research, design and develop a comprehensive financial education framework, learning resources and training programme for both educators and learners.
Futuretrend played a leading role throughout the project and was responsible for transforming the framework and classroom resources into a fully functioning multilingual online learning programme.
The Challenge
Financial literacy has become an essential life skill.
As financial products become increasingly complex and more services move online, individuals need a greater understanding of budgeting, borrowing, saving, investing and financial decision-making.
Research undertaken during the project identified that while many countries were attempting to improve financial literacy, there was very little structured training available for the educators responsible for delivering financial education. Educators often lacked both the subject knowledge and teaching resources needed to support learners effectively.
The partnership also faced an additional challenge.
Financial systems, regulations and consumer protections differ significantly between countries, requiring a framework that could provide consistent educational standards while remaining relevant within different national contexts.
As the project entered its final stages, the Covid-19 pandemic introduced further disruption, forcing planned meetings, pilot activities and dissemination events to move entirely online.
Partners Involved
- Asociatia CFPC Constanta (Romania)
- eFuturo (Portugal)
- Latvian Adult Education Association (Latvia)
- Learnmera Oy (Finland)
- Global Learning and Skills Partnership (UK)
Futuretrend’s Role
Futuretrend acted as a lead partner within the project and took responsibility for one of the key intellectual outputs: developing the online learning programme and supporting the creation of educational resources across the partnership.
Throughout the project, Futuretrend:
- Led the development of one of the six core competency modules
- Supported partners in creating learning resources and assessments
- Produced lesson plans and tutor guidance materials
- Developed templates and standards for online learning content
- Trained partner organisations in converting classroom resources into digital learning materials
- Designed and built the project’s Moodle learning platform
- Converted all programme content into an online learning experience
- Managed the integration of translated content across multiple language versions
- Supported pilot delivery and dissemination activities
Futuretrend became the central delivery partner responsible for ensuring that the framework could move beyond paper-based resources and become an accessible digital learning solution.
Research and Framework Development
The project began with an extensive comparative analysis of financial education provision across participating countries.
Partners examined:
- Existing financial education programmes
- Financial literacy challenges
- Adult learning requirements
- Educator competencies
- National approaches to financial education
One of the key findings identified within the UK was that many learners completed formal education with strong mathematical abilities but limited practical financial knowledge and understanding.
This research informed the creation of two complementary competency frameworks:
Financial and Economic Competency Framework for Educators
Designed to define the knowledge, skills and teaching competencies required by financial educators.
Financial and Economic Competency Framework for Learners
Designed to identify the financial knowledge and skills adults need to make informed decisions throughout life.
Together, these frameworks created a structured pathway for both teaching and learning financial literacy.
Creating the Learning Programme
The partnership developed six core modules covering essential financial knowledge and teaching practice:
Module 1
Money and
Transactions
Module 2
Financial Planning and Management
Module 3
Borrowing and
Financial Products
Module 4
Consumer Rights and Responsibilities
Module 5
Saving and
Investing
Module 6
Teaching and Learning in Adult Education
Futuretrend led the development of Module 6 and supported the creation of learning resources across the wider programme.
Each module included:
- Learning outcomes
- Tutor lesson plans
- Learner activities
- Assessment guidance
- Supporting resources
- Classroom delivery materials
Building the Digital Learning Platform
One of the most significant achievements of the project was the creation of a complete online learning environment.
Futuretrend was solely responsible for:
Learning Platform Design
- Moodle LMS development
- Course structure creation
- User journey design
- Resource organisation
Digital Content Conversion
- Converting classroom resources into online learning
- Creating digital assessments
- Developing online learner activities
- Integrating downloadable resources
Partner Training
Futuretrend provided guidance and support to partners on:
- Creating online learning materials
- Producing digital learning resources
- Converting traditional content for self-study delivery
- Maintaining consistency across the platform
Pilot Delivery and Testing
To evaluate the effectiveness of the programme, pilot delivery was undertaken through both classroom and online learning environments.
Futuretrend delivered pilot activity within the United Kingdom involving:
- Educators: 80+ educators trained
- Learners: 150+ adult learners supported
- Online Learning: 200+ online registrations
- Overall Pilot Reach: More than 250 participants engaged through classroom and online delivery
The pilot phase enabled the partnership to gather feedback, improve resources and validate the effectiveness of both the framework and learning platform.
Multilingual Delivery Across Europe
Following completion of the English-language programme, Futuretrend coordinated the creation of additional language versions.
Partner organisations translated resources into:
- Latvian
- Portuguese
- Italian
- Romanian
- Finnish
Futuretrend then rebuilt and integrated each translated version into the online learning platform, creating a consistent learning experience across multiple countries.
This transformed the programme from a localised educational resource into a scalable international learning solution.
Project Outcomes
The FEES project successfully delivered a complete financial education ecosystem, from research and framework development through to curriculum design and online learning delivery.
Key Outputs
- Comparative Analysis of Financial Education Across Europe
- Financial Competency Framework for Educators
- Financial Competency Framework for Learners
- Six-Module Training Programme
- Tutor Handbooks and Lesson Plans
- Learner Workbooks and Resources
- Assessment and Evaluation Tools
- Moodle Learning Platform
- Multilingual Online Learning Programme
- International Network of Financial Educators
Impact and Reach
Project Highlights
- 7 Partner Organisations
- 6 European Countries
- 2 Competency Frameworks Developed
- 6 Core Learning Modules Created
- 5 Additional Language Versions Produced
- 250+ Pilot Participants in the UK
- Resources Accessed Across 11 Countries
- Classroom and Online Delivery Models Successfully Tested
Lasting Impact
The competency frameworks and educational resources developed through FEES remain available through Erasmus+ project repositories and continue to support organisations seeking to improve financial literacy education.
While the funded online learning platform concluded following the project’s completion, the experience gained through designing and delivering a multilingual digital learning environment proved invaluable.
The project significantly strengthened Futuretrend’s capability in online learning design and large-scale digital course development, providing practical experience that supported the expansion of its own online training provision during the rapid shift towards remote learning that followed the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reflection
FEES demonstrated how international collaboration can address complex educational challenges through practical innovation.
For Futuretrend, the project represented far more than framework development. It provided an opportunity to lead the transformation of educational research and classroom resources into a scalable multilingual online learning programme capable of supporting educators and learners across Europe.
Services Delivered by Futuretrend
- Educational Research
- Framework Development
- Curriculum Design
- Lesson Planning
- Assessment Development
- Moodle LMS Development
- E-Learning Design
- Digital Learning Conversion
- Partner Training and Support
- Pilot Delivery
- International Collaboration
- Multilingual Learning Platform Development