A taste of life in the real world of work was on the timetable for year 10 students from Ballakermeen High School and Ramsey Grammar School when they spent a morning at Barclays as part of the bank’s long-standing support of Junior Achievement’s aim to help young people develop the skills needed for when they leave full-time education.
2013 is the third year in succession that Barclays has held open day sessions in partnership with the charity and the first year when all six secondary schools have taken part.
Barclays’ Bal Jandu, a long-time Junior Achievement volunteer and the first to have completed the nationally recognised CVQ (Community Volunteering Qualification), organised the sessions on behalf of the bank. She said: ‘From the very first year Barclays became involved it was clear there was an appetite among students to gain an insight into working in the finance sector.
‘The sessions are structured in such a way to give students a flavour of the different areas of the bank and to dispel the myth that banks are just about bank managers and cashiers.
‘They get to know about the accounting, legal, marketing, communications, HR and IT functions and the different types of roles, such as customer-facing, management, technical leadership and project work, and we also explain the opportunities for career progression and mobility options within the global Barclays operation.
‘It’s not just the work side of Barclays we show, though. We also use the sessions to explain how Barclays invests in its people and the local community, not least our commitment to Junior Achievement.’
Mrs Jandu’s colleague, Rachael Cashin, added: ‘These sessions really open young people’s eyes to what work is all about. Word of mouth among the students has led to a massive growth in interest and, from the bank’s perspective, we see tremendous value in investing time and people in the sessions.’
Mrs Jandu continued: ‘Feedback from colleagues is always very positive, as it is from the students, and we often receive requests from some of them for work experience during the summer. In short, the open days are beneficial for all the participants.’
Ballakermeen High School’s Eoin Moriarty, who has led CV and interview technique workshops in association with Junior Achievement, accompanied a group of seven students from the school. He said: ‘The students who attended had already expressed a wish to join the finance sector and were keen to gain some work experience. The finance industry is a major component of the Island’s economy and for students to be able to meet people working in all the different areas of banking is extremely valuable.’
Ramsey Grammar School’s Tony Smith explained: ‘In school you can’t really recreate real-world, real-life situations. These open days, however, which involve “real” people in a “real” business setting, are a means to express what work’s all about in a very different “voice”, one that’s straight to the point and, at the same time, endorses core values.
‘To prepare young people for the world of work you need multiple communication channels. Taking part in these sessions students hear about work in the language people in banking actually use, and that’s of tremendous value. Barclays staff we’ve met have been excellent and for the managing director, Simon Scott, to take time out to talk to the students demonstrates how important Barclays views these sessions.’
Barclays’ Isle of Man Service centre head Rob Dickinson said: ‘We’re delighted that all six schools have come on board this year and it was interesting to note that a good number of students came well prepared. As well as the students getting to know what it’s like working in the finance sector and to see the Barclays brand in action, it’s also valuable for us as a business investing in the local community. The sessions do much to help bring working in the finance sector to life and we’re pleased to have had this opportunity to open the doors on to the world of banking and Barclays.’
Amy Corkish, 15, from Ballakermeen High School said: ‘Before I took part in the session I had no idea about the history of Barclays and just how many departments there were. To spend time behind the scenes and talk to people as they were working was really interesting. You see how professional they have to be when dealing with customers and the importance of having good communication skills. It puts banking in perspective and shows how many opportunities there are to progress your career.’
Alex Drowley, 15, from Ramsey Grammar School, added: ‘It’s been a real surprise getting this insight. I see now that there’s a lot more to banking than I thought. Sitting in with Barclays staff as they work was very interesting and has made me all the more convinced I want a career in banking.’
Junior Achievement’s programme manager Joy Spence said: ‘To be able to harness the power of business in this most practical of ways is such an important contribution to preparing young people for what the world of work is really like. We’re therefore enormously grateful to Barclays for embracing the open day concept wholeheartedly and to all six of the Island’s secondary schools for recognising the value of these sessions.’
Students and teachers from Ramsey Grammar School and Ballakermeen High School with representatives from Barclays and Junior Achievement. Picture Andrew Barton.
