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Pupils storm the trading pit to invest in their future

10th November 2011

Stock Market Challenge will be testing Scottish pupils’ problem solving and trading skills this November. Third year pupils work in small teams to trade in shares and foreign currency. Each team will start with £15,000 in ‘virtual’ finance to invest by interpreting and analysing information from the stock market. 

Sponsored by BNP Paribas and Standard Life, it encourages team working, communication and decision making skills.

The simulated live trading will take place over a ‘week’ (condensed into two hours), during which time pupils will build a portfolio of shares and currency by making decisions about when to invest and when to sell. The team with the highest portfolio at the closing bell wins.

Skills Development Scotland has backed the Stock Market Challenge for the past five years, showing young people that careers in the finance industry are varied, exciting and profitable. As part of the game, the participants also learn the values of ethical trading and honesty, which we believe is a vital part of the modern finance industry.

Twenty-five schools will take part in the opening event in Dundee on 15 November at the University of Dundee’s Bonar Hall. The teams this year, from across Tayside and Fife, will be looking to depose Bell Baxter High School  as champions; they have won the title for the past two years.

Jennifer Parihar, Head of Position Keeping and Control at BNP Paribas Securities Services in Dundee, said: "The Stock Market Challenge is an event that many of our people look forward to participating in each year. It's a great way to open up our business to a wider audience, and perhaps encourage new talent into the financial services industry."

Following the first event, the challenge moves on to subsequent dates at the University of Edinburgh’s Pollock Halls and Glasgow’s famous Mitchell Library.

With new website re:think launching recently as part of the Financial Services Skills Gateway in Scotland, events such as Stock Market Challenge are vital in promoting careers and opportunities within the finance and investment sectors.

Jill Maclean, Head of Sustainability at Standard Life, said: "We wish all the pupils taking part the very best of luck. Initiatives like this, which provide people with insight into how financial markets work and help them develop a range of life skills that could see them dealing better with their own financial matters in the future, are something we fully support.”

To read more about careers in Scotland's finance sector visit http://rethink.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/