T Level students take part in Business Industry Day with Barclays
The Barclays’ Bus and management team rolled into town to provide students with an insight into the world of business.
T Level students at The Manchester College’s Industry Excellence Academy for Business and Professional recently received an inspirational insight into the world of business thanks to Barclays.
Students on the T Level Business Management and Administration, T Level Transition Business Management and Administration, and T Level Transition Cyber Skills for the Digital Age courses took part in a Business Industry Day, featuring a Q&A with senior management from Barclays and a series of engaging workshops.
The day kicked off in the Sackville Theatre at the College’s Shena Simon Campus where T Level Business and Digital students were given the opportunity to grill Barclays’ top brass, including:
- Asif Mussa, Strategic Intelligence Analyst
- Darren O’Brien, Ecosystem Manager
- Emma Armstrong, Business Relationship Leader
- Ian Barsted, Regional Business Relationship Leader
- Samantha Beach, Wealth Manager
- Siobhan Gurrie, Customer Care Leader.
During the discussion, students learnt about how the team at Barclays deals with major problems and the things that set the bank apart from its competitors. Students were also given advice on how to pursue a career in the industry from panellists with close to 20 years’ experience in banking.
Kaja Davies, one of the T Level Business Management and Administration students taking part in the event, was really excited to be involved in the Business Industry Day and commented: “I’ve been looking forward to the opportunity to hear from senior members of staff at Barclays and learn more about the job opportunities that are open to me in the banking sector.”
Shortly before lunch, the Barclays’ Bus arrived outside the campus to provide all students based at the College’s Shena Simon site with the chance to learn more about how the company operates and receive general banking information.
In the afternoon, T Level Business and Digital students took part in one of three interactive workshops, which were delivered with the help of Enrichment Partnership and Wiseup Networks, and supported by talented industry professionals:
- Workshop One – Social Media Marketing
- Workshop Two – Becoming an Entrepreneur
- Workshop Three – Project Management.
The CEO of The Femtrepreneur, Amy Atkinson, led the Becoming an Entrepreneur workshop and was amazed by the students that took part: “The session was fantastic. I was impressed with how interactive the students were and how many of them had business ideas they had actively started to bring to fruition.”
Louise Loxton, Director of Employability, Partnership and Skills at the College attended the event and spoke passionately about the benefits for the T Level students involved. Louise said: "We’re extremely grateful to Barclays, Enrichment Partnership and Wiseup Networks for everything they’ve done to support our Business Industry Day.
The Q&A was an incredible opportunity for our T Level students to gain an invaluable insight into the job opportunities open to them in the banking sector once they complete their courses, and the workshops were a chance to gain first-hand experience working alongside skilled professionals.
“Our Employability and Partnership Co-Ordinator, Lucy Brett, did an incredible job pulling everything together and we hope that the event signifies the start of a new chapter for our partnership with Barclays, which will see the bank work with our employability, SEND and high needs students."
You can explore Business and Professional courses at The Manchester College and apply today.