Burnley College Business Students reach finals of Barclay’s Nationwide Money Skills Competition

On Friday 13th June a team of students from Burnley College competed in the Barclay’s “Built for Business” Money Skills competition final at the bank’s head offices in Canary Wharf, London.

The aim of the yearly competition is to assist students attending further education colleges in developing their money management, employability and enterprise skills.

The Barclays Money Skills programme, which was launched in 2010, is delivered in partnership by Barclays and the National Skills Academy for Financial Services, together with Colleges Wales, NOW in Northern Ireland and the Colleges Development Network in Scotland.

Find My Keys (F.M.K), Burnley College’s star team included students Katie Johns, Sameed Ahmed and Kymberley Holmes, and was one of eight teams shortlisted from across the UK to compete in the competition final. During their trip to the capital they were given five minutes to pitch their business idea; a tech-smart key ring and mobile phone app, which would enable people to easily locate their mislaid keys, to a panel of judges.

The judges there to decide their fate included included Chris Hearn, Head of Education at Barclays and Sylvia Perrins, CEO of The National Skills Academy for Financial Services. Students also attended careers workshops in CV writing and interview skills.

Sylvia Perrins, CEO of the National Skills Academy for Financial Services said: “It’s encouraging to have received so many high quality competition entries and clear that students have benefited from the enterprise focused resources provided to colleges through this year’s Barclays Money Skills ‘weeks’ programme.” In 2014 over 130 colleges across the UK ran a Barclays Money Skills ‘week’, with an estimated 150,000 students taking part in money management, employability and enterprise themed activities and the support of over 520 Barclays’ employee volunteers provided via the programme.