East End’s Morpeth schoolkids wise up on job skills with City bankers RBS

Pupils from London’s East End have completed a programme with the Royal Bank of Scotland to give them ‘employability’ skills when they leave school.

The programme run by Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership over the course of the year at Bethnal Green’s Morpeth Secondary included workshops with bank volunteers on teamwork, time management, communication, CV writing and interview techniques. It gives them accredited BTEC Level 2 qualifications in Work Skills.

RBS’s David Noden, who took part in one of the workshops, said: “I have noticed a difference from when I first met them—they are now more open and able to engage in conversation.”

The youngsters received certificates at RBS City HQ and were given a tour of the building in Bishopsgate by some of their volunteer mentors.

They all spoke of benefitting from working with the bank staff to gain an insight into the working world.

One pupil, Kaltun Farah, said: “We learned about having to communicate with your team-mates and that you need to have a good personal image for a first impression to others.”

Their favourite activity, however, was the fashion workshop, designing a charity T-shirt which one of them modelled on a catwalk, and producing a budget and marketing plan.

It was the third year RBS has worked with Morpeth School on the employability programme.