Aspiring bankers from London Metropolitan University have been given a glimpse of the world of finance to help them get ahead in the industry.

Students from the university, which has a campus in Whitechapel, have been seizing their chance to work with custodian bank State Street in its Canary Wharf office.

They have been invited in to develop skills required in the industry, and are also to be given the task of compiling reports into the challenges and opportunities facing the bank in the future.

Banking and finance student Ali Hassan is one of more than 30 young people who has benefitted from the scheme.

He said: “It’s great to get out of the classroom and see what the corporate world is all about.

“This project is really hands-on and helps us overcome the idea that we can’t do this kind of thing. Getting up in front of senior finance professionals and realising ‘yes, I can do this and I do have something valuable to say’ is not something you can learn in a lecture theatre.”