Pupils from school in Tower Hamlets, chosen for their potential as university candidates, have taken part in interactive sessions aimed at getting them to think about their future.

The year nine students from Sir John Cass Foundation & Red Coat school, Stepney Way, were invited to the offices of financial services group KPMG, in Canary Wharf, to take part in Aim2Attain, a scheme delivered by the Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership charity.

Mark Rogers, teacher at Sir John Cass, said: “It exposes the students to professional, informed and talented adults who are not their parents or their teachers.

“It also gives them genuine team working and opportunities to be creative.

“It is meant to be a reward for them but it is also about raising their motivation and aspirations.”

The students rated a series of jobs, hobbies and leisure activities to see what careers they may be suited to, matched job descriptions to career profiles and quizzed staff from KPMG in a three minute chat show on their career path.

Student Yusuf Ali, 13, said: “I really enjoyed it.

“I knew before I came that I want to be an accountant and now I really know I want to be one.”

Volunteer Malcolm Footer said: “It’s a really good programme and I’m happy to come along and help them understand some of the opportunities that are out there.

“If you want to join a firm like this, work hard to get your qualifications, then there are more opportunities than you can imagine.”