College team beats 5,000 in stock market challenge

A team of Worcester Sixth Form College Business students have battled their way into the Student Investor Challenge semi-finals, beating over 9,000 teams from schools around the UK and abroad.

The Student Investor Challenge, run by The London Institute of Banking & Finance, challenges teams of schoolchildren to invest virtual money on the London Stock Exchange and trade stocks and shares to make a profit.

The team consisting of Luca Ruso, Zac Jan-Hayer and Josh Williams successfully invested virtual money meaning that they are one of only the top 500 teams progress to the semi-finals. They’ll now go on to battle the remaining 499 teams to try and reach the final in London.

Sybanne King, Head of Accounting, Business and Economics, said: “I am really proud of the students for reaching the semi-final. The Challenge is a great at encouraging students to apply theory to the real world, building their interest and enthusiasm.”

Catherine Winter, Managing Director of Financial Capability at The London Institute of Banking & Finance, says: “This competition is a powerful way of engaging young people with how the finance sector works and relating it to everyday life. The movement of stocks and shares, currency fluctuations and central bank activities can feel quite remote and difficult to get to grips with. By bringing it to life through a trading game, young people have proved they can grasp how economies work and the basics of investment. So, congratulations to the semi-finalists for making the top 500, it’s a great achievement!”