Yesterday we travelled by train to City centre to meet the wonderful Vanquis Banking team at their impressive offices. The first ever train ride for some of our young people!

Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Cathy, Becky, Alison, and Rob who led the youngsters through the sign-in and securtity procedure at the bank, handing them personalised name badges.

We had a wonderful day and participated in lots of engaging activities, exploring the world of work, and all the different jobs in a large office building. Activities included; 

• Meeting the team: our Vanquis hosts shared their career journeys with us, the ups and downs, and how a positive attitude keeps you moving!
• A Q&A with security manager, Rob, who shared his career timeline and then led a fantastic Risk Assessment activity. We were taken to a new area of the building where we had to find potential security risks (staged of course) and create a plan of action.
• After a delicious lunch in the office canteen, we learned about 'transferable skills' that you need throughout the different departments in a big company and explored the characteristics that make a good employee.
• Finally, we competed in a quiz to solidify our learning and ended the day with an office tour!

Cathy Prior, VBG, Social Impact Programme Manager: “The kids have been so brilliant, and really inquisitive…They been so good and shown a real interest”.
Becky Pickering, VBG, Property and Facilities Manager: “We’d really like to have another day like this again! The kids feedback has been really helpful!”.

Alison, VBG: “We’ve really enjoyed having the kids come in! It’s been a really good day!”

We'd like to say a huge thank you to the Vanquis Banking Group team for an exciting and informative day. Our youngsters have learned so much and engaged brilliantly with all the different activities!