St Ninian's up for Stockmarket challenge

St Ninian's high were victorious – finishing with a fund of 59,200 after a fiercely competitive day of trading.

Youngsters from Hillpark, Holyrood, Mearns Castle and Eastwood High also took part.

When The Extra visited during the event at the Mitchell Library, activity was in full swing – with a full day's trading simulated every 25 minutes and live news reports provided on screens.

Each team had been given 17,400 worth of cash (fake, naturally) at the start of the event and groups of third-year pupils ran to and from a central trading zone, buying and selling stocks, bonds and foreign currency to build their portfolios.

Mearns Castle pupil Ross Coubrough told The Extra: "It's been really exciting, but it's quite stressful as well because you don't want to miss out on anything but it moves really fast".

Asked what skills they had picked up during the day, his classmate Alasdair Shivas joked "running" - because he had been back and forth so often.

The day also hopes to build on communication, problem-solving, decision making, teambuilding and negotiation skills.

Each pupil is assigned a role in their team and must work with the others to decide what to buy and sell.

Rory Bradley, a member of the winning St Ninian's team, said: "The whole day has been brillian. We all really enjoyed the challenge, and it's great to have won.

"Everyone worked really hard".

The event, sponsored by BNP Paribas securities services, is now in its seventh year and proving popular with Scottish youngsters.

Damien Yeates, chief executive of Skills Development Scotland, said the compeition "not only helps educate pupils about the financial markets but also has benefits which are much more far-reaching.

"It encourages them to work in a team, develop their communication skills, and their decision-making ability.

"These skills are vital to ensure that they are equipped to pursue the career path of their choice when they leave school".