BANKING may be in turmoil but two secondary school students are finding their feet in the heady world of finance thanks to a super-long work experience.

Emma Taylor and Mark Bond will spend the next two years working at the Royal Bank of Scotland offices in Manchester.

The high-flying pair, who attend St Paul's high in Wythenshawe, are juggling their studies with learning about finance and number crunching.

Their extended work experience is part of an initiative to give students real-world experience. Although bankers have come under fire in recent weeks for their role in the financial crisis, Emma and Mark say they have not encountered any fat cats but instead shadowed frontline workers in a wide range of roles.

Emma, 15, who is studying for 12 GCSEs and wants to become a solicitor, said she relished the chance to get real-life experiences outside the classroom.

She said: "We get treated like adults. You are not a child when you go in there and the way we deal with people is very different.

"We are working towards a qualification but we actually learn through carrying out tasks such as learning how reports are written or applications are processed.

"We also learned how to use spreadsheets, databases and interest rates - it's been really hands-on."

Mark, 14, said: "It has been a good experience so far. We have been working with people who are older but aren't our teachers."

Experienced members of staff are acting as mentors for the course, which will result in NVQ diplomas in business and administration - equal to four good GCSEs.

For the next two years they will spend every Thursday at the bank's Spinningfield branch. The two-year diploma course covers transactions, customer service, using databases and spreadsheets, research and report writing. In order to get the placement, they had to pass a strict job application process, including a challenging interview.

At the end of the programme, Emma and Mark will be flown to RBS headquarters in Edinburgh for a special 'graduation' ceremony and will get the chance to apply for a permanent job with the group.

Alan Chapman, the school's careers co-ordinator, said teachers hoped to build up links with other businesses to give their students longer-term work stints.

Work experience became compulsory in schools in the 1970s. But initiatives adopted by some schools allow children the option of carrying out work-based courses.

Students from Newall Green High school, Wythenshawe, are also taking part in the scheme.

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