Glenart pupils cash in with school bank
GLENART College students recently received a cheque for €1,200 from Bank of Ireland to help facilitate the successful launch of their school bank.
The school launched the bank in conjunction with Bank of Ireland Arklow as part of the college business module in April 2017.
This national programme provided the opportunity for Glenart College students to apply and work in their own school bank and perform a variety of roles from Branch Manager to Customer Service Official, learning about banking and how to work as an effective team. Each school bank is supported by regular visits from Bank of Ireland staff to ensure the experience is fun and educational for the students involved.
The students also get to develop skills in marketing, people management, compliance and data protection and of course a deep understanding of financial products.
Business teacher Gwen Campbell was involved in every step of the process and found that the students displayed leadership skills, teamwork, marketing and cash handling responsibilities and general life experiences.
The bank team included: Christina Doyle, Phadraig Keogh, Aaron Dalton, Steven Quinn, Pierce Lawlor and Kyle Whitmore, who were appointed after a rigorous interview process which included all students who applied for the branch positions.
Speaking at the opening, Paula Carroll,Sales and Service Manager in Bank of Ireland Arklow, said that the bank scheme was ‘a wonderful way to help educate our youth and Glenart College Arklow has certainly got what it takes to be a winning team.
‘ The top of the range computer and IT rooms in Glenart help to ensure the experience was seamless for the school bank team in dealing with day to day tasks around account opening and cashier services,’ she said.
Glenart College has also secured 100 match tickets and will soon be heading off to a Leinster Rugby or Ireland Soccer game.