Financial Times has partnered with Deutsche Bank to deliver an FT reading group programme across secondary schools in London.

The course, which is run by Deutsche Bank volunteers, meets monthly in local schools to conduct reading groups for students aged 16 -18. The sessions use FT content to strengthen students’ acumen in business and finance and inspire them to think more deeply about global economic issues. Using the FT’s global news coverage and expert analysis in education offers a practical way of enhancing students’ current affairs knowledge and international perspective, improving their career prospects and progression.

Alun Davies, Finance Manager at Deutsche Bank and lead organiser of the programme said, “The FT Reading Group has been instrumental in breaking down the barriers between the local community and huge financial institutions like Deutsche Bank, resulting in positive social and academic development for the students involved. We’re delighted to help them understand how the global business news and analysis covered by the FT is relevant to their lives.”

The initiative, which started in early 2011 as a small internal reading group in Deutsche Bank’s offices, has expanded to include schools near the City of London such as Cambridge Heath College in Hackney, Highbury Grove School and St Mary Magdalene Academy in Islington. It supports the FT’s corporate responsibility programme, which invests in projects that advance literacy, education and local communities, while also being aligned with Deutsche Bank’s CSR initiative.

Other FT in Education initiatives include FT Newslines, an annotations tool on FT.com allowing students, professors and faculty to create and share annotations on FT articles; a licence and trademark agreement allowing Pearson’s educational publishers access to over 100,000 FT articles, special reports and features for use across its global education products and services; and the Financial Times Non-Executive Director Certificate, the first ever fully accredited qualification for non-executive directors.

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