Ark 6th Form East Sussex students have been given top league advice on preparing for university and their future careers in a session organised by Barclays LifeSkills.

The students were taught on how to train like top champions for the world of work by representatives from the bank during an intensive session on CV writing, interview skills and professional presentation.

To help inspire them to go for the top, students were able to pose for a photo finish with the Barclays Premier League Trophy.

Danielle Ramsbottom, a Year 12 student, said: “The session gave me a lot of information on things that I hadn’t thought of, like the importance of body language. I want to go to university and become a teacher, so it’s great to have those presentation skills while I’m getting ready to apply to university.”

William Hawkes, also in Year 12, said: “It was really helpful to think about how to have positive discussions, not just in the workplace but also in class. We talked about what makes a great leader and how to talk persuasively.”

Created by Barclays and launched in 2013, LifeSkills has more than 50 hours of free curriculum linked employability resources, including videos, quick fire activities, interactive tools and full lesson plans to teach young people.

The programme’s various interactive tools give youngsters the option to learn in their own time or in conjunction with their parents or teachers through dedicated sections online.

LifeSkills also helps to improve access to work experience opportunities, traineeships and apprenticeships to give them the key skills and experience through businesses across the UK.

Kirstie Mackey, head of LifeSkills, created with Barclays commented: “We are delighted to reward Ark 6th Form East Sussex, one of our active LifeSkills participants, with a visit from the iconic Barclays Premier League Trophy. More than 1.5 million young people have participated in our LifeSkills programme, and it is our aim to reach many more in 2016. We’re proud of the positive impact we have on young people’s lives and are honoured to be part of the journey which helps shape their future.”

James Hamilton, Head of Ark 6th Form East Sussex, said: “Our vision at Ark 6th Form East Sussex is to enable every student to achieve a place at university or pursue a career of their choice. In combination with the rigorous academic curriculum at Ark 6th Form East Sussex, sessions like those run by Barclays Life Skills are a really invaluable way for students to access the skills they need to succeed.”

Applications for September 2016 entry to Ark 6th Form East Sussex are now open; to find out how Ark 6th Form East Sussex can take you further, click here.