Junior Trader brings finance to life through three things that sit at the heart of everything we do: experience, judgement and opportunity.

Experience

We believe finance is best understood by experiencing it, not simply reading about it. From our original team-based Junior Trader investment challenge to JT+, finance walking tours, university programmes and Tales from the City, we connect classroom learning with the real world of markets, businesses and careers.

Judgement

Finance isn’t just about numbers. We help sixth-form and university students develop the commercial awareness, confidence and decision-making skills valued by universities and employers. Students learn to question information, analyse businesses, form their own opinions and, importantly, explain and defend their decisions.

Opportunity

We want talented young people to be able to explore careers in finance whatever their background or existing connections to the industry. Through bursaries, school and university partnerships and practical experiences, we create opportunities that can otherwise be difficult to access.

Since 2008, Junior Trader has helped young people strengthen university applications, prepare for internships and graduate careers, and develop the confidence and commercial judgement to succeed in finance and beyond.

Junior Trader Challenge: Our original team-based programme for schools. Students become investors, analyse real companies, build a portfolio and explain the judgement behind their decisions. DofE Skill approved.

Junior Trader Plus: An individual development programme for students aged 16+, building commercial awareness, professional judgement and confidence through investor meetings, reflection and personalised feedback.

Tours & Talks: Finance brought to life through Finance Walking Tours in London and Manchester and our Tales from the City and Tales from the Boardroom lecture series. Drawing on real places, real events and first-hand industry experience, these sessions connect the story of finance with modern markets, business and careers.

Ethos: Junior Trader is built on the belief that successful investing is about judgement, curiosity and integrity rather than simply predicting share prices. We encourage students to question assumptions, think independently, communicate their ideas clearly and learn from both success and failure in a supportive, professional environment.

Inclusion: Talent is found everywhere, but opportunity is not. Junior Trader is committed to widening access to careers in finance by working with schools, universities and community organisations to reach students from a broad range of backgrounds. Our programmes are designed to build confidence, commercial awareness and aspiration, regardless of previous experience or personal circumstances.

Bursaries: We never want cost to be the reason a motivated student misses out. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and partners, a number of bursaries are available each year to help students access Junior Trader programmes. If finances are a barrier, we encourage students to get in touch as we will always try to help where we can. This includes free spaces on our walking tours!