The mysteries of banking, markets and foreign exchange became a lot clearer to 20 students from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College East after a visit to Citi Singapore's trading premises.
The visit was part of Citi's annual "e for Education" campaign, a global initiative that has raised US$6.25 million (S$8.4 million) this year and around US$22.5 million in the five years that it has been running.
"As one of the largest banking employers in Singapore, Citi plays a pivotal role in preparing today's youth for tomorrow's workforce," said Mr Subodh Goel, Citi's Singapore head of markets and securities.
"Such visits to our premises are meaningful as they allow students to explore career opportunities in FX (foreign exchange) and money markets, and start planning ahead if there is interest to pursue a career in banking."
Funds raised by the "e for Education" initiative are directed to education-focused non-profit organisations. Citi's global foreign exchange and local markets business committed to donate US$1 for every US$1 million of foreign currency clients traded between Sept 11 and Nov 17.
Over the 10 weeks, Citi employees throughout the world also hosted a series of educational events focused on raising awareness on access to education and career development.
These included school visits to Citi's trading floors, introductions to financial services, trading simulations and interview workshops.
The funds raised will be shared equally between seven education-focused non-profits, and will contribute to several key initiatives supporting youth education and improving literacy globally.
The projects the campaign supports include implementing educational programmes in 15 emerging markets, supporting the college fees of around 900 children of United States military personnel who died in service, and developing and coaching top graduates and career changers to teach in over 200 schools facing the greatest challenges in Britain.
Citi's global head of foreign exchange and local markets, Mr Nadir Mahmud, said: This result could not have been achieved without the support of our clients and employees who supported us to make a positive, significant impact on young people's lives, and help them develop skills to move them towards their career goals."
