FINANCIAL whizz-kids at The University of Reading got a taste of the City of London earlier this month.

Reuters and IBM hosted a practice trading floor at the university to allow financial students to train for the real world of high finance.

Spokeswoman Tracey Farrant said: "This hands-on method of learning is sure to be more effective than the rather slower traditional route of an MBA or an MSC for students of this discipline."

She said the event, on Thursday, November 8, was the first of its kind in the UK.

She said: "The students are able to work in real world scenarios to develop techniques in price discovery, financial modelling and so on."

Trading equipment at the uni was the same as used by the City's major financial institutions and trading floors.