A group of secondary school students swapped the classroom for the boardroom when they spent the day at a firm of accountants and business advisers.

Year 11 Business Studies pupils from Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School in Oswaldtwistle visited Cassons in Haslingden to take a look behind the scenes and get a taste of how real businesses are run.

The students explored the technology and IT systems in use to help familiarise themselves with a typical workplace environment. They took a tour of the firm’s offices, seeing three screen technology in action and seeing the all-important tea making facilities to help get a feel for office life.

They also took on a series of challenges in workshops exploring the types of assignments that are central to three key business functions: accounting, payroll and marketing.

Their challenges included calculating the mocked up profits from an Ed Sheeran concert and finding out how to calculate the tax on a pay slip.

They also learned about business marketing and how to utilise social media and video to promote businesses.

The event was part of a programme called Business Class, an initiative of Business in the Community, which develops long term, strategic partnerships between schools and businesses.

Carmel Cunliffe, Business Manager at Rhyddings, said: “The session gave the students a real taste of what it’s like to be in the workplace and hopefully a much clearer understanding of how businesses operate.

“The students experienced the sort of work assignments that accountants, payroll experts and marketing managers handle on a daily basis. They might not have considered careers in these areas before, but completing tasks like working out the profits for a mock Ed Sheeran concert, for example, really brought the subject to life and demonstrated that these roles are far more varied and interesting than the students had thought.”

Peter Johnson, Partner at Cassons, said: “We’re very proud to be involved in the Business Class programme. It’s a fantastic initiative and a great opportunity for students to find out more about the world of work and to have a chat with our employees about the sorts of careers available to them in accountancy and business. It’s also a great opportunity for our own staff to run sessions with the students.

“We’ve developed strong ties with Rhyddings through our ongoing partnership as part of Business Class and hopefully this session will be valuable in helping students understand how businesses operate and encourage them think about their career choices.”

Clare Hutchinson, NW Regional Education Manager for Business in the Community, which manages the Business Class programme, said the partnership between the school and the firm was invaluable for students: “Cassons and Rhyddings have really embraced the Business Class programme, and taken the time to look at creative ways to really bring world of work to life for the students who take part in the workshops.

“It really can help give them a different perspective on their studies and often completely change their perspective on an industry or career.”