Aston Business School has joined forces with Thomson Reuters to open its own financial trading room - the first of its kind in the West Midlands.

The trading room is laid out classroom style with four rows of desks supporting twenty computer workstations in front of a 21-foot-long wall-mounted Daktronics LED ticker display which provides live market data and news.

In addition, there are two Thomson Reuters InfoPoints which provide a real-life experience of working in the finance industry alongside an instructor console at the front of the room linked to an overhead projector which allows classroom demonstration of all the software.

The rare facilities will help 120 postgraduate students on the Finance and Investments and Investment Analysis, both Masters (MSc) courses get a taster of life as a financial trader.

“This financial trading room is the result of teamwork and collective belief in our vision,” said Professor Jim Steeley, head of Finance and Accounting at the business school.

“I am absolutely delighted to announce the official launch of this dedicated facility which we believe will add value to the already high-quality learning environment. Our students are the workforce of the future, globally, and we aim to equip them with skill and knowledge of the highest standards possible.”