YOUNGSTERS from an Oxford school visited four local businesses in a bid to bridge the gap between schools and the world of work.

The group of 20 Year-10 pupils from Peers Technology College were given tours of The Oxford Times offices at Osney Mead, Oxford; Cowley-based Unipart; Siemens Magnet Technology at Eynsham and management company Carillion in Oxford.

They were taking part in a project coordinated by the Industrial Trust, intended to help youngsters in job interviews of university applications.

The youngsters were then asked to turn what they had learned into formal presentations held in the lecture theatre at the Unipart Conference Centre in Cowley in front of an audience of parents, teachers, fellow pupils, and their business mentors.

Melissa Mullins,15, said: "The visits to the companies gave us a lot to think about. I didn't realise quite how scary it is to stand up and talk in front of an audience."

Dr Kevin Stenson, of the Industrial Trust, said: "Businesses often complain that the education system fails to prepare young people for the real world. By working so closely together on a project like this both managers and teachers started to get an insight into each others' needs and the challenges involved in bridging the gap between schools and employers."