Loughborough University, one of the largest campuses in the UK with 3,000 staff and 14,000 students, has purchased a 50 workstation license to Chisholm Roth's Risk Manager Trading Simulation. The financial markets simulator incorporates integrated dealing and position keeping facilities for a wide range of fixed income, FX, and equity products. The financial markets trading module at Loughborough University runs until 12 May 2004, and comprises of five, four hour sessions combining trading simulation and lectures from financial training practitioner Paul Roth.

The module provides students with hands-on exposure to the application of theories and investments in real life trading through Risk Manager Trading Simulation's real time virtual dealing room environment. The course covers the customs, practices, and ethical behaviour of various trading markets including FX markets, stock markets, debt securities markets, and derivative securities markets.

The hands-on element to the course offers significant advantages for the students and creates scenarios that are as close as possible to the dealing room environment. Each student has the ability to assess the outcome of their dealing strategies and interpret their results from extensive feedback reports that are provided by Risk Manager. The sessions are also interactive, with students trading against each other as they would do in a real trading situation.

Assessment takes place in the form of an exam, during which students must formulate a trading strategy appropriate for given market scenarios, and offer buy or sell recommendations for a selection of equity and fixed income securities. Students are also assessed on their dealing performance whilst using Risk Manager, through statistical reports generated by the dealing system requiring certain criteria to be met.

"We have identified that one of the most successful methods of assessing financial market trading skills is by using appropriate technologies that offer hands-on interactive training and advanced assessment methods", Dr Lawrence Leger, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economics, Loughborough University commented. "With the level of experience in the financial services training marketplace that Paul Roth has achieved, to have him lecturing for the module is invaluable in enhancing the skills of our students as they embark upon careers in the real world."

Paul Roth, Managing Director at Chisholm Roth added: "In selecting leading interactive training and skill development technology such as Risk Manager as part of its syllabus offering, Loughborough University is committing itself to the advanced teaching of financial market trading techniques. It is significant for us to be working with such a forward thinking establishment and we look to a successful future developing the trading skill base in its undergraduates."