By Chioma Obinagwam
In line with its commitment to ensure greater efficiency and boost its workforce, Heritage Bank Plc has received a nod from the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) for its establishment of a full-fledged learning and development institute, with the training of 300 new employees.
The bank disclosed in a statement signed by its Divisional Head, Corporate Communications, Fela Ibidapo, on Thursday.
The statement revealed that the Institute dubbed “The Refinery” being supervised by the Bank’s Human Capital Management Group is currently training 300 new intakes who are fresh from universities across and outside the country with diverse academic backgrounds and impressive academic records, in an ongoing intensive 12-week rigorous and thorough academic programme at the school, in Port Harcourt.
Confiance News gathered that the Refinery is a tailored learning experience Institute with the perfect blend of technologies, techniques and methodologies to optimise training experiences, which will help employees succeed in ensuring that the bank’s business stays ahead of the curve with the banking sector along with Heritage Bank’s target goals.
Having visited The Refinery in Port Harcourt during the ushering in of the new intakes, the Group Head, Learning and Development of CIBN, Babatunde Apena in his commendation stressed that Heritage Bank’s training facility is the best in Nigerian banking industry and at par with international best standard.
According to him, despite the training facility still undergoing various upgrades for accreditation, it stands out as one of the best in the industry.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of the bank, Ifie Sekibo, has described Heritage Bank as a forward looking business whose strength lies in the ability to spot and mould talents into great professionals.
He noted that the Refinery was established to train, nurture and arm young employees with the right skills needed to fast-track development and enable teams to flourish.
Sekibo further explained that at the Academy, “we hire young graduates who want to advance their skill levels, which will lead to a direct and indirect improvement of life for their families and communities that will culminate toward more productive, resourceful persons.”
According to him, any business that hopes to survive the current economic challenges must devise a creative way of harnessing the full potentials of the talents that abound among the nation’s teeming youth population.
He urged the lucky intakes that after their graduation, they should see the opportunity as a privilege to contribute their quota towards the development of Nigeria by imbibing the bank’s mantra of commitment to spreading the culture of Wealth Creation, Preserve and Transfer.
“Just as the word Refinery connotes, the Heritage Bank Plc Refinery is a Facility where crude talents or abilities are converted or ‘refined’ into ‘finished’ jewels for optimal performance.
“The training program is designed to take each participant on an enriching, rigorous and intellectually engaging learning journey to equip them with the fundamental competencies required of a professional banker. The Curriculums are structured to accommodate both Core and Non-Core Banking competencies such as finance, credit and accounting, organizational and behavioral competencies to mention a few,” Sekibo stated.
The bank’s helmsman also pointed out that Heritage Bank was assimilating the large number of new hands at a time when gainful employment was becoming hard to come by; stressing that the bank had always remained optimistic and pragmatic in deploying its resources for developmental ends.
According to him, “In recent times, operators in the banking sector have discovered that margins are shrinking, costs are rising and yet nothing is changing. You are coming into an industry that most people think it is impossible to survive but we at Heritage Bank see opportunities in place of despair. So, therefore, your employment comes with uniqueness and promise. Everything you are about to learn at the Training School is very important to our balance as an industry and as a company as well as your progress as individuals.”
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