Banking professionals praise EIBFS’ commitment to develop future-ready Emirati talent and upskilling them to meet the demands of the sector

Dubai-UAE: 22 November 2022 – A lot has changed in the banking sector over the past few years, with the dynamic nature of the business and rapid digitalisation forcing the sector to quickly adapt, optimise, and align to changing customer expectations. And that means that the workplace demands newer skills, competencies, and capabilities to succeed.

In line with this, over the years, the Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (EIBFS), a regional leader in banking and finance education and training, has developed learning solutions that align with the demands of the sector, coupled with UAE’s vision and nationalisation agenda to develop a future-ready Emirati talent that can adapt with the constantly evolving banking and financial sector.

Being at the forefront of Emiratisation initiatives, EIBFS' efforts have been welcomed by bankers across the region who endorsed the Institute’s long-standing commitment towards offering a holistic learning experience with the aim to deepen specialist skillsets to better serve the UAE’s growing banking ecosystem. 
A key priority of these efforts is focused on contributing effectively towards Emiratisation in the banking and finance sector in line with EIBFS' futuristic vision. This vision centres on understanding the evolving nature of jobs and the related skills and competencies needed for future bankers. This is reflected in EIBFS’ custom-made international courses and programs that are tailored to cover the requirements of its participants and the demands of the dynamic industry.

To address this need, eight Emiratisation programs were developed by EIBFS during the year, which included the Certified Banking Operations, Future Proof Banker, Retail Banker, Future Ready, Thrive Leader, Digital First Banker, Effective Frontliner and the WBG Management Associate program. 
Commenting on these programs, Jamal Al Jassmi, General Manager of EIBFS, said: “EIBFS was and is still efficiently contributing to the development of the country’s banking and financial sector through its skills-based international courses and programs designed to build competent bankers in the UAE and meeting the dynamic market demands guided by the vision of our wise leadership and the national vision of developing high-quality Emirati talent pool, who are ready for the future.”

 
True to this vision and objective, a lot of bankers who undertook the programs were all praise for the format and content of the courses. 
Abdelaziz Kashwani, who is employed with the Commercial Bank of Dubai, enrolled in the EIBFS Certified Banking Operations (CBO) program and complemented EIBFS efforts towards developing a qualified workforce through structured courses that cover the fundamental and operational aspects of the banks.

“I gained a lot of knowledge from the course, including how banks operate and the technical dynamics of a financial institution. My favourite topic in the program was treasury and investments since it matched my professional and personal interests.” 
He added: “The Certified Banking Operations program at EIBFS, which assists students in understanding the skills and expertise to begin a journey in banking, is something I firmly advise all Emiratis who intend to work in the banking sector to take up.”

The CBO program sets out competency and practice-oriented development modules covering seven banking practices and specializations. Over five weeks, the participants are imparted an in-depth understanding of various banking functions such as risk management, operations, corporate banking, and wealth management. The course also covers operational aspects as well as various technology and regulatory requirements.
The program is delivered in collaboration with the Hong Kong Institute of Bankers (HKIB) through a blend of e-learning sessions as well as live classes.
Aisha AlAli, another participant in the program, said it was one of the best experiences she ever had as she learnt things through real-life examples and cases that helped her understand banking terminologies clearly. 

“This program is not only about educational and professional growth. It is also about personal growth as it connects us together as a team. The course modules helped us understand and know each other properly,” said Aisha AlAli, who is also associated with the Commercial Bank of Dubai.
Fatma Abdulla, who is also an employee of Commercial Bank of Dubai, said the program is one of the most interesting programs and praised EIBFS role in supporting Emiratisation through upskilling UAE cadres.

“It taught me more about the banking industry as well as other departments like Treasury, Trade Finance, and Retail Banking. Risk management was my favourite topic because it is related to IT, which is my department. I learnt how to avoid risks, measure risks, how to come up with solutions to mitigate risks. The CBO course has changed my personality; it has taught me how to work in a team and how to be more social with others. By the time I completed the course, I realized that I had learnt a lot about banking and each department’s general background.” she added.

Mohammad Galadari from Commercial Bank of Dubai said that the CBO program helped every participant to understand banking better.  
“It was a great experience because of the combination of self-study and class sessions with instructors. During the program, I learnt about the aspects of banking pertaining to the operations, banking products, and latest technologies used in the industry which allowed me to understand different terms within the industry along with the knowledge in the workplace.”

He added: “The program had a positive impact on me as it allowed me to gain knowledge that would be very useful in my day-to-day work at the bank as I have more understanding related to the work I am doing.”
Ruqaya Kashwani, another participant, said the CBO program is one of the most qualified programs as it helps new joiners to gain more knowledge about the banking sector.  

“The program taught us to be professional in working within groups by coming up with creative ideas to help banks enhance their products and services. To be honest, CBO changed my personality as it helped me listen to others’ perspectives and come up with creative results and solutions to problems. I am now more confident with my banking background and the different departments that I will be working with within the bank.”

Over the years, EIBFS has managed to carve a niche for itself in the region for providing best-in-class training and education programs in the banking and finance industry and have trained around 300,000 banking professionals during the past 38 years. In 2021, the institute trained 32,317 professionals of which 36 per cent were Emirati bankers playing an important role in supporting the UAE’s Emiratisation strategy to increase Emirati representation in the workforce.