For consistently initiating and implementing high profile capacity development programmes for its employees through quality trainings, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has bagged the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Merit Award as the Best Contributing Employer in Human Resource Development (HRD) for the year 2016.
The award, which was conferred on the Bank at a ceremony on Wednesday, July 26, 2017, is also in recognition of the lender’s compliance with best practices, being up-to-date in its training programmes for staff and timely payment of annual financial obligations to the Fund.
The ITF is a Federal Government parastatal established in 1971. Among its objectives is to set training standards, promote and encourage the acquisition of skills in industry as well as commerce. This is with a view to generating a pool of indigenously trained manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the private and public sectors of the Nigerian economy.
The emergence of FCMB as the Best Contributing Employer in HRD for 2016 followed an evaluation exercise carried out by the ITF. The Bank qualified for the merit award on account of its timely submission of a comprehensive annual training plan in compliance with the ITF regulations for review and approval, alignment of training curriculum with the standard competency framework for the banking industry, effective design and implementation of ITF approved trainings, diversification of learning methodologies and channels which include e-learning portal.
Speaking at the award presentation ceremony, the Deputy Director/Area Manager of the ITF in Lagos Central, Chuwang Pam, commended FCMB for distinguishing itself as a viable corporate organisation committed to a culture of continuous learning and professionalism of employees. He added that, “we have identified FCMB as a leading organisation committed to enhancing the capacity of employees. The Bank has never failed in the discharge of its responsibilities in line with the mandate of ITF. Following our assessment, we discovered that FCMB met all the requirements of this award. We are proud of FCMB” .
In her comment, the Divisional Head, Corporate Services of FCMB, Felicia Obozuwa, described the award as another landmark achievement and a clear demonstration that the various strategic approaches adopted by the Bank to boost employees learning and development are yielding the desired results.
According to her, ‘’capacity building and innovation are key priorities of FCMB. We continue to invest in building the skills and competencies of our employees through quality training and development programmes. Through these, employees are better equipped to be successful in their roles, and keep up with industry changes, which make us able to anticipate and respond to the needs of our customers. We believe in developing people right throughout their careers with us. From an extensive induction process for new employees, to structured programmes covering functional and leadership skills development as employees progress within the organization.”
The Bank has a training Academy, which is a development centre responsible for the continuous building of skills and the expansion of the knowledge base of new and existing employees of the Bank. The Academy, certified and granted full accreditation status by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), has upgraded the quality of its offerings with new instructor led and e-learning courses.