Eibfs announced the training of more than 30,000 trainees and professionals working in UAE’s banking and financial sector

The Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies – the leading regional institution in the field of banking and financial education – announced the training of more than 30,000 trainees and professionals working in UAE’s banking and financial sector, including 12,299 Emiratis during the year 2020.

The training was carried out through “remote learning” technologies and the institute’s new educational platform “Insight”, which was recently launched to be the first educational electronic platform for financial and banking sector programs in the Middle East, in addition to classrooms at the institute’s headquarters.

Jamal Al Jasmi, General Manager of EIBFS, said in an exclusive interview to Emirates News Agency / WAM / that the UAE presented a successful model for the distance learning system thanks to the vision of our wise leadership and network readiness that was evident from the start of “Covid-19”.

He stressed that the current crisis has strengthened the concept of studying and learning via the Internet. He pointed out that most educational institutions, including EIBFS, have resorted to distance learning. Lessons, videos, and educational files are widely shared with students and trainees, to ensure that the educational process is not disrupted, and the experience has proven to be successful, reaffirming the vision of the wise leadership to invest in digital technology in a large way over the years. Today, most government services are done through electronic applications, as digital technology has contributed to the smooth running of all businesses.

Furthermore, he explained that despite the exceptional situation that the world is experiencing, after the disappearance of this crisis, there will be many positive lessons learned, which will aid the growth of financial technology and drive serious investment in financial technology programs.

Regarding the large numbers of remote trainees in the banking sector, Jamal Al Jassmi said: “We are proud of the great turnout that the (Insight) platform has received during the first month of its launch. The training of 30,000 professionals in the banking sector, among them more than 12,000 being UAE nationals, represents a great achievement for the institute. Our team has succeeded in building an organized educational experience through distance learning techniques and the platform that includes courses which will help banking and finance professionals develop their skills to achieve their professional goals. The institute is also keen to meet the needs of the trainees and ensure that they enjoy a seamless learning experience to the maximum.”

He added, “Out of our responsibility and the feedback we have received on our e-learning platform, we will continue to offer it to our users. Our goal is to reach about 150 training programs on Insight by the end of the year. Another point to note is the need to follow up on the latest developments and growth in this sector, from digitization to AI—which is shaping the way we design courses for our students.

In the same vein, Jamal Al Jasmi added that the increasing growth in the number of participants in the online platform strengthens the institute’s position as one of the most prominent educational institutes in the region, especially since the institute training workers in the financial and banking sector, which is a key pillar of the UAE economy. Another important task EIBFS takes on is strengthening the government’s Emiratisation efforts by empowering emerging Emirati talents in the region.

The institute aspires to establish a new educational standard that meets the requirements of the future by adopting technology. Through the Insight platform, the institute seeks to ensure continuous learning and upgrading the skills of professionals in times when training and direct education is difficult.

The training courses on Insight include courses to develop functional and personal skills across a wide range of categories including financial technology, data analytics, corporate banking, management, trade finance, compliance, anti-money laundering, risk management, Islamic banking, commercial communications, treasury, investments and personality development.

The platform’s focus on self-management skills, leadership training and personality development emphasizes the increasing importance of these skills within the mature banking sector in the region. The pandemic has brought about significant change to the industry leading to the change in job skills required for the future. To the end, EIBFS is well-equipped to enable banking professionals enhance the skills and keep them updated.