FirstBank Raises Performance Bar With FirstAcademy
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Nigeria's number one Bank Brand, FirstBank of Nigeria Plc (FirstBank) has established FirstAcademy, a strategic business academy that is designed to raise manpower development in the Bank to new heights.
FirstAcademy, an affiliate of Global Association of Corporate Universities & Academics (G - ACUA), and the World Institute of Action Learning (WIAL) seeks to combine the tenets of corporate training with the intellectual discipline and rigour that underpin academic learning in the Bank. FirstAcademy is structured along four multi-level schools which include the Foundation School; Treasury, Operational and Credit Schools which is the second level; Management School and Leadership School. These schools are carefully designed to achieve several objectives set out for the academy. These include:
• Provide framework for a structured competency-based Learning and Development system in FirstBank
• Provide world-class curricula in areas that are congruent with the requirements to achieving the Bank's strategic pillars
• Hone banking skills and build domain expertise within the organization, equipping staff to compete favourably with global contemporaries
• Offer a formal and systematic mechanism for harvesting the process-specific knowledge and experiences embedded in, and reflective of the rich heritage and DNA of FirstBank
• Develop strategic alliances with world-class institutions for the delivery of education and training.
The Governing Council was inaugurated yesterday at Protea Hotel, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi Lagos. The 10-member Governing Council includes Dr. Yomi Makanjuola; a former associate partner in the Technology and Outsourcing Practice of Accenture; Professor Richard Dealtry, founder and Chairman of the Global Association of Corporate Universities (G-ACUA) - and Dr. Skipton Leonard, Managing Director and Master Coach of the World Institute of Action Learning. Others are seven senior staff members from the FirstBank Group.
Commenting on the project, FirstBank's Head of Human Capital Management & Development, Mrs. Ayodele Jaiyesimi said the idea of the academy was conceived as a result of the need to maintain a high-performance workforce that connects with the imperatives of the Bank's vision and corporate strategies. 'Talent development has been an integral part of the success of FirstBank over the years, making the Bank a constellation of leading professional in the sector'. she said
Jaiyesimi explained that, 'First Academy was birthed from the need for the current Learning & Development Unit in the Human Capital Management and Development department to be fully developed to support growth across the Bank's businesses and comprehensively address the training needs of the Group. The ultimate focus is the emergence of a learning structure built around statements of behaviour or competencies required by staff to achieve the Bank's strategic objectives and business priorities'. she added.
First Bank of Nigeria Plc (FirstBank) is Nigeria's leading financial services institution by total assets and gross earnings. With more than 5 million customers, FirstBank has over 620 branches and eleven (11) subsidiary companies in Nigeria, providing a comprehensive range of financial services. The Bank has international presence through its subsidiaries, FBN Bank (UK) Limited in London and Paris, and Banque International de Credit (B.I.C) in the Republic of Congo, as well as its Representative Offices in Johannesburg, Beijing and Abu Dhabi. FirstBank is recipient of several recent awards including the 'Best Banking Group in Nigeria' by World Finance Banking Awards, 'Best Financial Reporting Company' by Africa Investor, 'Most Innovative Bank in Africa' by African Banker Awards, and was recently named Nigeria's number one banking brand by Brand Finance Top 500 Banking Brands 2012.
Folake Ani-Mumuney
Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications