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This year there is a special award!
Until now, we have always presented the award in the Development Heroes category to individuals. This year, we are honoring 13 bank employees from four different banks as well as their HR managers and executives. They come from Banking Operations and are involved in completing a very special course: the Banking Operations Future-Fit. An innovative program that was developed by our partner CYP in cooperation with Bandy Analytics GmbH and entered its first round in summer 2023.
Banking Operations Future-Fit - What is this course?
The back and mid-office areas of banks are currently undergoing rapid change as a result of digitisation and the associated technologies. So much so that employees and managers will be confronted with a completely new working environment in the near future. The demands on employees are increasing and the range of tasks and activities is also expanding. In order to be able to cope with this in the future, it will not only be necessary to broaden professional knowledge, but above all to further develop skills and abilities. This is exactly where the Banking Operations Future-Fit course comes in. It simulates the employees' future working day using real-life examples. In this way, the required skills are trained and applied directly.
Why an award for participation?
On the one hand, we want to reward the pioneering work and foresight of the banks and therefore also of managers and HR managers. Up to now, there have been fewer development initiatives in the back office area of banks compared to other areas, such as Front , for example. Secondly, the course was designed from scratch and takes a special approach. It focuses explicitly on the training and application of interdisciplinary skills and was particularly challenging for employees at the beginning. The special thing about this is that the content and structure of the course were developed with direct representatives from the specialist area. Another relevant point concerns the participants themselves. They dared to embark on a particularly challenging journey, consciously leaving their comfort zone and overcoming themselves. They surpassed themselves during the course and showed perseverance and a willingness to change.
And this is how the participants experienced the course
In particular, the strong practical relevance and the anecdotes from the course leader and the guest lecturers from the Banking Operations sector made a decisive contribution to linking theory with practice. In terms of competence building, we were able to strengthen our skills in project management methods, analytical and conceptual skills, Interdisciplinarity, flexibility, willingness to change, problem-solving methods, courage and initiative, among other things. The presentations after each focus area also enabled us to take our presentation and communication skills to the next level," report the participants.
However, most of the participants also found the three months to be an intensive and challenging time. They repeatedly had to step out of their comfort zone and take on tasks that they had never or rarely done before. The participants found the joint collaboration in the randomly assembled teams and the good team spirit particularly valuable. They supported and motivated each other and always had the feeling that they were not alone.
And what do managers and HR say?
"The fact that the course had so many references to everyday working life meant that the employees were able to have a great exchange with their peers. We were able to develop a common understanding and get a better idea of what changes will look like in the future and which development steps still need to be taken in our transformation journey." Says Martina Manta, manager at BLKB. HR developer Dominique Kündig and Head of Banking Ops Pawel Pilarski emphasize: "The course is a real perspective opener. It helps with interdisciplinary collaboration and helps to break down silo thinking."
Skilly Award 2023 in the development hero category - well deserved!
skillaware would like to congratulate Post Finance, Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank, Graubündner Kantonalbank and Aargauische Kantonalbank on Skilly Award 2023. All the managers, HR managers and, of course, the participants themselves have taken a big step in the right direction and are helping to ensure that the Banking Operations division is strengthened, fit and well equipped for the challenges of the future!
