Manama: Further to the success of its first Virtual Talent Development Programme held last year, ila Bank, Bahrain’s trailblazing, digital, mobile-only bank, presented the second edition of ‘The Transformers’, once again in collaboration with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF).
The three-week training programme will equip its 21 participants to understand the importance of the digitisation in banking through a set of innovative and practical tools, skills and concepts. The student mix comprises Bahrainis whom are university students or fresh graduates.
ila’s initiative aims to instill a digital-oriented mindset and practical skills, empowering students to ride the digital wave that the banking sector has already started to witness, with the ultimate goal of nurturing budding bankers to become agile professionals and in due course, trailblazers of the industry.
“After the success of the programme last year, we are pleased to offer this opportunity to students again in collaboration with the BIBF. Adapting to the fast-paced digital transformation of banking is the need of the hour, and the foundational elements of this programme provide our local talent with the essential skills and innovative mindset to be able to accelerate the digital growth of the organisations they will join. It also gives impetus to Bahrain’s blueprint for a digital, cashless economy,” ila Bank Bahrain Head of Business and Customer, Nada Tarada, said.
The hands-on learning experience will help the participants to future-proof their careers amidst the long-term technological transformation that the industry has embarked upon. The training received will enable participants to adopt a pro-digital approach to banking and finance, making them valuable assets to the organisations they serve in the future.
The course modules include a combination of digital banking, FinTech and soft skills training. Students will be familiarised with the fundamentals of concepts like Fintech, Digital Transformation, Digital and Open Banking, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Blockchain. They will also learn how to accelerate their knowledge with design thinking, and ace virtual communication; a handy skill in times of crises like the world is currently in.
“ila Bank takes special interest in nurturing local talent, and we attribute the success of our novel banking platform to the innovation, adaptation and talent of our young professionals, a majority of who are under the age of 40. Through our training programme, we aspire to fuel the market with more such agile young thinkers who will be open to working and thriving within the new norms of doing business,” she added.
“Building on the success of ‘The Transformers’ programme in 2020, the BIBF was excited to continue partnering with ila Bank to launch its second edition this year. At the BIBF, we are dedicated towards building the talents of the future. ‘The Transformers’ is a truly transformative initiative that focuses on developing graduates and equipping them with the required emerging skills and competencies for a fast changing job market in the digital age,” Ahmed Naeemi, Head of Digital Transformation and Project Management at BIBF, said.
The programme culminates with a three-day hackathon, wherein students will pitch their ideas to improve business processes through digital innovation. This will test the skills and concepts that they have absorbed through the course and the winners will earn the opportunity of an internship with ila Bank for two months.
