NAB bankers go back to school

John Kavanagh

Declaring “it’s time to raise the bar in banking professionalism” NAB chief executive Ross McEwan plans to provide education and accreditation for all 34,000 of the bank’s staff.

Claiming an industry first, McEwan said in a statement that NAB would work with FINSIA to design a program that “will go above and beyond the industry standard”.

McEwan said the program aimed to improve the quality of service and set clear expectations for conduct. It will cover banking fundamentals and customer service skills.

McEwan introduced a similar program at Royal Bank of Scotland. Over three years, RBS employees attained the Chartered Banker professional banking fundamentals and certified banker qualifications.

FINSIA chief executive Chris Whitehead said in a statement that the association’s education programs were developed with the close involvement of practitioner members, “ensuring they are practical and robust”.

FINSIA works with the UK’s Chartered Banker, offering its programs locally.

Whitehead said: “Bringing trust levels in banking and financial services up to where they should be will happen when we are regarded as a profession and when our people display pride in the profession and a commitment to continuously raising standards.

“The investment in professionalism in other jurisdictions such as the UK and Asia has resulted in higher levels of consumer trust.”