SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) – OCBC has launched a suite of sustainability training modules to groom more subject experts within the bank as it furthers its sustainability push.
This is part of the second phase of the OCBC Future Smart Programme – launched on Thursday by group chief executive officer Helen Wong – with an investment of S$30 million over the next three years for all 30,000 employees across the group, said the lender in a statement.
In the past two years, more than 50 sustainability-related jobs have been created within the bank across areas such as sustainable business development, sustainable product development, sustainability research, ESG (environmental, social and governance) assessment, ESG reporting, ESG regulatory and compliance, sustainable stewardship, and community development and environment conservation programmes.
OCBC said more than 20 training modules on sustainability have been co-developed with sustainability experts within the bank and across the external ecosystem.
The design of the modules is shaped by the bank’s sustainability framework and ESG factors which have been identified to be material, such as carbon footprint and neutrality, sustainable financing and investing, and community development and environment conservation.
The modules will cover both key concepts and the practical aspects of sustainability, so that employees have a deeper understanding of the topic as well as how to apply it into their roles.
Employees will also be equipped with technical expertise to manage sustainability-related transactions, and design new products and innovations with a sustainability focus and enable effective engagement with customers to transition to a more sustainable world.
The training modules are extended to all bank employees, including those in its overseas operations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Hong Kong.
The bank is also pushing for more autonomy in learning; in the last three years, more than 1,100 user-generated creations have been offered on its learning platform.
Since the first-phase launch of the OCBC Future Smart Programme in 2018 – with an initial commitment of S$20 million – a total of 1,900 programmes have been developed and offered to employees, with more than 178,000 programme completions.
More than 23,000 employees have also achieved a higher level of digital foundation.
Jason Ho, OCBC head of group human resources, said: “Major change is afoot on the job front and roles that are available today may no longer be needed or will be significantly disrupted tomorrow. The OCBC Future Smart Programme was created to upskill or reskill every employee to stay relevant for the future workplace.”
