CIBN Accredits Heritage Bank Academy, CBN Learning Centre

By Dipo Olowookere

The Heritage Bank Academy known as The Refinery has been accredited by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) at a virtual ceremony held in Lagos.

The institution was issued with a certificate of accreditation alongside the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Learning Centre, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) X Academy and 25 other Educational Training Service Providers (ETSP).

Others certified by the institute at the ceremony were Crown Agent UK; B. Adedipe Associates Limited; Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments (CISI), United Kingdom; Mactay Consulting Limited; Knowledge Beyond Limited; Brideswell Consulting Limited; Ultravantage Solutions; EdgeEcution Global Resources Limited and Katalyst Consulting.

In addition, the institute accredited Michael Stevens Consulting; NLP Nigeria Limited; Procept Associates Professional Services Limited; Don Mitchell & Co Limited; Bode Zakari Management Consultants; Success for ALL Limited; Edcof Educational Services Limited and Kloverharris Limited.

The accreditation was in accordance with CIBN’s role as the accreditation agency for the implementation of the competency framework released, as part of the strategy to redirect the banking industry towards the path of entrenching a sequenced competency development programme and build capacity for the stability of the financial system.

The Heritage Bank’s The Refinery supervised by the bank’s Human Capital Management Group was accredited by CIBN after assessing and evaluating its syllabus, curriculum and structure by a panel of technocrats and seasoned bankers set up by the Institute, which according to the chartered institute aligns with the Competency Framework of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the professional paper standard of CIBN.

Speaking during the presentation, the CIBN President, Mr Bayo Olugbemi, said the event marks yet another significant milestone in the annals of the Institute and our continuing quest for the strengthening of the intellectual resources and capabilities of the human capital in the banking and finance industry. He stressed that apart from efforts towards addressing competency challenges, thereby enthroning a minimum standard for practitioners in the banking industry.

He applauded Heritage Bank for setting a high standard of learning facility which its structure and curriculum “is next to that of CBN’s training institute,” whilst stressing that the bank’s training school is the best in the Nigerian banking industry and at par with international best standard.

He equally informed the gathering that the certificates of accreditation presented to two bank academies and 26 ETSPs, bringing the total number of institutions under the programme to 19 bank academies; 75 Educational Training Service Providers; 69 solicited accreditation; and six unsolicited accreditation.

The MD/CEO of Heritage Bank, Mr Ifie Sekibo, described the lender as a forward-looking business whose strength lies in the ability to spot and mould talents into great professionals.

Mr Sekibo, represented by the Executive Director, Jude Monye, explained that the word The Refinery was chosen for the purpose of refining its employees to emerge as gold and harness the required skills to excel in their job functions.

He noted that The Refinery was established to train, nurture and arm young employees with the right skills needed to fast-track development and enable teams to flourish.

“Just as the word Refinery connotes, the Heritage Bank Plc Refinery is a Facility where crude talents or abilities are converted or ‘refined’ into ‘finished’ jewels for optimal performance.

“The training program is designed to take each participant on an enriching, rigorous and intellectually engaging learning journey to equip them with the fundamental competencies required of a professional banker.

“The curriculums are structured to accommodate both Core and Non-Core Banking competencies such as finance, credit and accounting, organizational and behavioural competencies to mention a few,” Mr Sekibo stated.

Meanwhile, about 300 employees who are fresh from universities across and outside the country with diverse academic backgrounds and impressive academic records underwent rigorous training in an intensive 12-week academic (practical and theoretical) programme with over 30 courses in Port Harcourt.

The Refinery is a tailored learning experience Institute with the perfect blend of technologies, techniques and methodologies to optimise training experiences, which will help employees, succeed in ensuring that the bank’s business stays ahead of the curve with the banking sector along with Heritage Bank’s target goals.