To support employees in enhancing their language skills, we offer language courses, particularly for: managers, employees with high development potential, and employees who require foreign language proficiency for their daily responsibilities. Individual language courses are provided by external language schools under framework agreements with the Bank. The Bank fully or partially covers the costs of these courses.
Employee Training and Skills Development
Providing employees with access to diverse training opportunities is a key priority for the Bank. Through a comprehensive training offering, we enable employees to develop their professional skills and advance their careers. The Bank’s educational programmes include:
- Local training sessions and general development webinars;
- International training and programmes;
- Mentorng and group/team coaching;
- Internal and external individual coaching;
- Certification training programmes (e.g., CFA, ACCA, CIA).
The Training, Professional Qualification Development, and Employee Growth Policy defines the processes related to employee participation in various forms of professional development. It includes procedures for:
- Group training sessions, including classroom-based, remote, and e-learning training;
- Individual training programmes, including domestic and international courses, certification programmes, language courses, postgraduate studies, and MBA programmes;
- Assessment of training needs.
As part of individual training, we organise workshops and courses focused on specialist banking knowledge, led by internal and external trainers as well as industry experts (moderators, coaches, and facilitators). These workshops provide employees with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their professional duties. The Bank fully covers the costs of individual training programmes to which employees are assigned, while training courses initiated by employees themselves are either partially reimbursed or taken as part of a granted training leave.
Participation in individual training programmes that lead to professional qualifications, licences, or international certifications (where the Bank fully or partially covers the costs) requires a training agreement between the Bank and the employee.
This agreement defines the rights and obligations of both parties regarding the employee’s professional qualification development and specifies the conditions for the reimbursement of training costs by the employee.
Under the individual training programme, employees can also develop their skills abroad, following the same rules as domestic training. International training participation is subject to separate approval, including travel and accommodation arrangements.
We also support employees in pursuing postgraduate and MBA studies, through:
- Approval for employees to undertake postgraduate or MBA studies in fields relevant to the Bank’s business, initiated at their own request;
- Assigning employees to postgraduate studies when acquiring specific qualifications or certifications is required by external regulations;
- Directing key function holders within the Bank to postgraduate or MBA programmes as part of their individual career development plans.
In 2024 (first and second half of the year), we launched several professional development initiatives, including:
- Academy of the Future – focused on developing key future competencies (more on this initiative in the section on S1-4);
- Leadership Academy and Retail Manager Academy – pilot training programmes dedicated to managerial staff. In 2024, we piloted a new edition of the program.
- Managerial Shots – a development programme for managers, enhancing leadership and management skills. The program was created for managers who do not have time to attend full-day training sessions, they receive concrete knowledge in a nutshell in 45 minutes. In 2024, 3 more editions of the program were held, including 36 workshops, attended by a total of 3,500 managers. Examples of topics implemented: A leader close to the people; Effective management of the work of virtual teams; Building authority based on trust and respect; How to support an employee when his tasks are not being carried out, and many others.
- Development Snacks – a series of short thematic workshops focused on specific personal and professional skill development areas, available to all employees;. In 2024, 3 editions of the program were held, covering 28 workshops, with more than 9,000 participants. Sample workshop topics: Team Cooperation, Building Mental Resilience, Competencies of the Future.
- Mission: Growth – a programme for employees where participants work on real business challenges in cross-organisational teams, allowing them to discover and develop their skills and potential. The second edition of the program was held in 2024.
- Without Sugar – a programme for women designed to: activate the female workforce, foster engagement and mutual support among women in the workplace, and inspire and encourage professional development. As a result of the program’s strategic goals, a total of 56 development and educational activities were implemented in 2024. The program’s thematic offerings were constantly supplemented and updated and included: development of professional, personal and parenting competencies implemented through training, workshops, webinars. Development programs (Conscious Leader, Excelentni); development activities in the field of promotion and education on the subject of new technologies carried out through webinars, technical training and programs, e.g. “Closer to Technology”, “emPower Women”. An important event was the annual women’s meeting (Birthday of the program), which was attended by 660 participants in 2024. We were also succeed in conducting 2 campaigns to build health awareness among employees: Pink October (4,000 participants) and Blue November (2,200 participants). In addition, we launched the 2nd edition of the Development Program for Local Women Leaders, building leadership and project competencies. In total, more than 6600 women participated in the activities, more than 4,000 in the 2nd half of the year.