OCBC launches suite of sustainability training modules for its employees

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The training modules, which aim to groom subject experts within the Bank, will be extended to all 30,000 employees across the Group, including employees in its overseas operations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Hong Kong.

OCBC Bank has launched a suite of sustainability training modules for its employees, as part of a structured approach to groom more subject experts within the Bank.

This will fall into phase two of the OCBC Future Smart Programme, launched on Thursday (8 July 2021) by Group CEO Helen Wong, and announced in a press release. The training modules will be extended to all 30,000 employees across the Group, including employees in its overseas operations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Hong Kong, with an investment of S$30mn over the next three years.

What employees can look forward to

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 these 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 environment conservation.

The modules will cover both key concepts and the practical aspects of sustainability so that employees have a deeper understanding of sustainability as well as how to apply it into their roles.

Examples of modules included:

• Sustainability, ESGs and OCBC’s commitment
• Sustainable finance & business ecosystems
• Sustainable business models
• Climate risk & banking
• Stewarding for the future

"These modules will also equip employees 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 Bank noted.

In addition to the above, OCBC has also refined its Future Smart Framework in line with "persistent global trends that have significant impact on its workforce and business," such as:

• Increasing global connectedness emphasising the need for more collaboration, agility, and diversity;
• The emergence of new ecosystems leading to new business models and strategy;
• Harnessing technology that is dominating the way we work and communicate;
• Redefinition of the customer experience as a result of demographic changes;
• Stiffer competition for talents with new skills; as well as sustainability, one of the biggest challenges facing global economies.

Overall, Jason Ho, OCBC Bank's Head of Group Human Resources, shared: "The OCBC Future Smart Programme was created to upskill or reskill every employee to stay relevant for the future workplace.

"While technology and digital skills are the prevailing skillsets that most employees would require in the future, other areas such as sustainability and even the ‘softer’ skills such as emotional and mental wellness, collaboration, agility and critical thinking are equally important aspects in developing a well-rounded employee."

He added "New threats to the business emerge continuously. We are confident that as long as we continue to learn, un-learn and re-learn as an organisation, we will be able to turn threats into opportunities."

About the OCBC Future Smart Programme

The updated sustainability curriculum is part of the OCBC Future Smart Programme, the Bank’s strategic initiative to upskill and reskill all its 30,000 employees for work of the future. The Programme was first launched in 2018 with a commitment of S$20mn over three years. This next phase of the OCBC Future Smart Programme is backed by an investment of S$30mn over the next three years.

Through this initiative, learning programmes covering the seven pillars of Future Smart across four proficiency levels – Awareness Literacy, Practitioner, and Mastery – were designed to leave no employee behind as the world and OCBC transforms.

Since the launch of the OCBC Future Smart Programme, a total of 1,900 programmes have been developed and offered to employees group wide, with more than 178,000 programme completions. More than 23,000 employees have also achieved a higher level of digital foundation.

About half of OCBC Bank employees in Singapore have embarked on dedicated learning roadmaps designed by the Bank’s Learning & Development team in collaboration with business units. These roadmaps, the Bank stated, are customised and serve to develop the Bank’s current and future talent pool.

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