Kuwait City, Apr 21: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) celebrated the Graduation of the first wave of “NBK Tech Academy”, the first of its kind Academy in Kuwait focusing on digital and data technologies,

The graduation ceremony was attended by Ms. Shaikha Al-Bahar, Deputy Group CEO of NBK, Mr. Mohamed Al-Othman, CEO - Consumer and Digital Banking Group, Mr. Mohammad Al-Kharafi, COO - Head of Group Operations and Information Technology, and Mr. Emad Al-Ablani, GM – head of Group Human Resources.

The Academy’s program lasted for 7 months during which 10 participants received intensive training covering technical skills for advancing their careers including, but not limited to: FinTech, Data Analytics, Ethics in Technology, Cyber Security, Fundamentals of Digital Payments, Digital Innovation, Artificial Intelligence, Scripting and Programming, Fundamentals of Codifications, and Finance for Non-Finance Professionals.

In addition to technical skills, the program also focuses on developing soft skills including, but not limited to: Teamwork and Team Building, Business Planning and Business Analysis, Writing Skills, Delivering Results, Meeting Customer Expectation and Customer Centricity, Presentation Skills, Productivity in the Workplace, Business Ethics, Principles and Values, Learning and Researching, Project and Change Management, and Customer Experience.

The participants were split into teams, each assigned an expert coach from NBK, and were challenged to come up with a new idea or enhanced process that would serve the bank, and the winner was selected at the end of the program.

On this occasion, Mr. Emad Al-Ablani, GM – Group Human Resources at National Bank of Kuwait, said: “We are glad to graduate the first wave of NBK Tech Academy, which aims to foster digital talent and enhance expertise in technologies, as we realize the importance of developing the digital community within the bank, being instrumental to strengthen active digital capabilities and promote interaction with content and events aiming to drive continuous innovation.”

“NBK upholds an unwavering commitment to investing in national talent, as we always focus on providing the Kuwaiti youth with the best-in-class and most advanced training programs as per the highest international standards, with the aim of preparing a generation of highly skilled bankers across all fields, especially digital technologies that have become imperative in view of the advancement in banking using cutting-edge technologies and AI,” he added.

“NBK Tech Academy embodies NBK’s vision and keenness to keep up with the accelerating needs of the digital era, and its understanding of the importance of nurturing and developing high-caliber talent in areas like MIS, Information Security, Data Science, and Computer Science,” he noted.

Al-Ablani continued: “Kuwait has a talented and promising generation who possess professional skills and capabilities in technologies and digitization, and NBK is firmly committed to training and qualifying them for the labor market, in preparation for transformations dominated by AI, robotics and data science.”

“NBK seeks to be an active contributor to the development journey of this generation of the Kuwaiti youth and to provide optimal guidance for their capabilities,” he explained.

NBK continues to solidify its leadership in the private sector in terms of attracting, training, upskilling national talent and qualifying them to join the banking sector. The bank also stands out as the employer of choice for national professionals, with the highest Kuwaitization and employee retention ratios across the private sector.

NBK Tech Academy is part of the NBK Academy running for 15 years now, as it was established in 2008, and graduated 28 successful waves who have become active members of the bank’s professional team, having been qualified through the Academy to join the banking sector.