Emirates Institute For Banking And Financial Studies Convenes Industry Experts To Discuss National Qualifications Framework For Entry-Level Certified Retail Bankers

The Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (EIBFS) hosted a meeting of UAE bankers to discuss the principal qualifications framework for the position of entry-level certified retail bankers. The meeting aligned with the efforts of the National Qualifications Authority (NQA) towards setting the benchmarks for competency in various sectors including banking.

Noura Abbas Ahmed, Director, Program Delivery and Administration, Dr Philip Hamil, Director of Learning Division, Dr Allen Baby, Manager, Center for Training, and several faculty members represented EIBFS at the meeting. Among the attendees were subcommittee members of the Recognized National Development Committee for Banking (RNDC) from Emirates NBD, Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD), Union National Bank (UNB), Sharjah Islamic Bank and RAKBANK. RNDC comprises representatives of the Central Bank of the UAE, major banks across the UAE, NQA and EIBFS.

Jamal Al Jassmi, General Manager of EIBFS, said: “In addition to achieving much-needed standardization of practices across all banks, the implementation of a national qualifications framework for various occupational profiles within the banking sector will ensure that entry-level banking professionals receive consistent and high-quality training. EIBFS is currently working with industry experts on occupational analysis that will lead to the formulation of National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS) and eventually the National Qualifications Framework for the certified retail banker position.”

He added: “The meeting examined at length the knowledge, skills and diverse competencies required for the position. We thank the bankers for their valuable feedback that will now form the basis for developing national vocational training.”

The attendees identified three distinct modules that define the job role of entry-level certified retail bankers – service, operations and sales. All candidates for the post, they suggested, must have matching competencies across these three areas, including both technical skills and soft skills. However, it’s important to note that it is not going to be mandatory to possess this certification to fill up positions in the retail banking division. What it does is to develop a framework, setting standards for such a position at the entry level across all banks.

Furthermore, the bankers agreed that compliance training should be mandatory in today’s banking sector, where risk assessment and implementation of global regulatory standards are among the critical components of successful banking operations.