In 2010, ICBC continued the strategy of "a bank of best talents". All-staff training system has been established. With horizontal segregation, all ICBC jobs nationwide were grouped under four categories of management, professional, sales and operation while vertically, covering management to front-line tellers. Last year's statistics shows that ICBC organized 46,000 sessions to train up 2.23 million staffs (in terms of person-times). On average each staff received 8.2 days of training, ahead of all financial enterprises in China. Meanwhile, number of senior professionals working in ICBC also rose significantly. Over 2,200 ICBC staffs received international qualifications last year. They were Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM), Certified Information System Auditor (CISA), Members of Appraisal Institute (MAI), and Certified Treasury Professional (CTP). ICBC is absolutely leading the pack by having a total of 5,116 senior professional working in the bank as of today.
All-Staff Training to Get Greater Human Resources Value
As related by an ICBC executive, the highlight of ICBC staff training programs is "all-staff training". Every staff, a newcomer or well-experienced, local employee or overseas staff coming from different countries, all can receive the on-going training to refresh the concept and knowledge, and improve skills. It was a win-win situation since trained staff can serve the customers better to increase ICBC earnings while advancing his/her career.
To train the management staff, in 2010 ICBC organized nearly 2,000 management training sessions to train a total of more than 100,000 staffs (in terms of person-times). During these sessions, various leadership programs were held covering self-cultivation, basic principle of managing a bank, art of leadership, and professional skills. To train the junior managerial staff, the focus was to train the outlet managers the meaning of services from a strategic approach and the execution ability. Courses cover business management, risk aversion and control, marketing and promotion, standard services.
To raise professional standards of the professional staff, ICBC organized different type of training programs to improve their knowledge and skills with special focus on their innovation capability. In 2010, ICBC organized 23,000 orientation training sessions for 1.34 million staffs (in terms of person-times) on new products, new businesses, new systems and new skills. Meanwhile, ICBC organized training programs for staffs to pass 13 qualification certification examinations including customer managers serving corporate clients, customer managers serving personal customers and investment banking consultants. The training equipped the staffs with the proper knowledge and skills to perform their jobs, helped them raise professional standards and well suited for their jobs.
In training the sales staff, the focus was to train the customer managers in selling skills and practical ability. Over 10,000 sales training sessions were held with participation from the Head Office and branches combined with remote e-training. The training concentrated in selling skills, customer relationship maintenance and portfolio product selling. A total of 465,000 staffs attended the training (in terms of person-times).
To improve the standard and level of counter services, ICBC strengthened the training for the front-line teller staff. All new tellers and tellers transferred from other positions received the standard training and took examination before on board. On-the-job training to tellers focused on products, customers, services and internal control. In 2010, a total of 106,000 tellers passed the unified & standard examination after training.
High-Level Training for Domestic Financial Talent
In recent years, ICBC has spent continuous efforts to train up senior professional for its international and integrated expansion. ICBC trained and developed a pool of high caliber professional and international staffs by participating in the training and examination organized by the international professional bodies.
Based on the former management system on international qualification certification, in 2010 ICBC set up a structured program to manage senior professionals in line with the overall plan in training staff and business development requirements. Included in the program are such authoritative qualification certification programs in China and overseas as Chartered Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), gold investment analyst. Last year, ICBC held training sessions and entrance examinations for 10 international qualification certification programs and over 2,200 ICBC staffs received international qualifications. They were Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM), Certified Information System Auditor (CISA), Members of Appraisal Institute (MAI), and Certified Treasury Professional (CTP). ICBC is absolutely leading the pack by having a total of 5,116 senior professionals working in the bank as of today. Out of them, 757 Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) worked in ICBC by end-2010 from 308 CTP at the end of 2009, representing 73.6% of all CTP in mainland China. At the end of 2010, ICBC has 2,961 Chartered Financial Planner (CFP) working in the bank, from 1,866 CFP at the end of 2009, or 29% of the all CFP in domestic China. Fifty ICBC staff passed the examination and qualified as Members of Appraisal Institute (MAI), accounting for 35% of all MAI in domestic China.
For those senior professionals who have qualified, ICBC provide continued development plan for them to advance their career in ICBC, let them feel they are important members in ICBC and willing to work for ICBC. Besides, the continuing development plan also help them practice what have been learnt. Eventually they will be the key staffs and experts in innovation in their own departments.
Two-Way Training to Build up an International Team
In recent years, ICBC has been building its own team of international staff while growing its overseas presence. As of today, ICBC has 203 overseas subsidiaries in 28 countries/regions. Over 4,800 overseas staffs are under the payroll of ICBC. Out of them, more than 90% are foreign staffs. ICBC's international team is taking shape.
In training the international staff, ICBC takes both sides of the world of "Go Global" and "Bring in" to recruit the best staff under flexible rules, trains up these two streams of domestic and overseas staffs in both ways for them to perform well in their job. In two of the focus areas one is to let the local staffs "Go Global". Under the plan, those of outstanding are sent to work in the overseas subsidiaries. Training sessions, exchange programs are held to broaden the global perspective of the domestic staffs and increase their fighting spirit while working overseas. They are a strong backup for driving forward the business in overseas branches. While employing more suitable foreign staff to join the management team in overseas branches and recruiting local professionals who are familiar with the local customers to engage in product innovation and market expansion, the other focus is to organize special training for foreign staffs to understand corporate culture and business style of ICBC. For example, in 2010, ICBC held training in China for foreign staffs. The exchange sessions and visits to domestic branches help them understand ICBC in a close distance, let them feel happy to join ICBC family and proud to be an "ICBC person".