DBS has launched an in-house digital training institute to keep its workforce of about 5,000 technologists updated with “the most cutting-edge skills for the future.”
Dubbed the DBS Future Tech Academy, the training institute will initially cover three technology disciplines. These are Site Reliability Engineering or SRE, Data Processing and Analytics, and Application Security.
Beyond these, DBS will evaluate more programmes to cover other key technology domains in the next 12 months.
The academy is intended to help build a learning ecosystem that incorporates a blended teaching approach tapping on both external experts as well as internally developed content and certifications.
DBS believes that this will enable employees to acquire the latest technology skillsets from external industry experts and immediately apply their new skills to relevant technology projects being rolled out by the bank.
To complement the training programmes offered by the DBS Future Tech Academy, the bank’s technologists will also be granted complementary access to technology-focused digital learning libraries such as O’Reilly and Pluralsight. This will enable the bank’s technologists to pick up salient skills and knowledge in a just-in-time manner.
“Having our own DBS Future Tech Academy gives us the agility to adapt our training curricula according the bank’s needs and enables us to stay ahead of the massive changes around us,” said Jimmy Ng, group CIO at DBS.
Also, DBS is doubling down on its commitment to help grow the technology talent pool in Singapore by sponsoring the training of around 200 Singaporeans who are currently undergoing traineeships with the bank.
The trainees will go through skills certification programmes offered by the DBS Future Tech Academy and will also be given free access to the digital learning libraries. By equipping the trainees with foundational skills in growth technology areas, DBS hopes to encourage them to pursue a longer-term career in technology regardless of whether they stay on with the bank after their traineeships.
Ng said DBS is contributing to the national Smart Nation agenda by helping to groom a pool of young Singaporean technologists prepared for the future.
