UOB Malaysia launched a programme this week to train all 3,000 of its employees in basic career skills that will improve their general employability and ability to build their careers as the financial services sector moves towards Industry 4.0. The programme is part of a broader learning and development initiative, titled “Better U”, that was launched across the entire UOB group last October and has been progressively implemented across all the countries where UOB operates.

Under the “Better U” programme, employees go through a 12-week course that trains them in five core competencies that are deemed essential for the future: a growth mindset, complex problem solving skills, digital innovation, human-centred design, and data story-telling. The course is delivered digitally and uses gamification and interactive team-based formats to keep learners engaged.

Lai Tak Ming, executive director and country head of HR for UOB Malaysia, said that the Better U programme is part of the Bank’s long term approach to nurturing talent and to empowering its people through learning and development.

“New technologies will continue to impact the way in which banking solutions are designed, developed and delivered. As such, we want to prepare our people not only for the industry’s needs today but for the future as well,” he said, adding that the programme is designed to equip employees with the skills needed to navigate the future demands of work and help them to build successful careers over the long term.

At least 70 percent of UOB’s 25,000 employees around the globe are expected to complete the programme by the end of 2020.