National Bank of Oman’s Academy of Excellence Geared for Online Learning

National Bank of Oman (NBO) has been amongst the pioneers in e-learning in the country. Over the years, the cloud-based e-learning platform, offered by the bank’s Academy of Excellence, has been steadily growing in terms of users and learning hours. During these challenging times, NBO continues nurturing its talent and promoting excellence while practicing social distancing measures. The Academy of Excellence has taken its e-learning offering to the next level with the launch of a mobile app for its e-learning services.

The Academy has also launched a slew of new courses related to remote working and the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Additionally, facilitators from the Academy have started conducting virtual, instructor-led programmes using Microsoft Teams and have already seen close to 200 attendees from across the country including the UAE. NBO’s online learning efforts is part of Bank’s endeavour to support professional development and continue to meet the country’s banking needs, while facing the challenges of the outbreak.

Musallam Kashoub, Head of Human Resources, said, “The current crisis we are living through has encouraged us to look at new ways of working. During this time, our learning and development initiatives at NBO have been smoothly operating in the virtual world with a number of engaging programmes, videos and courses on our platform for the benefit of our people. The usage and consumption of online information and resources has gone up exponentially and we are glad that with our well-established systems and relevant content, we are continuing to play a leading role in the field.” 

The Academy offers a range of programmes through its online platform including courses on regulatory compliance, more than 300 micro-learning courses on soft skills, as well as a host of trending videos curated by the Academy on banking, leadership, technology, and more. The bank has also introduced several new courses that are relevant to the current situation including Coronavirus Preparedness, Managing Remote Teams, Working Remotely, Ergonomics, Anxiety and Mental Health, Infection Control and Illness Prevention.

With the safety and wellbeing of its employees, customers and the wider community as its highest priority, NBO has taken a number of steps to ensure its operations continue uninterrupted, including reinforcing its digital channels. Although the bank has implemented work-from-home for a number of its workforce, its services largely remain unaffected as it continues to meet people’s banking needs and support the country during the pandemic.