Al Rajhi Bank has launched the first phase of the “Al Rajhi Academy,” which is a key initiative designed to help advance the Saudi talent development program, train staff to work at the bank, and contribute to the development of human resources in the banking sector. This phase, the “Banking Academy,” is located at Al Rajhi Bank’s Operations and Technology Complex in the Al Nakheel district of Riyadh.
On this occasion, Khalid Al-Hazeem, Head of the Human Resources Group at the bank, explained that talent development at Al Rajhi Bank is an essential part of achieving the bank’s ambitions and is strategically aligned with “Saudi Vision 2030” for the development of Saudi talent.
Al-Hazeem explained that Al-Rajhi Academy is based on two main pillars: the “Banking Academy” and the ”Leadership Academy.” The Banking Academy recently offered a number of professional certifications, including the Professional Certificate in Risk Management, the Professional Certificate in Treasury and Financial Institutions, and the Credit Certificate for Small and Medium Enterprises, and work is underway on a range of banking certifications.
Al-Hazeem considered the construction of the Banking Academy building a major milestone in this journey, and the “Leadership Academy” is expected to launch later this year, noting that this is an important step in Al Rajhi Bank’s human capital development journey. Al Rajhi Bank continues its role as a long-standing contributor to the qualification, training, and employment of young Saudis of both genders year after year, and is successful in attracting the most talented and ambitious individuals who wish to join the largest bank in the Kingdom and the Arab region, and most widespread.
Al Rajhi Bank is the largest employer in the Saudi financial sector, with a workforce of more than 10,200 male and female employees as of the end of 2017, and a total Saudization rate of over 91 percent, rising to 100 percent in its network of women-only branches. Its employees are distinguished by their efficiency, competitive productivity rates, and a culture of creativity and initiative.
The bank continued to successfully achieve its human resources strategy objectives, which align with the bank’s 2020 strategy. During 2017, Al Rajhi Bank provided approximately 65,000 training days covering aspects related to governance,compliance, technology, leadership, and management. It also implemented talent assessment tools to identify talent and develop succession plans within the bank.
