Human Resources Development

NBG has a long tradition in the sphere of professional training. The Bank first set up a dedicated “Training Department” in 1975, which subsequently developed into a “Training Subdivision”. Since 1996, the “NBG Group HR Development Division” has been in charge of all training and development activities, providing enhanced training services to the Group’s employees. Today, the Division runs Training Centers in Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras, and there are specially equipped training facilities in various towns around Greece, including Veria, Ioannina, Kalamata, Komotini and Chalkida.

Τhe Bank’s Management is particularly keen to promote professional training, lifelong learning and continuous education for staff, and accordingly supports on an ongoing basis and in various ways the work of the Group HR Development Division.

• 1. In-House training
  All our training programs are aligned with the organization’s business plan, which includes defending the Bank’s position in the domestic market and enhancing its presence in SE Europe.
  
  Most of the programs are deployed in-house and are based on state-of-the-art training methods for adult learning, which are grounded on interaction between trainer and trainees. The training programs cover areas such as Basic Training, Banking, Personal Skills Development, Management, Finance, General Training and IT.
  
  Ongoing assessment of the training programs and review of the arising needs for training content ensure that training always meets changing needs and maintains its desired impact.

• 2. E-learning
  By leveraging the potential of e-learning, the Bank provides its staff with a large number of e-courses, thereby offering them the opportunity to receive training wherever and whenever they wish. The e-courses cover a wide range of subjects, related to management skills development, AML issues, computerized and non-computerized processes for banking operations, digital skills, financial expertise, first aid in the office, and so on.
  
  With a focus on using state-of-the-art e-learning tools and methods, we design courses that include webcasts and webinars.
  
  E-learning helps reduce training costs for the Bank and enables at the same time training of a large number of participants, which would otherwise be much more difficult. Besides providing a cutting-edge training approach, e-leaning also helps reduce environmentally by reducing staff travel (and CO2 emissions) and saving natural resources (paper, ink, etc.).

• 3. Outsourced training
  The Bank participates in training events (seminars, congresses, distance-learning programs) organized by leading vocational training or professional institutions in Greece and abroad, related to banking issues. Administration and Branch Network officers are able to participate in specialist courses.
  
  A key task of the relevant Service is to search for, examine and provide updates about any relevant training actions for business units that may be interested, while it also evaluates the related programs so as to ensure the best possible results.

• 4. HR Development Policies
  The Bank attributes great importance to life-ling learning with a view to the professional advancement and ongoing development of its personnel. In this context, the Bank offers financial assistance and other subsidies for staff who wish to gain International Professional Certification and qualifications in postgraduate programs in specific fields.
  
  Furthermore, the Bank provides the opportunity to participate in International Professional Certification programs through self-study methods, depending on specialized needs of certain groups of staff.

• 5. Accrediation of professional skills required by Law
  The Bank supports the participation of its staff in exams run by the competent state authorities regarding the requirement for accreditation of expertise in insurance intermediation and the need to acquire certification as an investment services provider (under MiFID).

• 6. Foreign Language Programs
  In the context of ongoing enhancement of life-long learning, NBG supports the learning and improvement of competence skills in foreign languages, especially English, so as to enable personnel to cater for clients’ needs and further improve the quality of services offered.

• 7. Transfer of training know-how for the development of Group Staff
  NBG seeks to support the training needs of personnel in the various companies of the Group abroad as this serves to strengthen its leading presence in SE Europe.

• 8. EU Programs
  These programs are funded directly by the EU or via the Community Support Frameworks for our country.
  
  Examining, monitoring and assessing the expediency of participation in EU sponsored programs related to staff training or other areas that may be of particular interest to the Bank enables the Human Resources Development Division to provide the best possible training opportunities to the organization.

• 9. Other activities
  Our training activities extend to a host of other areas, such as:

  • Mini conferences addressed to small and medium-sized enterprises on ways to carry out business in today’s economic environment.
  • Participation in the EU “Youth Entrepreneurship Program” (in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs, and the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises).
  • Internships for students at undergraduate level, so that they can carry out practical training, depending on their course requirements.

In a pioneering move for Greece at the time, NBG first set up a dedicated personnel/executive selection team in 1968 named “Staff Selection and Development Team directly reporting to the Bank’s Governor”, with the assistance of UK business consultants.

Since 1996, this team has functioned as a Subdivision of the HR Development Division. It functions as a dedicated unit with its own regulations, which include a strict set of procedures for the selection, training and continuous development of the specialized personnel who form the team.

Personnel Selection uses cutting-edge methods for personnel selection and career development in order to:

• Elicit professional competences and skills, and make propositions regarding suitable placements, taking into account the current and future needs of the NBG Group.
• Develop programs for career and succession planning as well as talent management, taking into account the capabilities, expertise/professional skills and special qualifications of the employees of the NBG Group, in collaboration with the NBG Group HR Strategy Division.
• Select employees and executives for posts/managerial positions of the Bank and the Group, in line with special requirements.
• Take part in personnel selection committees for selecting the most suitable candidates for posts/managerial positions in the Bank and the Group.
• Provide advice/guidance to employees and executives of the Bank and the Group.
• Organize and manage HR Evaluation and Development Centers.
• Engage in follow-up activities (looking into adjustment & performance) for candidates who have been placed as a result of a selection program.
• Collaborate with the NBG Group HR Division in order to establish recruitment criteria/standards.
• Conduct research and reports and provide recommendations regarding matters of personnel selection, sometimes in collaboration with university or other bodies.
• Monitor and deploy – whether on a pilot/one-off basis or as a matter of policy – the latest methods and procedures for staff selection and career development.
• Take part in Career Days and in mentoring & coaching volunteering actions run by universities, and in initiatives worldwide regarding matters of personnel selection.

​

* Breakdown of calculation: Total training hours (man-hours) of employees in Greece / total number of employees in Greece.
¹ For the calculation of this figure, 64,279 training man-hours (1,603 participations) that concern other staff associates were not taken into account.
² For the calculation of this figure, 11,283 training man-hours (731 participations) that concern other staff associates were not taken into account.
³ For the calculation of this figure, 14,157 training man-hours (2,121 participations) that concern other staff associates were not taken into account.
⁴ For the calculation of this figure, 15,180 training man-hours (1,629 participations) that concern other staff associates were not taken into account.