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Bank Sohar is the first bank in Oman to launch such an initiative
Participants will have access to the programs 24 / 7
Participants provided with a 3G modem and a laptop
Muscat, March 23, 2013: Bank Sohar, one of Oman's leading banks, recently launched their new Blended Learning initiative. Erteqa'a is a self development initiative which uses the best practice employee development process incorporating eLearning, self learning and classroom facilitation; all blended together to help the employees enhance their competencies to the levels defined in the Bank's Competency Framework.
Erteqa'a program was launched by Dr. Mohamed Abdul Aziz Kalmoor, CEO of Bank Sohar, and the DGM Human Resource and Corporate Services, Munira Abdulnabi Macki. During the ceremony Dr. Kalmoor said that the Bank wants to do things differently not only in the area of business but also in other fields such as employee development. He also said, "Following the success of the Leadership Excellence program, which we launched last year, this is another milestone in the bank's employee development initiatives. With it the bank is supporting the self development initiative taken up by 130 of its employees, covering 20 per cent of the Bank's work force." He further added that we are the first Bank in Oman and amongst very few leading Banks in the Gulf to have designed, developed and successfully launched a Blended learning initiative.
Dr. Mohamed Abdul Aziz Kalmoor also noted, "Technology can be a powerful ally when it comes to unlocking the full potential of a person. With this latest initiative we see a unique opportunity to leverage technology to create a learning environment that is personalised to meet the bank's requirements, while at the same time the participants receive immediate feedback to help them drive their own learning and acquire the skills they need to truly excel at their job." Dr. Mohamed Abdul Aziz Kalmoor further emphasised that the growth and development of the employees is imperative to the bank's progress. He also expressed his appreciation to the Human Resource department for the effort put into the research and for identifying the best possible international organizations for developing the content for this initiative.
Highlighting the need for each employee to take responsibility for their own development, Munira Abdulnabi Macki noted the Bank will fully support and assist in this regard. As a part of the initiative, the modular program will be provided to the participants on all available electronic platforms such as laptops, PCs, tablet and smart phones. Through these systems, the participants will have access to the programs 24 / 7. In addition, the bank provided all participants with a 3G modem and, if required, a laptop to ensure nobody is deprived of the facilities required for self learning and to make this initiative a success. "The bank has selected employees across all the levels of management to participate in this initiative. Based on the success of this initiative; we plan on introducing even more self development initiatives in the near future," added Munira.
H. V. Sheshadari, Senior DGM of Risk at Bank Sohar, who was also present in launch said, "We are sure that the participants will make the most out of this program and acquire the necessary competencies to help them effectively meet the bank's future challenges."
The launch was concluded with an awareness program conducted for the participants of this initiative, where they were explained the use of the learning system, learning structure and learning plans that they will cover over the duration of the year-long course.
© Press Release 2013
