March 2022

The Saudi British Bank (SABB) has announced the launch of SABB Digital Academy, which aims to increase human capital entry into the labor market, supply the financial sector specifically with qualified human cadres, and contribute to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 goal of lowering the unemployment rate.

In collaboration with the Financial Academy, an initiative under the Financial Sector Development Program, and Takamol Business Services, the Academy's courses will be offered in their new digital format, utilizing the most cutting-edge creative technology solutions. This step is transformative in the Academy's history, which started in 2017 and qualified over 600 male and female trainees for the labor market in four prior batches.

According to the new plan for offering training programs, the door is now open for 8,000 male and female trainees yearly, to provide them with courses certified by the Financial Academy to work in the financial sector, in fields such as financial advisory and retail banking services. In addition to more than 135 courses in combating fraud and money laundering, and practical skills such as English. All training programs will be free of charge. The top 400 male and female trainees will be honored and given the opportunity to take the Financial Academy Exam.

"SABB Digital Academy is one of the bank's pioneering community projects to increase its investments in community development, encourage the ambition of youth, and contribute to the building of a promising generation." SABB’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Rania Al-Sharyoufi, said. "Digitizing the Academy is a continuation of the bank's commitment to its digital transformation strategy."

For his part, the Vice President for Employment and Enablement at Takamol Holding, Dr. Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri said: “The road to success is a never-ending journey, and the key to success is perseverance in pursuit of your goal. In our collaboration with SABB, our major goal was to establish a clear vision for the future of remote training and development in a variety of sectors that are interested in growing their financial abilities, in addition to English Language courses and other general skills.”

He added: “Today, we are launching SABB Digital Academy for all Saudi graduates with a bachelor’s degree or diploma, with the aim of raising their skills and contributing to the development of the financial sector, enhancing talent acquisition, and finally, contributing to raising the employment rate of Saudis. We are proud of Takamol and the successes we have achieved in cooperation with SABB, and we hope to continue this progress, keeping the future in mind and based on a set of pillars built on the foundation of cooperative work.”