CIBN Proposes Establishment of Banking School to Provide Employment Opportunities – The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) is making plans to create a banking school that would offer job opportunities to unemployed youths in the country. The proposed school aims to train and equip graduates with the skills required to be employable in the banking, finance, and business industry.
Ken Opara, President/Chairman of Council, CIBN, made this known during the groundbreaking ceremony of a 160-seater auditorium called ‘CIBN Bankers Hall’ at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
The CIBN President stated that as soon as a student who had completed the CIBN linkage programme graduates and finishes the National Youth Service Corps program, he or she would have the opportunity to attend the banking school at no cost. The school will train students and prepare them for employment in banks and other financial institutions, and banks have agreed to recruit young bankers from the school.
Charles Esimone, Vice-Chancellor of NAU, stated that the university places a high premium on collaborating with the industry to produce graduates with competence and skills needed in the labour market. He appreciated CIBN for its support through endowment projects and stated that the hall would be an environment for credible global research to help the institution fulfill its mandate.
The CIBN Linkage programme, initiated in 1998 in collaboration with 76 tertiary institutions in Nigeria, aims to transform and change the narrative of banking education. The programme has continued to deepen banking, finance, and allied programmes through infusion of professional elements in the teaching and learning processes.
The linkage programme is also addressing the gap between the industry and academia in terms of quality graduates produced from higher institutions. The CIBN Bankers Hall for students of the department of Banking and Finance is a legacy project that will be fully furnished and equipped with ultra-modern and digital facilities for the training and development of future-ready bankers.
The project is the institute’s contribution to the promotion of banking and finance education in the country. Pius Okoye, Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, NAU, said the CIBN linkage programme had exposed banking and finance students to opportunities, and pledged that the CIBN Bankers Hall, upon completion, would be put to good use for the development of banking experiences.
