NDB Bank establishes federated training solution

The rapidly advancing globalised corporate environment and the geographic expansion of corporate networks within and outside the country have brought into focus the urgent need for widely spread knowledge enhancement and training facilities. Therefore, it is clear that quick access to information, knowledge and quality training, are a crucial imperative in order to survive and progress in today’s highly competitive business environment.

Unprecedented advancement in ICT technology within the past couple of decades has opened the door to immense possibilities in developing solutions to overcome impediments not only of space and time, but also the ineffectiveness of knowledge transfer which have hitherto retarded progress in the field of training and knowledge enhancement.
With internet enabled solutions the limitations of time and space experienced in the past have disappeared, giving way to vast possibilities by enabling the much needed training and knowledge enhancement to be speedily accessed by anyone at any time. All you need to progress in this new and exciting technological environment is the will to become technology savvy and the genuine intention to learn, and you are on your way to acquiring the competitive edge in today’s highly competitive corporate environment.
However, in training, as in all other services particularly in the field of IT, there are factors to be considered in terms of effectiveness of knowledge transfer, user friendliness in technology usage, the ability to hold the attention of the user, and maintenance of service, just to name a few. It is imperative that the end user gets an easy to understand, quality product, with uninterrupted service for the investment made.
i-Context which is in its fifth year of operation is an organisation dealing with the development of web based learning solutions for knowledge enhancement and training needs of the corporate sector. It has successfully completed the challenging task of developing a training portal for the employees of NDB Bank PLC in Sri Lanka.
Explorations into the joint effort of these two entities to upgrade the knowledge and skills of bank employees not only threw up many salient factors regarding the perceptiveness of Ishani Senaweera (Vice President – Human Resources of NDB Bank) and her team in the Human Resources Department, but also the professionalism and commitment of the i-Context development team headed by Channa Gunawardena to ensure that all expectations of the client organisation were adequately met. Indeed these two organisations together have a story to tell which is exemplary and well worth emulating.
Anjana Ratnasara, Co-Founder/CEO of i-Context described his organisation as a one stop shop for all e- learning needs. He explained that ‘i-Context’ stood for ‘interactive context’ which involves changing the context or the mode of training delivery depending on the medium which is most suited for the particular knowledge transfer.
He went on the say that in any project they undertake, they first do a training needs analysis and then advise the client on the best mode of delivery which may range from PC to mobile phone to internet enabled TV. In addition to providing the technical solution tailor-made to meet the client’s needs, they go the extra mile in creating the customised learning material with the help of subject matter experts.
Rohan Manasseh HR Manager, Consumer Banking Training at NDB, was asked what prompted him to go for an e- learning solution and why they chose i-Context to execute the training portal. He said that since the year 2008, NDB has been steadily growing and now there are 66 branches scattered throughout the country. Providing the conventional type of face to face training to all these branches was impossible. As such they felt the need for the staff to have access to an online training platform utilising existing infrastructure. Out of six contenders i-Context won the bid to develop the training portal as they offered the best customised solution suited to their needs.
NDB Bank gives due consideration on training and ensures that all employees go through a myriad of sessions on personal enrichment and other varied sessions that are conducted by NDB’s very own central training unit. This led them to invest in the setting up of a state of the art training centre; a unique Training and Development proposition.
It is equipped with an auditorium, with a seating capacity of 75, three discussion rooms with facilities to operate 20 computers in each, where employees can access the training material at any time and discuss relevant issues. The facility is complete with a modern cafeteria as well. Being an organisation which is performance based she emphasised the need to provide equal opportunity for knowledge enhancement and training to each and every employee where all material can be accessed on their own volition in their own time.
The bank provides the supporting infrastructure and the opportunity to get trained and also helps develop their confidence levels. She said that she is happy to note that the training facility is being used 93% of the days in the year.
The bank’s concept is to support them in career advancement and provide the facility without making it mandatory. It was encouraging to note that staff response to the e-Learning and Social Learning portal was very high as there is evidence to prove that 65% – 75% of the staff had utilised the platform for training and knowledge sharing.
Commenting on what was most outstanding and appealing in their partnership with i- Context, she said: “Firstly, they were willing to cordially work with us. There were weekly discussions at the development stage and we conducted a 60 day user testing operation involving all departments and bank branches. We tested the e-Learning portal after it was installed for one year before we made a statement about it, and we are happy to note that the post implementation attention by i-Context was very good, as we have had no down time of the portal for the past one year.”
Sujeewan Sivagnanam and Royston Joseph, who are two end users of the e-Learning portal, also shared their views on this training mode. Sujeewan said that the portal was effective as it saved time in providing the training modules on demand. Information available on the portal was more focused as opposed to reading it from a book.
Royston said: “I am not very computer savvy. I feel that a mix of face to face training and e- learning is better. However, I like it as I can do it at my own leisure.”
Anjana of i-Context commenting on how his solutions aim to mitigate the absence of the human element in e-Learning, explained that the landscape was changing and in many renowned universities such as the University of Phoenix and DeVry and the Khan Academy, the human aspect was eliminated. With the advancement of broadband and portable internet enabled devices such as tablets and smart phones the way people learn is going to change. “We as EduTech domain specialists believe in doing one thing right,” he said.
Judging from the response of NDB to the e-Learning and Social Learning portal developed by i-Context and the progressive thinking of CEO Anjana, there is no doubt that i-Context is well on its way to being a market leader in e-learning and social learning solutions.