HDFC Bank to offer joint certification

Ties up with JU, KU to impart training in banking

BILAL HUSAIN

SRINAGAR: HDFC Bank, one of India’s premier banks, has tied up with the Business School, University of Kashmir and Jammu University (JU) to initiate a joint certification program to train and equip its students with skills essential for the banking sector.

The initiative will create a ready talent pool to cater to the requirements of banking and financial institutions. In return, students will garner specialised skills to meet the expectations of potential employers and familiarise themselves with the operations of banking and financial institutions.

Through this initiative, HDFC Bank has already tied up with 44 B-Schools across India training 1400 students for various modules across the Banking and Finance verticals, such as Relationship Management, Retail Credit & Risk, Retail Banking and SME Banking.

This voluntary joint certification program comprises of training sessions conducted over a period of 45 days where the students will have the opportunity to interact with professional trainers and senior management from HDFC Bank who will help them to acquire comprehensive knowledge about the industry. The students will also receive a certificate after successful completion of the course.

Deputy vice president and state head (J&K) HDFC Bank, Zubair Iqbal said, “Now when we are on the growth path in the state and have already taken our network to 10 branches in a short span of time, we feel it our responsibility to extend our support in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs in areas like education, health, livelihood creation, skill development, and empowerment of the weaker sections of the society.” Today’s initiative is a step towards this direction. The bank would launch similar programs in future also, he added.

Director the business school University of Kashmir (KU), Prof. Musadiq A Sahaf said, “This is the historical movement for us as it is our first tie up with any corporate although we have some academic collaboration. We complement HDFC Bank for making big strides in Kashmir and emerging as one of the top employers for our alumni. The initiative will help our students to gain first hand experience about working in the banks and present day demands. This will also sharpen their skills so as to come up to the expectations of the industry.

Director Business School Jammu University, Prof. Neelu Rohmetra said “Such initiatives in longer run are going to be beneficial for students as it would help them in better placements in multi nationals particularly in banking industry.”

Among other present on the occasion was dean faculty, Prof. Ashok Aima, director Kathua campus, Prof. J K Dhotra, dean academic affairs, Prof. DPS Sehgal, dean student placement, Prof. B C Sharma, and controller of examination Prof R D sharma.

Commenting on this initiative, Ishlesh Bhaskar, Regional Head – Human Resources from HDFC Bank said, “There is a huge gap between skills that are available and those that are required by banks and financial institutions. This Program is an effort to bridge that gap. The program will train students and impart skills giving them an added advantage over their peers which we believe will play a pivotal role in securing for them a bright future in banking and financial institutions”.

To mention, as on June 30, 2009, the bank had a network of 1416 branches and 3382 ATMs in 550 cities across India. For the quarter ended June 30, 2009, the Bank reported a net profit of Rs 606.1 crores, an increase of 30.5 pc over the corresponding quarter ended June 30, 2008.The Bank earned total income of Rs 5,136.8 crores, an increase of Rs 921.6 crores over the corresponding quarter ended June 30, 2008. Total deposits were Rs 145,732 crores, up from Rs 130,918 crores as of June 30, 2008.The Bank’s total balance sheet size increased by Rs 17,516.4 crores to touch Rs 186,115.0 crores as of June 30, 2009.