Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 29 April 2022 – UOB Malaysia today announced that it has expanded its learning and development programme, Better U, to enable its employees to master skillsets in data analytics and project management, two areas essential to future employability. First launched in March 20201, Better U is one of UOB Group’s award-winning flagship training programmes and sits alongside the Bank’s other training and traineeship programmes for its people.
According to research by the World Economic Forum2, 91 per cent of the financial services industry will likely adopt technology such as big data analytics by 2025, leading to the growing demand for job roles such as data analysts and data scientists. Similarly, project management skills will continue to be sought after in the future of work3. Given the criticality of these two skillsets, UOB Malaysia is making it possible for its people to specialise in these areas and to stay ahead of industry developments.
For the next level, Better U is open to all UOB Malaysia employees who have completed the mandatory foundational modules, which develop competencies in five core areas – growth mindset, problem-solving, digital awareness, human-centred design and data storytelling. Almost 70 per cent of UOB Malaysia employees have already completed the foundational modules and the Bank expects that number to increase by 22 per cent by 2022.
Mr Lai Tak Ming, Executive Director and Country Head of Human Resources, UOB Malaysia, said that the expansion of the Better U programme reaffirms the Bank’s long-term commitment to investing in its people and their development journey.
“At UOB Malaysia, we believe that it is important for our people to learn and to develop continuously for their personal and professional growth. New technologies will continue to shape consumer preferences and behaviours, as well as influence the financial industry. Therefore, it is vital that our people are empowered and equipped with the right skillsets to navigate the industry’s needs today and in the future. The two new tracks of the Better U programme, project management and data analytics, are essential skills that can be applied across all functions in the Bank. Our colleagues who undergo the training programme will learn new skills that can help them to stay ahead of the curve and to prepare them for the future of work.”
A roadmap to developing a Better U for all employees
UOB Malaysia has designed the second level of Better U to enable employees who have completed the foundational level of Better U to choose the track in which they want to deep-dive. While the Bank is starting with two tracks this year – data analytics and project management, it plans to expand the specialised tracks in other areas such as artificial intelligence and sustainability by 2023.
The data analytics and project management tracks feature three progressive stages, which are fully digital and designed to be in bite-sized content, so that employees can go through them at their own pace and convenience. UOB Malaysia has taken the lessons from COVID-19 safe distancing restrictions and lockdowns to ensure all colleagues can gain the skills they need, remotely and based on their work and home life demands.
Each stage of the specialised training programme enables participants to learn and to acquire skills based on their level of experience and knowledge. This ensures that the training is meaningful to those employees who are upskilling or to practitioners who feel the need to upskill themselves in their chosen discipline. In creating and curating the curriculum, UOB Malaysia tapped insights from subject-matter experts across the Bank such as its technologists and data masters to ensure that these specialised skills development tracks are practical and can be applied in a real-world setting.
