Today, the educational arm of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the ICC Academy, and Absa, formerly Barclays Africa Group, have officially announced that they are collaborating to offer ICC’s trade finance expertise to Absa employees.
Almost 100 Absa employees across the African continent will engage in up skill training with the help of two of the ICC Academy’s online learning programmes — the Global Trade Certificate (GTC) and Certified Trade Finance Professional (CTFP). The knowhow provided by the two industry-backed certifications will allow Absa staff to expand their current competencies and stay up-to-date with best practice strategies.
ICC Academy General Manager Daniel Kok said: “This collaboration with Absa demonstrates our commitment to building up capabilities across the world. We are pleased to be working one of the largest banking groups in Africa and supporting their employees’ throughout their learning journey.”
According to the recent ICC Global Survey on Trade Finance, nearly three quarters of banks believe global trade finance will improve over the next year. This is consistent across all regions, with banks headquartered in Africa and Asia-Pacific having the most positive outlook.
Commenting on the launch of the partnership, Absa’s Head of Product Management, Michelle Knowles said: “Partnering with the ICC Academy will further enhance our ability to deliver world-class solutions to our clients, while understanding the uniqueness of the African continent. Their e-learning platform allows us to scale opportunities more efficiently than traditional types of training, and offers our colleagues access to global subject matter experts across a variety of products and subjects.”
Ms Knowles added: “We have a number of people currently completing the ICC Academy’s GTC or their CTFP programme. We are receiving positive feedback around their content and approach to learning.”
The GTC is a front and middle office focused certification providing a solid overview of the nuts and bolts of global trade finance. The CTFP, with its more advanced curriculum, is a unique programme aimed at product and relationship managers. The certification develops the skills needed to sell, deliver and process global trade finance solutions.
For more information, contact
Priyanka Satapathy
Marketing and Events Manager
Priyanka.Satapathy@iccacademy.com.sg