As a young aspiring banker, I joined NMB Bank in 2016 as part of my goal to develop the skills necessary to become successfully recognized in the banking industry and make positive impacts within the community at large. To this end, one of the great things about working at NMB is the partnership that exists between NMB and Rabobank based in the Netherlands.

This arrangement gives employees at NMB a chance to travel to the Netherlands to participate in what is known as the Partner Talent Program. The program brings together talented individuals from NMB and other Rabobank Partner banks from around the world to enhance their knowledge in banking and provide a platform for personal development, paving the way for participants to become leaders in the banks of tomorrow.

In the 3 weeks that I have been in the program, we have constantly been challenged to move out of our comfort zones such as working in groups to develop a hypothetical business case for Rabobank to invest in a bank located in a particular country. Each team will then have to pitch their ideas for their selected country to senior management at Rabobank at the end of the program. This is an exciting exercise that challenges us to work within very diverse teams on a complex task to successfully deliver a good presentation. Along the way, each group is mentored to ensure that we are reaching our learning objectives. The assignment is competitive with the winning team receiving a trophy and eternal glory within the program making for a stimulating experience.

We further get to develop our innovative thinking in an intense workshop within the program aimed at bringing good ideas to life. Here we are challenged once again to work in teams to initiate and build on an idea using a framework that is taught during the workshop. Ideas in this session have no boundaries and we are allowed to let our creative minds run rampant to discover new and better ways of doing things.

Apart from the business case and workshop, we also have the chance to develop personal learning agendas that aim to cultivate specific skills and behaviors that will benefit our career development. The best part about this experience is working with learning coaches who provide valuable insights into our own learning agenda and serve as guides throughout the process.

However, it is not all work and no play. The program also allows for some downtime during the weekends and public holidays to explore the Netherlands and other neighboring countries. Experiencing different cultures and cities in Europe broadens our perspective on what we can do to improve our own environment back home from a social and banking perspective. Together as a team we have explored parts of Netherlands from Amsterdam to Rotterdam and some talents have already traveled to nearby Germany to take in the historical sights and museums.

This wonderful opportunity made possible through NMB’s partnership with Rabobank brilliantly mixes elements of banking, teamwork, innovation and personal development to cultivate the necessary skills in young professionals to be successful in the demanding world of banking. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the weeks have in store for us during the program.