A system of mentoring new recruits to provide them a good grasp of various functions is something public sector banks need to give a serious thought as the requirement for more hands grows, opines Dena Bank Executive Director R.K. Takkar.
Unless such a measure is initiated, the banks will be challenged by a knowledge gap arising from the inadequate exposure of the newcomers, he said during an interaction with The Hindu .
In Hyderabad recently, where he opened two branches and addressed senior officials of the bank, Mr. Takkar, while underscoring the significance of bridging the knowledge gap, pointed out how even those who joined the industry five years ago lacked enough exposure. Large scale recruitments, in both clerical and officer cadres, have become common place in public sector banks in recent years and set to continue with several thousand personnel retiring and the institutions pursuing ambitious branch network expansion plans.
This aspect of handholding the new recruits, however, has not entirely missed the attention of the banks given their growing emphasis on training them.
Apart from the training provided at the time of joining, mid-level professional development programmes are also being organised.
Dena Bank had conducted programmes for its officers at the Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad. The bank also engaged private institute to train the staffers.
Specialised training programmes, notwithstanding the academic qualification of the new recruits, is what many in the banking industry make the difference. Mr. Takkar said during the current fiscal Dena Bank plans to recruit 1,000 persons and add 400 branches, across the country, to its network of 1,760 facilities.
Agreeing that credit offtake has not been to the desired level, he said the situation, however, is expected to change for better as the Centre has put in place several initiatives to push growth. Some movement is already evident in road projects, while enquiries for credit were coming in from a few other sectors.
Dena Bank’s focus remains on expanding the retail and MSME loan portfolios. It recently launched a home loan campaign and planned a similar measure next month for car loans.
Overall this fiscal, it looks to grow its disbursements by 15 per cent and deposits by 13 per cent, he said.
