Learning and Development in Isbank
İşbank recognizes employee development as a strategic investment that drives both individual growth and organizational performance. The Bank offers a comprehensive framework of learning and development opportunities, combining internal and external solutions such as coaching, mentoring, and participation in community practices that foster collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Our learning and development portfolio includes leadership programs designed to strengthen future-ready management capabilities, training programs that promote inclusion and cross-cultural awareness, career transition and digital transition programs that equip employees with the skills necessary to thrive in a rapidly evolving business landscape.
The effectiveness of these programs is regularly monitored to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with organizational goals. The Bank provides development opportunities tailored for both full-time and part-time employees, ensuring that diverse working models are supported through appropriate learning options.
Type of programs we offer for learning and development:
Onboarding Trainings
Our Bank provides tailored training programs titled “Starting My Career" and “Career Transition" for employees who have recently joined or experienced a change in their job title. These programs are designed to support employees at every stage of their career journey, ensuring they adapt quickly to their new roles and acquire the knowledge and competencies required by their positions.
Objectives
The trainings are designed to equip employees with a solid understanding of the banking and finance sector, our organizational structure, products, and services. These programs aim to build the technical, managerial, and personal competencies required for new roles, while reinforcing alignment with the Bank's culture and internal regulations.
Program Content
The Bank implements a structured onboarding and role-based development framework tailored to different positions and career stages. For newly appointed Clerks, the program includes 10 days of classroom training, 10 days of live digital sessions, and 1 day of on-the-job training, complemented by a three-month Development Program comprising 24 digital modules and weekly updates. Part-Time Clerks participate in a three-day program focusing on fundamental banking knowledge, while Trainee Assistant Specialists complete 10 days of classroom training, 5 days of live digital training, and a three-month Development Program of 23 digital modules.
For more technical roles, System Specialists and System Support Specialists attend a five-day classroom program on IT, information security, artificial intelligence, and related topics. Legal Counsels receive specialized training on legal processes relevant to their roles, and Executive Assistants participate in a four-day personal development program covering communication, protocol, and time management.
Development programs also support career progression within the Bank. Employees promoted from Clerk to Authorized Officer complete a 15-day program on audit, control processes, technical banking, and managerial skills, while Internal Control Officers undertake a one-week program focusing on their specific operational responsibilities. The My Management Career program, designed for employees promoted to Deputy Manager, consists of 15 days of training covering Compliance, Audit & Risk, Technical Banking, and Management & Culture, followed by a continuous development track. Finally, Senior Assistant Specialists complete the My Expertise Career program—a 29-day curriculum on technical banking, economics, risk management, artificial intelligence, and agile transformation—supplemented by a 19-day internship across Head Office units and branches.
Program Outcomes
- Employees acquire knowledge, skills and competencies aligned with their roles and titles,
- Enhanced awareness of banking regulations, products and processes,
- Development of leadership and decision-making skills for employees preparing for managerial roles,
- Support for personal growth and professional development,
- Building a competent workforce aligned with our Bank's corporate culture and strategic goals.
Leader Women Program
In 2022, Isbank launched the Leader Women Program as a tangible indicator of its commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment. The program was designed to encourage the active participation of women in management and ensure equal representation at all levels.
Objectives
The program is designed to strengthen the talents and competencies of mid-level women managers (at the 7B-8A levels) as they progress toward senior management roles. It aims to support participants in discovering their authentic leadership styles and strengthen in their inclusive leadership skills. The program also aims to create a long-lasting community where women leaders can share their common wisdom and empower one another.
Program Content
The Leader Women Program adopts a holistic approach that goes beyond conventional training, fostering a mindset shift through blended learning methods that combine leadership facilitation, group discussions, and experiential learning. The program includes workshops, seminars, peer learning, and mentoring components designed to strengthen leadership capabilities and promote gender equality within the Bank.
The learning journey begins with an online Launch Session, where the Chief Sustainability Officer and CHRO highlight their sponsorship and the strategic importance of the program. Following an introductory module on “Women at Work and Gender Equality," participants engage in two core modules: The New Era of Leadership: You as an Authentic Leader and Inspiring Leadership. These sessions explore authentic leadership, diversity, situational leadership, conflict management, and coaching skills.
The program concludes with Experience Sharing Sessions, which function as a group mentorship facilitated by experienced women executives within the Bank, where small groups of 5-6 participants meet regularly on a monthly basis. This final part of the program lasts about 6 months and participants are expected to have 6 meetings with their mentors.
Program Outcomes
- A total of 329 employees completed the program since 2022. A total of 26 mentors contributed in the Experience Sharing Sessions.
- As of December 2024, 47% of participants were promoted to a higher level after participating in the program, and 19% were promoted to the 9B level.
- To gradually increase the percentage of women managers at higher leadership levels (9B and above) was set as a specific goal by HR function. Since the program's launch, this percentage has risen from %31 as of April 2022 to 39,5% as of March 2024.
- Since the program's launch, a total of 11,759 hours of training and 2,564 hours of mentoring sessions have been conducted.
- In 2024, the overall training satisfaction rate of the program is 97,17 out of 100.
Data Analytics Development Program
As the banking industry continues to evolve, the demand for analytical and digital capabilities has significantly increased across the Bank. Considering unique ownership and hiring structure – which focuses on hiring new graduates or young professionals– recruiting experienced professionals was not a feasible solution to bridge the skill gap.
Therefore, the Data Analytics Development Program was launched on March, 2021, to address this need. It is an inclusive upskilling and reskilling initiative open to all employees who have an interest in data analytics digital transformation.
Objectives
The program addresses three critical business objectives: digital transformation, talent transformation, and cultural change. It aims to raise data awareness and literacy within the Bank and support talent transformation, specifically for analytical roles. The program also seeks to help employees enhance their digital competencies, acquire new data-related skills, and establish a data-driven decision-making culture. Additionally, it provides a talent pool for analytical and digital roles needed across various functions at the headquarters. A pronounced need for “data analysts" to provide essential support to relevant teams was a key motivation for the program's launch.
Program Content
The program is structured in three phases. The first phase, accessible to all employees, consists of 40 digital training sessions and videos totaling 17 hours. The second phase focuses on developing core competencies for data analysts through three instructor-led sessions: “Applied Statistics in Data Analytics," “Applied SQL," and “Data Visualization with QlikSense," offering a comprehensive 45-hour learning experience. Participants who successfully completed the program joined a talent pool, from which selected employees assumed data analyst roles after completing an orientation program designed to support their transition and collaboration in new positions.
Program Outcomes
As of 31.12.2024;
over half of the employees (12.118 people) had joined at least one of the program's training sessions.
3.117 employees completed the first phase and received their completion certificates.
The talent pool for analytical and digital roles had grown up to 1.094 people.
Out of this pool, 80 people were assigned to join the orientation process as 'candidate data analysts' which was set as the next stage of their development journey to be 'data analysts'.
Of these 80 people, 68 continue to work as data analysts whereas 4 of them also contribute to the program by serving as 'instructors' of the applied trainings in the second phase, in addition to their data analyst duties.
Awareness Digital Training Series
With the aim of fostering an inclusive work culture, our Bank continues to enhance the personal and professional competencies of its employees through programs that support people-oriented development. Within this vision, the Awareness Digital Training Series has been launched to strengthen not only employees' technical knowledge and skills, but also their awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion.
The training, delivered by International Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Expert Burcu Üzümcüler, covers important topics such as gender equality, human rights and unconscious bias.
Objectives
The four-part training program enables participants to explore the concepts of equality, implicit bias, and human rights through practical examples, encouraging them to reflect on their behaviors and decision-making processes. The initiative represents an important step toward fostering a workplace culture that values diversity and supports every employee in reaching their full potential under equal conditions.
Program Content
Delivered through the Bank's learning platform Learning World, the program provides participants with comprehensive content covering the fundamental principles of gender equality and their application in professional life. It highlights the importance of ensuring equal and fair treatment within the framework of basic human rights, examines the impact of unconscious biases on decision-making processes, and raises awareness of different forms of violence to help prevent such behaviors in the workplace. Aligned with this goal, the Bank continues to enhance employees' awareness through nearly 15 digital training programs developed with subject-matter experts on topics such as mental health, emotional resilience, personal development, and overall wellbeing. These programs aim to strengthen inclusivity and promote equal opportunities across the organization.
Gender Equality – This module addresses the inequalities created by gender roles, supported by statistical data, while highlighting the consequences of these inequalities and the importance of awareness.
Fundamental Human Rights – This module explores international human rights conventions and declarations, focusing on individuals' rights to equality, freedom and fair treatment.
Unconscious Bias – This module emphasizes the need to recognize the effects of unconscious bias in decision-making and to establish review mechanisms that minimize such biases.
Awareness of Violence – This module provides a comprehensive discussion of the concept of violence within the context of power relations and learned behaviors. It covers gender-based violence, domestic violence and violence against women, underlining the importance of prevention and the specific impacts of gender-based violence on women.