Polaris Bank trains 5,000 corps members in digital literacy

By Lydia Ngwakwe

Polaris Bank Ltd. says it is ready to issue certificates to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members across 12 states who have completed capacity-building workshop on digital literacy skills.

The bank’s Group Head, Strategic Brand Management, Mr Nduneche Ezurike, said this in a statement on Saturday in Lagos.

Ezurike said the high-impact workshop which commenced in November 2022, in partnership with the NYSC and NerdzFactory, was targeted at 5,000 corps members across 12 states in Nigeria.

He listed the states as Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, Delta, Rivers, Enugu, and Imo.

According to him, the six-month training program will equip fresh graduates with the necessary skills to thrive.

He added that the high-impact training, running across two quarters, comprises courses such as; basic digital literacy; cyber security; data science; product design.

“It also consists of software development (back end); product management; blockchain technology; mobile app development; 3D and virtual reality; and software development (front end).

“The programme aims to equip young Nigerians with relevant work-ready digital skills on innovation, creativity and digital skills, as well as develop their business acumen.

“The bank understands the importance of digital literacy in today’s job market, that’s why we are committed to helping fresh graduates improve their skills through our training program.

“We believe that by doing so, we are helping them succeed in their careers and contributing to the growth and development of the national economy as a whole,” he said.

Ezurike in the statement said that some of the fresh graduates across the 12 states commended the bank for enhancing their digital literacy skills and preparing them for the emerging opportunities in Nigeria’s digital economy.

Halimah Usman, a corps member, said, “I am grateful to the bank for providing me with the opportunity to improve my digital skills through their training programme.

“The skills I have acquired will help me secure a job in the digital marketing industry, and I am confident that with these skills, I will be able to succeed in my career,” Usman said.

Eze Obioma, another participating corps member, described the training as a step in the right direction.

“The bank’s training programme is a step in the right direction, and it is hoped that other organisations will follow suit in helping fresh graduates develop the digital skills they need to succeed in their careers,” Obioma said.

Also, Ajayi Adeyemi, added, “the trainers were very supportive, and they made the training programme very engaging.

“I enjoyed every bit of it and learnt a lot of valuable skills that will help me in my future career.”

Polaris Bank has recently earned accolades as a leading financial brand in innovation and digitidation and adjudged Digital Bank of the Year in 2021 and 2022 in BusinessDay’s Banks And Other Financial Institutions Award.

It also emerged as the best MSME Bank because of its ability to use technology to enable bottom-up support to the MSME sector.

(NAN)