Citi

Citi has an aggressive recruitment drive to attract the best staff. Competition for labour is intense in Poland and the bank wanted to differentiate itself as an employer of choice.

So, when the company approached ICA, the objective was quite simple – to upskill its existing teams with robust training as a way of demonstrating investment in staff, as well as reducing its exposure to risk. To this end, the company required a solution that was not only financially attractive to budget holders, but that would also position it as an employer of choice.

Objectives (What was the challenge?)

1. Upskill and improve the anti money laundering (AML) and counter financing of terrorism (CFT) knowledge of Citi employees in Poland.
2. Promote Citi as an employer of choice to high calibre graduates.

Taking a partnership approach, we developed tailored training to Citi employees which involved intermediate and advanced level qualifications, and delivered the introductory level Certificate in AML to undergraduates in Polish universities.

By choosing professional certificated qualifications, Citi demonstrated its commitment to training and education to both the regulator and its staff.

Following the successful completion of a pilot programme, we built a bespoke online learning platform for Citi, including a popular forum where employees could share best practice and guidance. 

Dedicated tutors were allocated to the courses to keep the students motivated throughout their studies.

These tutors also worked with Citi to discover more about staff roles, so they could understand the challenges they face, allowing them to provide enhanced credibility and empathy in workshops.

We also developed a series of courses and executive briefings on hot topics to continue CPD for those who passed the qualifications.

In terms of the objective to attract new staff, we rolled out the ICA introductory level AML course to students at Kozminski University in Warsaw (at no cost to the students) and delivered an inaugural workshop to students which was also attended by Citi employees. These employees subsequently went on to become the trainers for the course as part of the partnership approach.

Both initiatives – the upskilling of existing staff and the attraction of new staff – were a great success. ICA’s bespoke training helped to upskill and increase the engagement of Citi’s workforce, reducing reputational and financial risk at the bank. We also established a foundation for future learning with Citi employees embarking on a financial crime compliance career journey.

The training attracted new recruits to Citi who already have a foundation level of knowledge in AML, reducing training time and adding great value to the business. We also helped to achieve increased awareness of Citi among new entrants to the job market in Poland.

ICA’s qualifications were embedded within Citi, harmonising knowledge among employees at the bank. We engaged as a proactive training partner for Citi, helping to create content for new recruits, as well as building further training plans for those who have successfully completed ICA qualifications.