Hatton National Bank the premier private sector commercial bank in Sri Lanka has stepped forward to uplift the Banking and Finance education among the youth in the Jaffna peninsula.

The Bank, anticipates an increasing demand for skilled & trained financial services sector professionals in the North & East.

An initiative was taken by HNB to cater to this requirement of the region by providing the school leavers with knowledge and exposure in  banking and finance. An academic programme under the title, “Certificate in Elementary Banking and Finance” was launched   at the HNB Chunnakam customer centre recently.

The course was officially inaugurated by Mr. Rajendra Theagarajah, MD/CEO of Hatton National Bank in the presence of, Mr. J R P M Paiva (DGM – Human Resources & Administration), Mr. A V Beadle Senior Manager (Regional Head – North  East  Region), Mrs. M Rambukwella (Senior Manager – Training & Development) and several senior lecturers from the University of Jaffna who will be a part of the faculty for same.

The course is provided free of charge for selected candidates. This course of study consists of four subjects namely Business of Banking, Accounting, Economics and Management and Organisation, the total duration of which will be three months. The uniqueness of this initiative is that it is the first time in the peninsula that video conferencing will be used as a support medium in youth education.

Speaking on this occasion Mr. Rajendra Theagarajah, Managing Director/CEO Hatton National Bank said, “Developing youth in the North the East  to embark on careers related to Financial Services sector could uplift the living standards of the community. This will further address potential barriers in meeting up with expected employment standards in future at a macro level. The participants may not only be able to seek employment with HNB, but also with other Banks and Institutions providing financial services in the peninsula.

The first batch will consist of 50 students and it is envisaged that two batches would be trained per year during the next two years by HNB.