20-03-2024 12:24

ESG upskilling to support our customers

Nordea is committed to helping our customers transition to a sustainable future. 
Employees have a key role to play in this journey of implementing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in to our processes, and it's therefore essential to continue investing in building ESG expertise. Focusing both on employees meeting customers, leading to better quality advice, and ultimately increasing the positive impact that Nordea and our customers have, and developing the skills of the entire workforce. 

In October 2021, we created a dedicated ESG learning portfolio, available for all employees, supporting them with gaining vital knowledge and training. The last two years have been focused on building and expanding the learning curriculum, growing from 20 available courses in 2021 to more than 75 in 2023.

We strive to be a responsible bank. The ESG portfolio, realised through strong collaboration with stakeholders across the bank, supports the needs of the different business areas in realising this ambition and helping our customers to find the best solutions to contribute to successful and sustainability economic development in the Nordics. 

Camilla Kläning Learning & Development Capability Lead for ESG.

Our employees are engaged and keen to learn more. In 2023, 9.5% of the time our employees spent on learning was within the ESG learning portfolio, which is a 600% increase compared to 2022. And 83% of employees who completed trainings said they would recommend it to a colleague and 87% stated that the training is relevant for their job. 

The ESG learning portfolio continues to grow and mature, focusing on role-based curriculums, certifications, and the Social Responsibility agenda. Large Corporates & Institutions launched a modular training programme and a similar initiative has been delivered in Business Banking. Additionally, an updated Sustainability at Nordea e-learning and for all employees will be launched in April 2024, along with a new Human Rights training, adding to our already established trainings on Social Responsibility topics of Diversity & Inclusion and Wellbeing.

‘We prioritise learning activities so that our people are fit for serving current and future customer and societal expectations. Building new ESG related skills and competences will continue for the coming years enabling our expert workforce to support our customers in building a better tomorrow.’ 

Charles Watkin, Head of Learning & Development.

Key trainings in the ESG learning portfolio

The impact of sustainability: This training launched in June 2022, aims to upskill employees and support with customer dialogues. More than 10% of all employees have completed this voluntary training which won gold in the 2023 Brandon Hall recognition awards for the best use of games or simulations for learning. 

Greenwashing risk: This training was launched in February 2023, and aims to increase awareness of the risks of Greenwashing and the importance of Nordea’s role in supporting our customers, guiding them around pitfalls and supporting our employees in the dialogues. There is a 92% completion rate for employees that have been assigned this training. 

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