Union Bank of the Philippines’ (UnionBank) battle cry of “tech up” extends to its people who are instrumental in enabling businesses in their digital transformation.

At UnionBank’s 10th E-TalkTales media event for the month of April, the bank highlights its people-centric efforts to equip employees with the right skills and tools as they scale their careers. The bank believes that as it promotes digital banking across the country in the drive to fulfill financial inclusion, the core enablers — employees — should also be armed with the articulate in technology.

“Contrary to popular belief, digital transformation is less about technology and more about people,” said Michelle Rubio, EVP and chief human resource officer, UnionBank. “For digital transformation to succeed, organizations must focus more on equipping their workforce with the right skills and helping them become more agile, as this can give them more mileage than just investing in the latest software and equipment.”

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With the rapid evolution of technology, keeping up is no longer the option but it should be getting ahead. Rubio underscored the importance of continuously upskilling employees because with technologies like artificial intelligence, there are skills that can be automated that would not require manual labor. Citing a recent study by the multi-national advisory firm Deloitte, Rubio said many skills are expected to become obsolete in five years and may even continue to shrink as the world becomes increasingly more digital.

UnionBank’s People Tech

“Holding on to its purpose of co-creating innovations for a better world, UnionBank was able to forge a strategy that could accelerate talent at any point of interaction with the bank,” Rubio said. “This is called ‘People Tech: people at the core, technology at the fore.’ Aligned to the Bank’s purpose of co-creating innovations for a better world, UnionBank focused on “people” to make the transformation happen. People Tech advocates digital delivery to build capabilities and bring it to hyperspeed, allowing accelerated talent development and capability building inside and outside the organization.”

In line with its People Tech advocacy, UnionBank has been implementing various programs aimed at equipping people with the necessary skills for them to thrive in the digital workplace. One of these programs is the Xcellerator series, which offers accessible education not only to UnionBank employees, but also to anyone outside the bank who wishes to learn more about topics that are relevant in the digital world. Since introducing the Xcellerator series, the UnionBank has helped thousands of learners become more knowledgeable in different topics related to digitization, including blockchain, application programming interface, project management, digital marketing, data privacy, coding, and fintech, among others.

“Through Xcellerator, we advocate digital delivery through capability building, so that innovations may happen to ensure no one gets left behind. We ‘tech-up’ the Philippines by educating and mentoring our community members in emerging technologies, contributing to the higher purpose of co-creating innovations for a better world, possibly opening up opportunities for Filipino tech talents,” said Nix Syjuco, head, Special Projects, UnionBank Fintech Group and lead, Xcellerator Program.