Case Study - Higo Bank Ltd.
Higo Bank Ltd. has a vision of providing the best financial services and becoming a bank that is truly loved by its customers. In October 2015, we merged with Kagoshima Bank and took a new step as Kyushu Financial Group.
As the environment surrounding financial institutions changes dramatically, the company is not bound by past thinking and methods, but is working to create a new, broad-based, community-based business model to achieve sustainable growth in the region, thereby contributing to the development of local customers and the economy.
We spoke with Nakabayashi and Kojima of the Human Resources Development Group of the Human Resources Department about the behind-the-scenes system that supports the human resource development at Higo Bank, which has such flexible thinking and a passion for contributing to the development of the local community.
*Department names are as of the time of the interview in March 2024.
Kyushu Financial Group, the holding company, has set out a human capital management-based human resource development policy, which states that in order to realize our co-creation vision based on our purpose, we will develop diverse human resources who can contribute in various fields beyond the scope of finance.
As a company, we place importance on providing various learning opportunities and environments that go beyond the scope of "finance" to those who want to learn, take on challenges, and grow independently.
In the past, when a company offered educational opportunities to its employees, it mainly consisted of targeted training sessions where employees learned about the work they were currently responsible for.
On the other hand, in response to requests for employees to take the initiative in learning a wide range of content with an eye to their future careers, we felt the need to create an environment where employees could learn of their own volition. With the aim of establishing a corporate culture of proactive learning as a form of self-development, we introduced an LMS (a separate company) in 2011 and began working to create a proactive learning environment.
The portal is operated for three separate purposes: a "self-development portal" aimed at supporting proactive capacity development; an "e-learning portal" aimed at acquiring knowledge necessary for the job; and an "examination portal" to be used only for promotion examinations within the bank.
SmartSkill Campus is easy to use and has many functions, so I can make effective use of it in a variety of situations!
Developing diverse talent that can contribute in a variety of fields beyond finance
What kind of human resource development strategy does Higo Bank have? What do you place emphasis on in that strategy?
Issues before implementing SmartSkill Campus and key points for selecting an LMS
What were the important points you considered when selecting an LMS (learning management system) vendor, and what ultimately led you to introduce SmartSkill Campus?
When the LMS was introduced in 2011, it mainly featured teaching materials provided by vendors, and employees selected content to study. Although it was a new initiative at the time for providing opportunities for self-study, as the bank continued to use it, it felt that there were limitations to generic teaching materials, and it became clear that the direction was to expand the bank's unique content based on the issues facing the bank and provide appropriate content to each employee. SmartSkill Campus makes it possible to display recommended courses based on individual attributes, and to provide appropriate content to each employee. This was the deciding factor that led to the introduction of SmartSkill Campus.
How to use SmartSkill Campus
Higo Bank operates three portals based on SmartSkill Campus.
How is your education divided?
Please tell me about Higin Learning Net.
Three years have passed since we introduced Higin Learning Net to realize "One to One Education" and to provide learning materials tailored to the career plans of each employee and to enrich our learning materials.
Please tell me about the "Higin Testing System."
Previously, in-house exams were taken simultaneously at a venue, but in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we added a portal as a "dedicated in-house exam system." The introduction of this system has streamlined everything from tracking attendance status on the management screen to collating answers and printing costs, and has also significantly reduced travel costs and travel time required to take exams.
When we first started operations, we were very grateful for the prompt response to our requests for the development of a timer function and an in-progress saving function .
Since administrative authority is limited to only a few in-house testing personnel, the system is used separately from the e-learning system.
Evaluation of REVIC Global's solutions
Please tell us what you appreciate about the system or support structure.
We are truly grateful for not only the regular meetings, but also for the prompt response to our sudden requests and questions. The speed at which various functions are developed is fast, and the services we receive incorporate our requests, exceeding our expectations. We have complete confidence in them!
Is there anything you would like to achieve or challenge in the future at your bank?
We plan to continue expanding the content of Higin Learning Net in order to develop a proactive motivation to learn and support growth. However, simply expanding the current content will result in one-way learning, so in the future, we aim to make Higin Learning Net a "place" where people can output and share their learning and grow together. And in the future, we hope that Higin Learning Net will become one of the apps that people check every day.
Higo Bank Ltd.
Using three different portals to develop diverse talent who can contribute in a variety of fields
Please tell me about the Higin e-Learning System.
We have introduced the "Higin e-Learning System," which each department has the authority to manage, to implement self-study, tests, and questionnaires aimed at acquiring knowledge necessary for work . By digitizing and managing course history and grading results, we are using this information to understand the learning status and to plan human resource development measures. In addition, each department's superior can refer to the course status of their own department, so they can check the progress and promote and follow up on the use of the system as appropriate .
Future outlook
Please tell us about the challenges you faced before introducing the LMS (Learning Management System) and the education you envisioned with the introduction of the LMS.
Please tell us about the challenges you faced before introducing the LMS (Learning Management System) and the education you envisioned with the introduction of the LMS.
Company Name
Higo Bank Ltd.
Industry
Banking
Number of people
Approximately 3,000 people
assignment
Expanding original content based on issues
Providing appropriate content to each employee
