Abu Dhabi, July 29 (IANS): The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) Wednesday signed a key partnership agreement with Britain's ifs School of Finance to deliver diploma courses in banking and finance for its employees, WAM news agency reported.

The partnership with the ifs School of Finance, one of the world's leading providers of professional banking and financial services qualifications, will enable NBAD's employees to benefit from an excellent foundation in banking and from which to progress their careers, said Michael Tomalin, the chief executive of the UAE bank.

"NBAD is constantly looking to attract, develop, and retain the brightest banking professionals and this partnership with ifs will ensure that our talents will be given every opportunity to develop their banking and financial skills," Tomalin said.

Ehab Anis Hassan, NBAD's chief human resources officer, said: "Continuous learning and development is one of the core values of NBAD's corporate culture since it enables the staff to contribute effectively to developing innovative, efficient and secure products and services to allow our customers enjoy the most convenient banking experience."

Martin Day, dean of higher education at the ifs School of Finance, expressed his pleasure over the deal with NBAD and said: "This agreement brings together a global leader in financial education and Abu Dhabi's foremost financial services provider, and marks a real milestone for both institutions."

"Students in Abu Dhabi will now be able to benefit from a rigorous and engaging course, supported by excellent learning materials that will give them a firm foundation in banking on which to build in the future," he added.

NBAD, which is ranked as one of the top 50 safest banks in the world, currently operates across eleven countries on four continents. The bank has one of the largest branches and ATM networks in the UAE and the largest overseas network of all the UAE banks. It employs more than 3000 employees of more than 50 nationalities.