Human Resource Development Opportunities at National Australia Bank

This report provides an overview of Human Resource Development (HRD) opportunities at National Australia Bank (NAB). It outlines various training programs, international assignments, and development initiatives available to current and potential employees. The report assesses the significance of informal learning, such as adventure learning, mentoring, and on-the-job training, in shaping HRD practices. It highlights how NAB uses these approaches to enhance employee skills, foster career advancement, and improve overall performance. The report concludes that NAB prioritizes employee development through a combination of formal and informal learning methods, empowering employees to drive their own growth and contribute to the bank's success. The report is based on the assignment brief provided. The assignment was to report on the HRD opportunities and informal learning practices at NAB.

Running Head: HRD 0
Human Resource Development
(HRD)
Student Name:
Student University:

HRD 1
Introduction
This report will focus on the opportunities of HRD in an organisation that is NAB (National
Australia Bank) which is headquartered in Australia which is offering many opportunities to
potential or current workers. The discussion will also cover the knowledge to assess the
informal learning impacting the HRD practices of organisation.
HRD Opportunities
In an organisation, HRD helps in improving performance and effectiveness of employees
benefiting to manage and develop skills, knowledge and competencies. It also enables the
personal growth and human potential enhancement towards the business (Pearce, et al.,
2019). NAB being a financial institution provides various HRD opportunities to their
potential and current employees such as international opportunities and internships,
educational programs such as “NAB Regional & Agribusiness Trainee Program” and
curriculums within development and learning centre. Based on such opportunities, employees
are able to develop their capabilities and skills for future advancement of competences which
include attending events and workshops along with relationship and networking skills (SWG,
2019). NAB makes sure to provide numerous development and performance plans to new
workers along with further skills and knowledge extension in the workplace. The institution
also provides training and inductions courses for employees to ensure their capability of
performing roles and to understand the need for improvement along with development and
assessment of working performance. There are leaders provided by NAB to new workers
with the need of coaching and mentoring the improvement in performance continuously
within the workplace (Bruce, 2016). Also, the institution offers new and challenging traveling

HRD 2
and development careers opportunities to workers across the globe through providing
assignments overseas.
Impact of HRD practices
Nowadays, informal training is becoming a non-traditional component to acquire high-
levelled knowledge and skills for supporting organisations and employees’ performance in
the workplace (Kareem & Hussein, 2019). In case of NAB, forming of informal learning
through various contemporary approaches has an impact on an organisation’s HRD practices.
There are several HRD practices provided by NAB with the involvement of adventure
learning being an informal learning component. The employees have an opportunity provided
by NAB to take their career proficiencies further based on the overseas assignments
completion internationally as an approached used by an organisation and employees to create
benefits and increase capabilities (Otoo, 2019). Employees are allowed to work
collaboratively and independently based on this adventure learning with the allowance of
undertaking international assignments and strengthening skills of problem-solving and
cooperation.
NAB also provides mentoring and coaching opportunities to employees for improving
performance and developing strong working relationships continuously other than adventure
learning (NAB, 2019). HRD practices are impacted by action learning, on-the-job training
and behaviour modelling performed within the company. NAB is good at offering coaching
to employees through leadership information and experience under first-hand resources and
knowledge along with intimate training which help them to evolve (NAB, 2017). In the
workplace, behaviour modelling is defined as processes guidance where NAB is providing
employees with different sessions of mentoring. This helps with the involvement of current

HRD 3
employees reviewing previous knowledge learnt along with providing support to potential
and new employees.
NAB is permitted with mentoring where employees are allowed to initiate a peer mentoring
relationship. The sharing of knowledge from peers shows the chance for employees to
experience on-the-job training (Phua, 2012). NAB provides opportunities to its current and
potential workers to extend their skills and knowledge while involving in on-the-job training
and first-hand coaching and guidance. NAB believes in delivering employee satisfaction for
driving best outcomes and to develop their careers. The company also established a transition
program “The Bridge” for assisting employees while accessing training and workshops
programs (HRD, 2017). Hence, HRD practices will get influenced seriously along with
differently shaped based on the development of employees in different categories. This bank
encourages employee engagement in informal learning by experiences of self-directed
learning, coaching, networking, and error and trial.
Also, products, shift in working demands, new trends and softwares help in shaping abilities
of employees while learning about new things based on their daily activities. NAB thinks of
providing coaching to employees continuously for making improvement in performance
where HRD consists of different range of tools, training, information and resources while
having an impact on informal training (HRD, 2017). This helps in sustaining the tech savvy
and new competitive generations along with developing of innovative HRD practices through
external market where NAB use a software of “Knowledge Banks” to train employees. It is
essential for the company to keep evaluating informal HRD practices for avoiding any
negative situation based on the employees’ poor performance (NAB, 2017).

HRD 4
Conclusion
It is concluded that NAB uses informal learning in order to understand and separate their
employees as per their daily performance by representational structure, error and trial, and
performance. NAB focuses on empowering and enabling employees to drive their own
development and careers through using right skills and tools supporting individuals and
resulting in customers benefit. Thus, the company delivers HRD opportunities to employees
by offering development and learning through engagement.

HRD 5
References
Bruce, V., 2016. How can HR inspire change?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.hcamag.com/au/specialisation/leadership/how-can-hr-inspire-
change/145842
[Accessed 22 March 2020].
HRD, 2017. Inside NAB’s career transition program. [Online]
Available at: https://www.hcamag.com/au/specialisation/learning-development/inside-nabs-
career-transition-program/150976
[Accessed 22 March 2020].
HRD, 2017. National Australia Bank ditches CVs, face-to-face interviews. [Online]
Available at: https://www.hcamag.com/au/news/general/national-australia-bank-ditches-cvs-
face-to-face-interviews/150369
[Accessed 22 March 2020].
Kareem, M. A. & Hussein, I. J., 2019. The Impact of Human Resource Development on
Employee Performance and Organizational Effectiveness.. Management Dynamics in the
Knowledge Economy, 7(3), pp. 302-322.
NAB, 2017. NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK SUBMISSION. [Online]
Available at: https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-03/c2017-t224510_NBA.pdf
[Accessed 22 March 2020].
NAB, 2019. Ross McEwan appointed CEO of National Australia Bank. [Online]
Available at: https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/79248/ross-mcewan-appointed-ceo-of-

HRD 6
national-australia-bank
[Accessed 22 March 2020].
Otoo, F. N. K., 2019. Human resource development (HRD) practices and banking industry
effectiveness.. European Journal of Training and Development, 43(3-4), pp. 250-271.
Pearce, A., Harney, B., Zupan, N. & Stalker, B., 2019. global entrepreneurial talent
management challenges and opportunities for HRD.. International Journal of HRD Practice
Policy and Research, 4(2), pp. 5-8.
Phua, F. T. T., 2012. Do national cultural differences affect the nature and characteristics of
HRM practices? Evidence from Australian and Hong Kong construction firms on
remuneration and job autonomy. Construction Management and Economics, 30(7), pp. 1-12.
SWG, 2019. NAB REGIONAL & AGRIBUSINESS TRAINEE PROGRAM. [Online]
Available at: https://studyworkgrow.com.au/2019/03/12/nab-regional-agribusiness-trainee-
program/
[Accessed 22 March 2020].