Investing in the Future of Arkansas Banking
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Arkansas Bankers Association, DD&F Launch Internship Program
Growing an industry means not only growing your bottom line, but also growing your people. With community banks across the state, and the nation, in a state of transition, now is the time for banks to turn a focus to investing in human capital and grooming the next generation of bankers.
With growing concern about a lack of qualified young people interested in the banking profession, the Arkansas Bankers Association, in partnership with DD&F Consulting Group, has developed an internship program that identifies qualified candidates from colleges and universities throughout the state, evaluates their interests, and connects them with Arkansas banks who are looking for qualified interns.
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“We knew that in order to attract and keep Arkansas’s top talent in banking, we needed to invest in the future of our industry,” said Barry Jackson, SVP and Chief Operating Officer of the ABA. “There are numerous internship opportunities across our state in companies such as KPMG and Deloitte, that are aggressively courting the same individuals that we need in our industry. For this reason, it was critical for us to create a program specifically for banking and throw our name in the hat.”
Jackson continued, “The ABA is fortunate to have a network of other bank associations across the country that have similar programs with varying degrees of success. We listened to what these associations suggested and to what our
The Arkansas Banker | December 2016
bankers wanted to build what we believe is a win-win, for both our banks and future bankers.”
Launched earlier this year, the ABA internship program provides financial institutions with access to a workforce that is genuinely interested in the banking industry, dedicated to their professional development, and looking for an opportunity to gain a competitive edge by growing their resume and making valuable connections in their field. The ABA’s partner in this initiative, DD&F Consulting Group, has reached out to college professors and staff of schools across Arkansas and has been invited to speak to student classes, reaching almost 400 students to date. Schools that have participated include John Brown
