UAP Old Mutual Invests In Training To Improve Staff Skills

UAP Old Mutual, the leading Insurance and Financial solutions provider in Uganda and the region has stepped up its staff training programme aimed at equipping employees with the necessary professional skills that will allow them to better deliver in their jobs.

The institutions Uganda Managing Director, Peter Kuria said that the company was keen to support skills development in all its areas of operations to match the changing needs of the industry.

“Our experience is that well trained employees will always deliver better results because they have the requisite skill and motivation to do the job” .Kuria was speaking when presenting bursaries to UAP staff pursuing various professional courses,

UAP Old Mutual Head of Human Resource, Debra Maitumsaid that the training programme which started seven years ago has helped build capacity especially in the insurance industry which has been lagging behind in skills development.

“Currently we have 15 members of staff pursuing professional courses in Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Acturial Science and ACII. We expect this lot to add to the people we have already trained in finance, underwriting, claims and customer service over the years” she said

She added that training can improve business performance, profit and staff morale and that is the reason UAP Old Mutual was keen to invest in staff professional training. “ We are now adding even better incentives of appreciating everyone who passes a unit just to encourage them to successfully complete their programmes”

Advantages of training to business include, choosing what new skills your workforce gains, targeting skills to meet the needs of your operation for now and in the future. Training your staff can result in better customer service, better work ethic and safety practices and increased productivity. It can also help demonstrate to your workforce that you value them enough to invest in them, improving loyalty and staff retention. In turn, retention becomes a saving to the business.

For employees, the benefit are in acquiring new skills, increasing their contribution to the business and building their self-esteem. Training also can take them into other positions within the organisation – positions with better prospects and/or better pay.

“They’re up-skilled to do new and different tasks, which keeps them motivated and fresh and because they’re being trained on your time, they see that you value them enough to invest in them. A good company is seen as one that retrains rather than churns” said Debra.