NAB staff learn cloud with financial RPG

NAB is the first Australian beta customer for a role-playing game (RPG) created by Amazon Web Services that is intended to help financial services staff skill up on cloud.

The bank announced its use of 'AWS Industry Quest: Financial Services' at the cloud provider's re:Invent conference in Las Vegas at the end of last year.

It allows staff to participate in an interactive online training to develop the skills to create domain-specific solutions for common financial industry use cases including fraud prevention.

“As one of the biggest employers of technology talent in the Southern Hemisphere, we need to ensure our people are trained incredibly well in this area so they and NAB can thrive,” NAB chief technology officer Steve Day told iTnews.

“We are committed to fostering learning, development and growth in ways that encourage flexibility and human connection."

Day added that NAB has trained “thousands" of staff in cloud technology via its cloud guild, a technology training program that has led to staff attaining "more than 4500 industry-recognised cloud certifications".

“We are excited to be able to offer AWS Industry Quest: Financial Services to our people which offers an innovative and humanistic way of learning and strengthening their cloud skills," Day said.

NAB senior analyst engineer Daniel Drentin said via LinkedIn that the bank had been able to "enrol a handful of NAB staff into [the] somewhat mysterious beta program”.

“I wasn't too sure what I was getting us into initially, however as an interactive learning experience, initially emphasising financial services, NAB staff seemed well aligned to give it a try." Drentin wrote.

Drentin, who is also the lead at NAB using the new service, said the “step-by-step approach to learning" through the RPG was helpful.

“Unlike watching a demo, where someone else is completing the task at their pace, I could execute the steps myself," he wrote.

“Feedback in the game made it clear when I needed to correct an error, helping me identify and address any steps or solutions I didn’t know about and may start using now that I have built with them.”

iTnews understands the bank doesn’t use any other game-like platforms for learning.

It has other standalone sandbox environments where staff can hone their cloud skills.