2.11 Training Activities

A total of 5,131 people took part in CBRT-organized training activities and 727 CBRT employees benefited from a variety of programs conducted by other institutions and organizations. Besides, a total of 10 CBRT employees took part in training activities organized in the country and abroad as instructor or speaker. Fourteen theses prepared by central bank assistant specialists were examined and found satisfactory by relevant thesis commissions.

Among online education programs, the Bank provided executives and employees with an online foreign language education platform to help improve their knowledge in foreign languages, IT staff with various content platforms to further their occupational development, and relevant staff with online Occupational Health and Safety refresher training.

2.11.1 Training Programs Organized by the CBRT

A total of 4,572 CBRT employees attended in-house training programs, subject matters of which are listed in Chart 2.11.1.1.

A total of 553 university students took part in last year’s CBRT pre-recruitment programs, and another six took part in the CBRT International Internship Program.

In order to improve the quality of statistical reports submitted by banks to the CBRT and ensure better communication with reporting banks, a “Statistical Reporting Certification Program” was held for the second time on 2-3 May 2019 in Istanbul. During this training program, the CBRT explained its data compilation principles, the intended purpose of CBRT statistics and the areas in which these statistics are shared. Moreover, the CBRT gave information on the scope of reports submitted to the CBRT by banks along with the underlying international statistical standards, and discussed commonly encountered problems. The program was attended by staff members of banks, the BRSA, the Participation Banks Association of Turkey, Turkish Capital Markets Association (TCMA), and the CBRT’s audit department. A total of 39 participants were certified at the end of the program.

To increase the use of the Electronic Data Delivery System (EDDS), the CBRT organized a number of training programs and events within CBRT Statistics.

In addition, the CBRT held several seminars at the Istanbul School of Central Banking (ISCB) as part of the five brand- new training programs for national financial sectors. A total of 156 participants from national banks and finance companies attended these seminars.

2.11.2 International Training and Technical Support Activities

The ISCB organized a number of training programs jointly with national and international stakeholders, thereby contributing to the CBRT’s objectives. In this context, a total of 674 participants representing central bankers and related policy makers from 76 countries as well as employees working at national institutions attended these training programs.

The ISCB organized 24 international training programs in the form of seminars and workshops on issues pertinent to central banking. Of these programs, five concerning risk management in Islamic banking and finance, stress testing for Islamic financial institutions, Islamic banking and finance for central banks, organizational transformation of central banks, and an all-encompassing approach to risk management in central banks were organized for the first time.

Likewise, an international training program on “Innovative Finance for Growth: The Role of Credit Guarantee Funds” was also conducted for the first time by the ISCB in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank Institute and the Turkish Credit Guarantee Fund on 16‑18 April 2019 in Istanbul. Panelists of the program included representatives from relevant institutions in Asian economies such as Japan, Indonesia, Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia and Kazakhstan as well as from the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, the Turkish Credit Guarantee Fund and the CBRT. Country-specific implementations and current issues regarding credit guarantee funds were discussed across nine panel sessions that received high interest from national and international institutions.

Other international training programs organized by the ISCB were as follows:

• “Central Bank Communication: Building Knowledge and Trust in a Changing World” seminar on 4‑6 March 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Managing Risks in Islamic Banking and Finance” joint workshop with the International Islamic University Malaysia on 18‑21 March 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Corporates’ Use of Derivatives and Implications for Emerging Market Central Banks” seminar on 25‑28 March 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Internal Audit Practices at Central Banks” seminar on 1‑4 April 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Sectoral Financial Accounts” seminar on 8‑10 April 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Balance of Payments and External Statistics” seminar on 16‑19 April 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Monetary Policy Workshop ‑ Innovative Finance for Growth: The Role of Credit Guarantee Funds” joint workshop with the Asian Development Bank Institute and the Turkish Credit Guarantee Fund on 16‑18 April 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Stress Testing for Islamic Financial Institutions” joint workshop with the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions on 11‑13 June 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Balkan School of Central Banking” certificate program on 17‑28 June 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Central Bank Policy Mix: Issues, Challenges and Policy Response” joint workshop with Bank Indonesia on 8‑11 July 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Enhancing the Safety and Efficiency of the National Payments System: The Role of the Overseer” joint workshop with Toronto Center on 22‑26 July 2019,
• “Making Use of Big Data in Emerging Market Central Banks” seminar on 2‑4 September 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Payment Systems and Instruments” seminar on 9‑12 September 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Organizational Transformation at Central Banks” seminar on 16‑18 September 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Prudential Supervision of the Banking Sector and Macroprudential Regulations” seminar on 23‑26 September 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Foreign Exchange Reserve and Risk Management” joint seminar with the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum on 30 September‑2 October 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Survey Design and Implementation” seminar on 7‑11 October 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Cyber Security in Central Banks” seminar on 16‑18 October 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Applied Econometrics for Emerging Market Central Banks” seminar on 11‑14 November 2019 in Istanbul,
• ”Cash Circulation Management” seminar on 18‑21 November 2019 in Istanbul,
• “An Inclusive Financial Risk Management Approach for Central Banks” seminar on 25‑27 November 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Islamic Banking and Finance for Central Banks” joint workshop with the Islamic Trade Finance Corporation on 25‑28 November 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Understanding Risk Management in Islamic Banking in the Times of Fintech” joint workshop with Toronto Center on 2‑6 December 2019 in Istanbul,
• “Financial Market Instruments and Central Banks” seminar on 16‑19 December 2019 in Istanbul.

Twenty-four international training programs organized by the ISCB hosted 607 international participants representing 76 countries and 67 participants from Turkey (Chart 2.11.2.1).

The 607 international participants attending the ISCB’s programs represented countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa as well as North and South America (Chart 2.11.2.2).

2.11.3 Training Programs Organized by Other Institutions and Organizations

A total of 393 CBRT employees attended short-term training programs organized by other institutions and organizations in Turkey, and 175 CBRT employees attended such programs abroad. Additionally, 27 CBRT employees took part in training programs organized by other institutions and organizations under the Financial Support Program for Academic Studies (Chart 2.11.3.1).

A total of 119 CBRT employees, 23 of whom were recently enrolled, continued their graduate (Master’s and PhD) studies in Turkey, while 13 employees, including 7 recently enrolled, pursued such studies abroad (Chart 2.11.3.2).