Over 30 years of development The training centre Finanssektorens Uddannelsescenter – or the “Bankers’ school” as it is referred to by many in the town – is an independent educational association which aims to offer a range of services to meet the needs of its members for training as and when the need arises. The centre has been doing this since February 1969 when two branch organisations joined forces and formed “Bankforeningernes Kursuscenter” (The Bank Associations’ Course Centre). The two organisations involved were “Provinsbankforeningen” (Association of Provincial Banks) and “De Københavnske Bankers Forening af 1920” (The 1920 Association of Copenhagen Banks). At the end of 1975, the latter association was dissolved and Provinsbank-

foreningen became sole owner of the centre. As a result, the centre changed its name to ”Provinsbankernes Kursuscenter” (The Provincial Banks’ Course Centre). Thus it continued until 1993 when the recession and restructuring within the sector made it necessary for the provincial banks to invite other financial companies on board. What was and still is unique is that experience showed that competing companies can certainly be members of one and the same training association, just as long as a set of guidelines has been laid down to govern the cooperation. The provincial banks’ monopoly on training from the centre was – on their own initiative – broken at the start of the 1990s, shaping the background for the decision that financial companies and institutions should join forces with the formation of a completely new, joint and larger training association called “Finanssektorens Uddannelsescenter” (The Financial Sector’s Training Centre).

The new association was formed on 10 June 1993, since when it has offered training and provided course and conference facilities to financial institutions, i.e. banks, savings banks, building societies, cooperative banks etc. which now total 170 member companies with more than 15,000 employees. The decision to form the new association has proved to be an extremely wise move. Negative developments in the period 1989-1992 were transformed into a

profit, and the centre achieved the volume/increase in membership it needed in order to survive – and to hold onto and retain qualified employees. At the same time as this, market conditions improved, and what with one thing and another, the centre has been developing positively since 1993. To give an impression of this, turnover in the period increased from approx. DKK 25 mio to approx. DKK 65 mio, while the number of employees has grown from 50 to 86 (converted to full-time positions). In addition, the domicile building in Skanderborg has been extensively enlarged, and now covers more than 7,000 square metres of floor area situated on one of Skanderborg’s most attractive sites with views of the lake and town. The original size of the centre was approx. 3,000 square metres of floor space – so changes have clearly taken place over the years.

Skanderborg’s largest course and conference centre One of the main priorities of the training centre is to be known as an educational enterprise with its own course and conference centre. The training centre runs many of its own courses and conferences at the course and conference centre, but by no means all. The developments we have seen – especially in the past ten to fifteen years – point to holding more courses locally, when this is feasible. This saves travel time and – in certain cases – accommodation costs. Thus, the training centre’s consultants and teachers are travelling to an increasing extent around Denmark, and to the Faeroe Islands and Greenland, to hold courses for employees at their place of work instead of employees coming to Skanderborg. Two thirds of the centre’s turnover is generated outside Skanderborg. The course and conference facilities are rented out, also to non-members depending on availability. And to both finance institutions as well as non-finance institutions.