oThe CU Foundation of Maryland and D.C. has developed abilingual teller training program.

oCandidates had to be unemployed, bilingual Baltimoreresidents.

oBeyond teller training, the seven-week program covers customerservice, language skills, financial literacy, credit reports, bodylanguage, public speaking, interview skills, business ethics andetiquette, financial terminology and computer skills.

As multiple news outlets were running stories about the plightof unbanked immigrant populations, Kyle Swisher, executive directorof the CU Foundation of Maryland and D.C., got the idea ofdeveloping a bilingual teller training and placement program afterseeing day laborers load up in trucks.

“It occurred to me that there had to be another path for them,”said Swisher. “I thought a bilingual teller program could help themand maybe it could also help credit union outreach efforts withunbanked communities if there were tellers who were culturallysimilar.”

The financial services industry, he added, has a growing needfor trained, qualified tellers and member service representativeswho speak foreign languages in addition to English. Given the stateof the economy, the competitive wages and benefits, comfortableworking environments and opportunities for advancement help makethe CU career choice an attractive one.

Planning for the pilot program began in 2008 as Swisher met withcredit unions in the Baltimore area to determine the need forbilingual tellers. Johns Hopkins FCU, MECU, and Security Plus FCUsigned on to the program and committed job positions for thegraduates. With those commitments in hand, Swisher applied for andreceived funding from the Credit Union Foundation, the Harry &Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and the Baltimore Mayor's Office onEmployment Development. Total funding exceeded $70,000.

“We realized early on that if we were going to build a trainingprogram that would include a wide range of skill sets and result inexceptional teller candidates, the process would require ample timeto complete,” said Swisher. “And asking people to commit to anextensive training regimen meant that they would need an incomeduring their training.”

The eligibility criteria was primarily set by MOED requirementsso candidates had to be unemployed Baltimore residents who couldconverse in another language. To spread the word, Swisher said hewas fortunate to partner with Globaltech, which has a strongpresence in the Latino community.

“They helped us get the word out at job fairs co-sponsored byGlobaltech and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to thenon-English-speaking media and identifying a number ofSpanish-speaking areas where we could put up posters about theprogram,” said Swisher. “It worked out really well and the HR folksfrom the participating credit unions help whittle the 100applicants down to 12 candidates.”

Recognizing that success hinged on having the best tellertrainer, Swisher tapped Pat Steil, Destinations Credit Union vicepresident of operations and compliance, to serve as the program'strainer.

Taking a big picture approach, the seven-week program goesbeyond teller-specific training and includes sessions on customerservice, language skills, financial literacy, credit reports, bodylanguage, public speaking, interview skills, business ethics,business etiquette, financial terminology and computer applicationskills. Students also become Microsoft certified applicationspecialist and spend one day a week inside their hiring creditunions shadowing and gaining real-world hands-on experience.Swisher said the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Rob Windsor, First Financial FCU CEO and foundation chair,offered glowing praise: “This program was so broad and so welldesigned I would feel comfortable recommending any of the graduatesto a credit union; their bilingual skills are an added bonus.”

As far as timing, the pilot bilingual teller program launched inlate September 2009, in the middle of a severe economicdownturn.

“Honestly we have to give a lot of credit to the participatingcredit unions because they were good to their word and held thoseteller positions open in a declining economy,” said Swisher. “Itmay be more challenging now as we plan to launch our second seriesof classes this fall, but we're looking into perhaps gettingregional, federal or state funding.”

At a time when unemployment is high, he said, what better way isthere to show the credit union difference than by offering a jobdevelopment program.

“Through this process I think we discovered that there areindividuals in the bilingual community looking for opportunities tostart a new career track. Couple that with the credit unioninterest in expanding their membership and we've put together awinning combination,” said Swisher.

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