HSBC has announced that it has set a target that 100 per cent of the students hired next year as interns in its Global Service Centres (GSCs) must be female, in line with its commitment to enhance levels of diversity across the Bank.
The Bank began an internship programme this year focused solely on its GSCs, which are located in Kolkata, Vizag, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai. A total of 130 interns took up positions in a range of different departments across the GSCs, and of this number, 89 were female students.
Pradeep Reddy, Head of Recruitment, said: “Our GSC internship programme is just the latest stage in our efforts to achieve a greater balance, in terms of gender, across all of our sites. This is also part of our commitment to create a workforce that reflects the diversity of the customers that we serve, and to provide the flexibility that our people need to perform at their best”.
In recent years, HSBC has sought to increase opportunities for both female students and applicants, while also providing greater flexibility for women working in the Bank’s GSCs.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of HSBC’s partnership with Andhra University. This allows students to attend courses at the School of Distance Education at the university, while serving apprenticeships at the Bank’s GSC in Visakhapatnam. Students who qualify from the course are offered Contact Centre roles in GSC Vizag.
Separately, last year, HSBC’s GSC in Kolkata received the award from NASSCOM, the trade association for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, for the ‘Highest Percentage Female Employees in IT/ITES’ for the third consecutive year.
The award was on the back of efforts by HSBC to provide greater support for female employees, which saw the Bank become one of the first in India to provide up to six months maternity leave, subject to management approval. Female employees can also claim for childcare expenses up to a maximum of INR 5000 per month or 50% of the monthly childcare facility expense, whichever is lower.
About HSBC India
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in India offers a full range of banking and financial services through 42 branches and 140 ATMs across 21 cities.
HSBC is one of India’s leading financial services groups, with over 32,000 employees in its banking, investment banking and capital markets, asset management, insurance, software development and global resourcing operations in the country. It is a leading custodian in India. Nearly 6% of India’s trade passes through HSBC. The Bank is at the forefront in arranging deals for Indian companies investing overseas and foreign investments into the country.
About HSBC Group
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 4,400 offices in 71 countries and territories in Europe, Asia, North and Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,608bn at 30 June 2016, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.