Banking/Financial Services Industry Talent Association
Join banking and financial services employers across Indiana in developing a stronger pipeline of work-ready talent for your industry.
A Banking Talent Pipeline Built by Employers
Indiana banks and credit unions need a stronger pipeline of talent prepared for both customer-facing and operational positions. At the same time, many young people have limited exposure to banking as a career and may not understand the range of opportunities available within the industry.
The Banking/Financial Services ITA is led by the Financial Services Academy, which coordinates employer participation and provides the primary training for apprentices. More than 15 employers are already participating, helping shape education and workplace training around the skills and competencies financial institutions need.
Employers participate to:
- Expand the pipeline of entry-level banking talent
- Develop people earlier, before they enter the full-time labor market
- Help shape training around the skills and competencies their organizations need
- Access a shared training model that builds on existing employer training rather than replacing it
Turning Employer Demand Into Programs
The Banking/Financial Services ITA brings employers together to identify shared workforce needs and develop occupations that prepare talent for careers across the industry. Employers help define competencies, shape training plans, and ensure apprentices develop skills they can apply in real financial services environments.
- Retail Banker is the first INCAP Banking/Financial Services Apprenticeship Program. The first cohort of apprentices started this program at the start of the 2026–2027 school year. Banking Operations Specialist will begin offering apprenticeships at the start of the 2027–2028 school year.
- Future occupations being explored include Banking IT/Cybersecurity, Wealth Management, Mortgage Banking, and Trust Services.
- This ITA is also planning or exploring occupations in insurance.
- Don’t see the occupation your organization needs? The ITA’s work is driven by employer demand. Contact the Banking/Financial Services ITA to share your workforce needs and help shape future occupations.
Available Now: Retail Banker
Retail Banker is a two-year Apprenticeship Program beginning in 11th grade that combines industry-designed education and training with paid, hands-on experience in a banking environment.
The Workforce Need
Banks and credit unions need a stronger pipeline of entry-level professionals prepared to support customer-facing operations, transaction processing, digital banking services, lending support, and compliance functions.
At the same time, banking is not always an industry young people initially consider as a career. Employers need opportunities to introduce students to the industry earlier while preparing them with both the technical knowledge and professional skills required to contribute in a financial institution.
The Solution
The Retail Banker program gives apprentices broad exposure to banking through structured workplace experiences. Apprentices progress through exposure, experience, and training phases, gradually taking on greater responsibility and ultimately performing many duties independently under employer supervision.
The program develops both technical banking competencies and professional workplace skills, preparing apprentices to understand many aspects of banking rather than one narrowly defined function.
The Career Pathway
Through the Apprenticeship Program, participants meet key requirements for Indiana’s Employment Honors Plus diploma seal by completing at least 650 hours of work-based learning and earning an INCAP credential recognized by the Indiana Department of Education as a Credential of Value. The diploma seal and INCAP credential are recognized by banks across Indiana as indicators of industry experience, and the INCAP credential may count toward college credit in a related degree program.
Because the Retail Banker Apprenticeship Program is broad in scope, participants can prepare for a variety of entry-level or senior-level specialist positions, depending on the size of the institution, including teller/senior teller, loan officer, credit analyst, assistant branch manager, and relationship/personal banker.
Available in 2027: Banking Operations Specialist
Banking Operations Specialist is a two-year Apprenticeship Program for students starting in 11th grade that combines industry-designed education and training with paid workplace experience focused on the operational functions of financial institutions.
The Workforce Need
Banks face shortages in the operational, compliance, and back-office positions that keep financial institutions operating accurately, efficiently, and securely. These positions require specialized knowledge of banking systems and processes, operational risk, documentation, compliance requirements, and internal controls.
For employers, developing those capabilities after hiring can require significant onboarding and training. The Banking Operations Specialist apprenticeship creates an earlier pipeline of people developing the specialized skills needed to support these critical functions.
The Solution
The Banking Operations Specialist program prepares apprentices across multiple operational areas rather than training them for a single back-office function. Over the course of the two-year program, apprentices complete a minimum of 1,500 hours of paid workplace experience while learning to identify operational risks, investigate discrepancies, maintain records, monitor compliance requirements, and improve operational efficiency within a financial institution.
This broad exposure allows employers to develop people who understand how critical banking infrastructure and operational functions work together, while helping reduce the onboarding needed to prepare employees for specialized operations positions.
The Career Pathway
Participants meet key requirements for Indiana’s Employment Honors Plus diploma seal by completing at least 650 hours of work-based learning and earning an INCAP credential recognized by the Indiana Department of Education as a Credential of Value. The diploma seal and INCAP credential are recognized by banks across Indiana as indicators of industry experience, and the INCAP credential may count toward college credit in a related degree program. The program also aligns with future Indiana Bankers Association professional development opportunities, including Essentials of Banking, Certified Teller, Retail Banking Management, and Lending School programs.
The Banking Operations Specialist program prepares participants for positions such as operations specialist, branch operations staff, documentation specialist, risk analyst, and compliance support personnel.
Participating Banking/Financial Services Employers
Why Build Your Talent Pipeline Through INCAP?
A Shared Model Makes It Easier to Develop Talent
Developing effective training independently takes time, expertise, and resources. Through the Banking/Financial Services ITA, employers use structured training plans and shared competency standards while retaining the training and processes that already work within their organizations.
Employers can:
- Spend less time developing training from scratch by using established training plans and competency standards
- Help reduce recruiting and onboarding costs by developing talent with relevant education and substantial workplace experience
- Build on existing employer training rather than replacing programs and materials that already work
- Share the training burden with the Financial Services Academy, which maps existing employer training to program competencies and provides supplemental coursework to fill gaps
- Help shape industry training by participating in curriculum and advisory committees and influencing future occupations
Build an Earlier Pipeline Into Banking
Banking is not always a career young people envision for themselves. The Banking/Financial Services ITA gives employers an opportunity to introduce students to the industry earlier and expose them to the variety of careers available within financial institutions.
With Retail Banker and Banking Operations Specialist Apprenticeship Programs addressing both customer-facing and behind-the-scenes functions, employers can develop future employees across different areas of their organizations while building a longer-term pipeline into the industry.
Your Role as an Employer Partner
Help Shape Industry Training
Banking/Financial Services ITA members can participate in curriculum and advisory committees, helping ensure competencies and training continue to reflect employer needs. The ITA also works individually with employers to map their existing training to the requirements of each occupation.
Provide the Workplace Experience
Employers hire and pay apprentices and provide more than 1,500 hours of structured workplace learning for each Apprenticeship Program. Apprentices progressively take on greater responsibility as they develop the technical and professional competencies required by their occupation.
Employers also identify staff to train and supervise apprentices. Those employees complete training and onboarding provided by the Financial Services Academy to help them support apprentices effectively.
Invest in Talent Development
Participating employers sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) committing to host apprentices. Employer investment includes:
- Start-Up Fee: Employers pay a one-time fee to begin participating
- Annual Per-Apprentice Tuition: Host employers pay annual tuition for each apprentice
- Apprentice Compensation: Employers set and pay their apprentices’ wages
Contact the Banking/Financial Services ITA for current costs.
15+
Banking/Financial Services ITA Employers
2
Apprenticeship Programs Available by 2027–28
35+
Employers Expected to Host Apprentices in 2027-28
Why Banking Employers Are Getting Involved
Banking employers across Indiana are helping shape a new approach to developing talent — one that introduces young people to financial services earlier, combines shared training with meaningful workplace experience, and gives employers a more sustainable way to build their future workforce.
“The Financial Services Academy provides a practical, innovative framework that allows employers to work together to prepare the next generation of banking professionals. By combining shared training standards with meaningful, hands-on experience, we're helping build a stronger pipeline for our industry.”
Jim Ryan, Chairman and CEO, Old National Bank
“Rather than building a workforce development program on our own, this partnership allows us to leverage training standards, connect with talented young people early, and help prepare them for success in the financial services profession.”
Brad Monts, President and CEO, Hoosier Heartland State Bank
“Our partnership with the Financial Services Academy gives me confidence that those who complete the program will help create a long-term pipeline of talented individuals who will continue to be leaders in community banking.”
Chris Cook, President and CEO, First Bank Midwest
Questions About Employer Participation
Ready to Strengthen Your Talent Pipeline?
The Financial Services Academy leads the Banking/Financial Services Industry Talent Association. Contact the ITA to learn more about participating and hosting Retail Banker or Banking Operations Specialist apprentices.
Chris Fisher
President & CEO, Financial Services Academy
317-939-1055