Griffith University hosts CBA staff – First to embark on financial micro-credentials

Five hundred Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) employees are the first to embark on a Griffith University upskilling program, helping the banking industry to detect and disrupt organised crime.

Griffith’s micro-credentials program sets a new national standard in the training of Australian financial crime specialists and will be delivered to five cohorts over three years with the first cohort of CBA staff enrolled across Australia, India and New Zealand.

Griffith Academy of Excellence in Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance Director, Professor Andreas Chai said the academy develops the knowledge and skill of new graduates entering the workforce and supports current professionals in their ongoing professional development.

“CBA’s workforce plays a crucial role in detecting and disrupting financial crime across Australia, and Griffith has developed first-rate course materials which provide confidence for CBA and its customers,” Professor Chai said.


Director of Griffith Academy of Excellence in Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance, Professor Andreas Chai
“Working together, we can help to deliver positive outcomes not just for CBA, but for the wider financial system and the community as a whole.

“The content featured in this program blends insights from Criminology, Law, Accounting and Information and Communication Technologies in a fundamentally new way to address the growing professional needs of the industry.”

Working closely with experts from the Academy of Excellence in Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance, Griffith’s Professional Learning Hub develops bespoke professional development programs for organisations such as CBA and is managing and delivering the program.

Griffith’s Professional Learning Hub manager David Noonan said the launch of the micro-credential program with CBA was a groundbreaking and exciting achievement toward tackling financial crime.


Griffith Professional Learning Hub manager, David Noonan.
“Offering CBA staff flexible upskilling opportunities which provides university recognition through digital badges and a pathway into further postgraduate study is one of the most exciting elements of this partnership,” Mr Noonan said.

“Creating bespoke micro-credentials allows us to develop and deliver flexible, responsive learning opportunities that directly address the unique challenges facing the workforce and this partnership highlights the importance of co-designed learning between universities and industry.

“The online program provides a unique blend of academic research, learning and teaching alongside embedded practical insights from CBA and industry partners that will aim to upskill staff to disrupt financial crime.

“Across four co-designed micro-credentials delivered online, CBA staff will have the opportunity to connect with academic experts in the field and build a shared understanding of the current challenges and emerging trends facing those disrupting financial crime.”

Dr Jacqueline Drew
Deputy Director of Griffith Academy of Excellence in Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance, Professor Jacqueline Drew
Academy Deputy Director Associate Professor Jacqueline Drew said the academy and micro-credentials program filled a major gap in the education of financial crime professionals.

“Financial crime cannot be tackled without taking an inter-disciplinary approach. This is perhaps why financial crime is so challenging to understand, prevent and disrupt,” Associate Professor Drew said.

“What we need in the financial crime space right now is University-Industry partnerships. The partnership between Griffith and CBA is significant because history shows us that if we continue to work in silos financial crime will flourish.

“We’re building a cohort of industry experts who will be positioned to tackle financial crime in the ‘real world’.

“The Academy provides a forum where critical and emerging financial crime issues and trends can be identified, and through collaboration, we can better tackle financial crime and reduce its impact on governments, businesses and individuals.”