Above and Beyond: PNC Bank Believes in Investing in Career Development for All

PNC Bank is the sixth-largest banking franchise in the U.S., with more than 2,000 branches across the country and nearly 60,000 employees. Within such a massive organization, there is the potential for individuals to get lost in the shuffle. However, PNC goes out of its way to ensure its employees do more than just clock in every day by delivering resources and support to help build lasting and fulfilling careers.

“We know that by focusing on the growth and development of our talented team members, we are best positioned to deliver exceptional results for our customers, shareholders and communities,” Mike Thomas, head of corporate and institutional banking at PNC, says. “Our goal is to have every one of our colleagues experience PNC as a great place to advance their career, so we are very focused on investing in resources that support continuous mobility.”

Attracting and developing young talent is a particularly critical priority to PNC, which brings in hundreds of undergraduate students every year to take part in its 10-week internship program. Through these internships, students are given the chance to engage with customers, clients and shareholders, all while gaining exposure to PNC’s products and services. PNC takes an active interest in ensuring its interns succeed, with nearly 70% of those enrolled in the program returning as full-time employees after graduation.

With the internship program serving as a primary driver of PNC’s strategy for attracting young professionals, the company uses its early career development program to further strengthen the skills of its new employees. Participants in the program rotate through multiple departments within a particular line of businesses over a 12- to 36-month period, providing exposure to multiple disciplines and potential career trajectories as well as hands-on skill development.

“Our summer internship and development programs are critical components to how we invest in and develop early-career talent,” Thomas says. “We also have formal mentorship programs, which help employees navigate corporate culture, build workplace relationships, gain new skills and create a sense of belonging.”

Although it aims to retain all of its talented team members, PNC displays an authentic interest in building its employees’ careers overall, not just their careers at PNC. Through its dedicated career advisor team, which is made up of human resources professionals from across the company, PNC offers all of its employees both short- and long-term career planning services, including resume feedback, interview training, development strategizing, networking and more. The company also offers a range of additional enterprise-wide programs, such as its 12 employee business resource groups, which offer a forum for colleague-initiated discussion, networking and mentoring.

In addition, PNC is dedicated to creating avenues for continuing education for its employees, recently launching a partnership with education resource facilitator Guild Education to provide PNC employees with a curated catalog of tuition-free professional certificates, college prep courses and college degrees.

“As a talent-focused company, we are committed to investing in impactful skills, development programs and educational initiatives that help drive career growth and economic opportunity in the communities we serve,” Thomas says.

When it comes to driving career growth in its communities, PNC has made great strides, such as through its PartnerUp program. Launched in Pittsburgh in 2018, the program helps high school graduates find immediate career opportunities in high-growth industries. Since launching, the program has expanded to Cleveland and Birmingham, AL, with PNC partnering with 60 schools and 28 employers to help more than 2,600 high school seniors build their careers. •