The $439 billion-asset Bank of New York Mellon plans to offer free technical training to 1,000 community bank executives as part of a wider effort aimed at boosting financial education among employees of banks and nonprofits. BNY unveiled the initiative Wednesday. For bankers, the specialized instruction will cover a range of topics, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data analytics, corporate finance and strategic planning. BNY conceived of the program in-house, using input it gathered from a survey of community banks last September. “Our capacity-building and training initiative was developed internally because we recognize the pivotal role small community banks play in fostering local economies,” Shofiur Razzaque, BNY’s head of community banking and solutions, wrote in an email to American Banker. “These banks are integral to the communities they serve. Our goal is to find ways to support and strengthen them.” BNY is limiting eligibility to bankers from institutions with less than $10 billion of assets. The New York-based custody bank will deliver the training remotely and in sessions led by the company’s senior leaders. It also plans to hold panel events on key topics, according to Razzaque. Participants will be permitted to access the training sessions of their choice, rather than adhere to a formal class structure. BNY plans to reach out to bankers through their CEOs, trade groups and state bankers associations. It will also invite them to participate directly, Razzaque stated in the email.