Skills to Succeed

Skills are a key driver of economic empowerment for individuals and communities alike. In a rapidly changing world with competitive workforce pressures, the need is greater than ever to have the right skills to build confidence and capabilities that will open doors to employment in emerging and mature markets. At the same time, this societal need resonates with a key competence and hallmark of our talent-based company: training and developing people to achieve higher levels of performance.

Skills to Succeed inspires our people. Their passion, experience and commitment to developing and nurturing talent fuel our initiatives—and demonstrate the impact business can have when it harnesses its talents to make a difference. We offer our people volunteering and pro bono consulting opportunities and expand our impact by replicating and scaling successful programs. Their support gives us an opportunity to create sustained impact in our communities.

In 2009, we developed and launched a new corporate citizenship initiative, Skills to Succeed, which focuses on building skills that enable people around the world to participate in and contribute to the economy.

Skills to Succeed inspires our people and gives us an opportunity to create sustained impact in our communities. In 2010, we set an overarching goal for our efforts. By 2015, Skills to Succeed initiatives will equip 250,000 people around the world with the skills to get a job or build a business. By the end of fiscal 2011, we have equipped more than 160,000 people—nearly two-thirds of our goal of 250,000 people—with workplace and entrepreneurial skills.

Additionally, Accenture and the Accenture Foundations will contribute more than US$100 million by the end of 2013—in global and local giving, as well as pro bono contributions of time and Accenture employee skills—to support our corporate citizenship efforts.

We are driving measurable impact through our long-term relationships with strategic partners by increasing marketplace competitiveness and economic resilience, building sustainable businesses and creating employment opportunities. We select our strategic partners based on their shared vision for Skills to Succeed; their ability to fully leverage our services and resources; a footprint and reach that enable our employees to engage and support them wherever they are; and their proven track record.

In 2009, we had 80 collaborative initiatives around the world; today, we have more than 200, including:

• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)—In China, Haiti, Peru and the Philippines, we are helping IFRC increase its ability to support vulnerable people, enabling them—in the wake of disasters and more generally—to secure livelihoods and play a part in the economy. Through this four-year effort, we will train almost 900 trainers and help almost 1,900 people secure jobs. In 2010, Accenture awarded IFRC US$3.7 million, including US$1.7 million of in-kind consulting and related services.

   

• Junior Achievement and Junior Achievement Young Enterprise (JA-YE)—We are involved with Junior Achievement in more than 19 countries around the world, helping to equip young people with workplace and entrepreneurial skills. In Europe, we are working with JA-YE to provide innovative education programs to train young people in employability, entrepreneurship and economics in a practical way. In 2009, we committed US$735,000 to JA-YE. By the end of fiscal 2011, nearly 18,000 students in 16 countries had benefited from this program.

   

• Plan International—In India and Vietnam, we support Plan International's work to provide training and career opportunities to more than 3,500 underprivileged young people to prepare them for jobs in industries such as information technology, customer relations, business process outsourcing and electronic repair. In 2011, we committed US$1.93 million over a three-year period to Plan International.

   

• Save the Children—In China, we are teaming with Save the Children to provide migrant young people in Shanghai and Beijing with vocational and life skills, helping them to secure work opportunities that will enable them to become active members of their local communities and find their place in society. In 2010, we awarded Save the Children US$800,000, and by the end of fiscal 2011, we had helped train 1,200 migrant workers. Our target is to help provide skills to 10,000 workers by the end of fiscal 2013.

   

• Youth Business International (YBI)—We are helping Youth Business International provide its global network with improved tools, funding, mentoring and training to help disadvantaged young people become successful business entrepreneurs. Our support has enabled YBI to train more than 16,000 entrepreneurs and, since 2006, we have given the organization US$3.6 million.

Skills to Succeed has seized the imagination of our employees, and their time, skills, advisory services and expertise enhances our impact around the world. In fiscal 2011, Accenture people participated in more than 358,000 hours of corporate citizenship efforts.

Learn more about how Skills to Succeed is making a sustained impact in our communities and how our people are contributing in their local markets around the world.

View the Skills to Succeed Impact Map