CAREERS

Personalized development

Overview

At Accenture, we know that success for our people requires two things: the right skills and the right opportunities. Constant learning is essential to building the right skills, which is why we make learning – from basic skills to industry-specific content—available to all our people.

In addition to providing opportunities to learn through training, we provide opportunities to grow through Performance Achievement, our performance development program, which focuses on individual employees: your strengths, your progress and your career possibilities.

Accenture Connected Learning

We spent US$841 million on the training and professional development of our people in fiscal 2015—delivering 15 million hours of training, at an average of more than 40 hours per employee. With a focus on digital, we’ve reinvented our approach to learning, enabling our 373,000 people to unleash ideas, drive innovation and develop the highly specialized skills they need to succeed and thrive.

The centerpiece of this investment is Accenture Connected Learning, a blend of classroom-based training and a digital learning environment that links our employees to professional content and world-class experts from inside and outside Accenture.

Accenture Connected Learning has enabled our people—be they data scientists, visual designers, information architects, mortgage processors or any of the diverse skilled professionals within the company—to enrich their professional capabilities, develop the critical skills needed to stay market-relevant and enhance their own career opportunities.

Accenture Connected Learning is comprised of:

More than 50 connected classrooms that enable Accenture people from multiple locations—often spanning thousands of miles—to participate together in interactive and collaborative classroom sessions taught by Accenture’s senior leaders and world-class subject-matter experts. Accenture plans to double the number of its virtual classrooms in fiscal 2016, to more than 100.

Five regional learning centers, which offer Accenture employees a more traditional classroom learning environment and help develop the company’s talent locally. The company has centers in Bengaluru, India; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; London, England; Madrid, Spain; and St. Charles, Illinois (outside Chicago) in the United States.

More than 24,000 online courses and 900 learning boards—online forums curated by subject matter experts through which Accenture people can find and share the best information and ideas. These online courses and learning boards provide anywhere, anytime learning opportunities—giving employees development opportunities outside of the traditional classroom environment.

More than 100 Professional Communities, the newest learning environment within Accenture Connected Learning, which bring together Accenture colleagues around the world who do similar work, such as software engineering, or who specialize in a specific industry, such as banking. Through Professional Communities, employees can harness the power of Accenture’s global network for answers, ideas, collaboration, innovation, lessons learned, industry insight and more—whether for ongoing professional development or a point-in-time need.

Professional Development

Professional development begins when our people first join Accenture and continues throughout their careers.

Core programs, required for all our professionals, provide employees with the foundational skills they need (including courses on culture and our core values, ethics, leadership behaviors and business acumen). The resulting shared language allows us to create teams from many countries and disciplines to meet our clients’ needs.

We build on this foundation with specialized skills training.

Training programs are tailored to individual needs, and the courses that employees choose depend on their skills, experience and areas of interest. Our global portal offers more than 50,000 online courses, virtual classrooms and other key learning resources. Our people can find resources to build new skills and enhance existing skills. It also provides employees their required curriculum, course schedules and links to course registration.

Of course, because professional development is at the heart of what we do, we’ll always be looking for new ways to learn and harvesting innovative ideas. And, since you’ll be working with the world’s leading companies, you’ll learn on the job every day, from client work, project team members, mentors and others.

Performance Achievement

Performance Achievement is our new approach to performance management.

We’re moving from an annual review process to one that includes real-time, forward-looking conversations about setting priorities, growing strengths and creating rewarding career opportunities for our people. Rather than manage, measure and administer a process, we believe that, when we hire great people, we should trust them and give them the freedom to innovate, take action and grow.

Performance Achievement is centered on a number of things:

First it’s about knowing yourself, understanding your strengths, what you’re good at and what you love to do.
Next, it’s about engaging with your team by sharing and discussing priorities and creating team-based action plans that get everyone involved.
Third, it's about giving and getting coaching. Leaders will spend more time coaching and talking with employees and less time on time-consuming administrative activities, and peers and team mates will coach one another.
Finally, it's about taking action and growing your career without waiting for the end of the year. With an ongoing view of your achievements and impact, you’ll be able to take advantage of opportunities that align with your strengths and passions.

Career Counselors

Our career counselors play an important role in the mentoring of Accenture people.

Few companies assign each of their employees a designated, more experienced person who provides career coaching and guidance to help them manage their careers and develop professionally. We place enormous value on mentoring within the workplace. Accenture employees have the opportunity to learn from and be coached by the best people in the business—supportive leaders and colleagues who share their industry, technical and functional expertise.

Your career counselor will:

	Help you shape your career goals and actions to achieve those goals.
	Help you navigate career options and opportunities at Accenture.
	Clarify your job/role and expectations when needed.
	Provide direct, honest and timely feedback.

Accenture career counselors are empowered to make a real difference in the careers of our people—and our business results.

INTERNAL COMMUNITIES

Our internal communities help our people feel connected throughout Accenture no matter where they are located or with whom they work.

Communities are typically comprised of 100 to 150 employees spanning all levels and provide a forum to create strong ties with colleagues through professional and social activities.

Various employee resources groups (ERGs) also exist to help people build connections. ERGS are often organized around common interests and differ from location to location, but they all promote inclusion and diversity through education, awareness, professional and personal development and cross-cultural interactions. All of our ERGs are open for any of our employees to join.