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Skills to Succeed South Africa

Accenture in South Africa – investing in shared success, across society.

Improving lives through skills development

Accenture’s Skills to Succeed initiative empowers people through skills development, entrepreneurship and job opportunities to participate in a more economically inclusive world.

With over a decade of success in South Africa, we continue to evolve and expand this initiative. We collaborate at every level – with our clients, NGOs, suppliers, government, research and development organisations, and other stakeholders – to ensure collective impact to enable a growing economy and a society that works, powered by the potential of young people.

Accenture’s Skills to succeed programme offers skills development in market-relevant, in-demand ICT and other skills. It also arranges employment opportunities for previously disadvantaged young South Africans in partnership with commercial partners, non-profit organisations, and learning and research and development institutions.

Skills to Succeed South Africa

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Skills development

Accenture’s Skills to succeed programme offers skills development in market-relevant, in-demand ICT and other skills. It also arranges employment opportunities for previously disadvantaged young South Africans.

2009

Skills to Succeed programme is launched.

4.6M

Skills to succeed equipped people globally to make substantive improvements to their lives.

5867

In 2020 alone, Skills to Succeed, has helped transform lives.

16393

disadvantaged youth skilled with sought after ICT skills from 2015 to 2020.

30M

Invested since 2015 by Accenture South Africa, in strategic partnerships to scale S2S initiatives.

Our commitment

Our Skills to Succeed (S2S) initiative is about entrepreneurship, skills development, and job opportunities. We empower people to participate in a more economically inclusive world.

Societal response

The world is at an inflection point. The pandemic has triggered the greatest change in human behaviour in history and the single biggest reinvention of industries around the globe. It gives us a rare opportunity to reimagine and rebuild responsibly and sustainably. To realise this future, we need to think differently, act boldly, and collaborate widely.

Through FY21, Accenture’s contributions to address pandemic-related challenges have grown to R80 million. They’re aimed at supporting communities and building resilience. Many align with our Skills to Succeed objectives, opening doors to employment, entrepreneurship and economic opportunity for South Africa’s youth.

Our response to Covid-19 and beyond

Innovating to help our employees, clients and communities tackle societal issues is an important part of what we do as a responsible business. This mindset informed our response to Covid-19 and beyond.

R80M

Invested in South Africa to beat Covid-19 and strengthen society.

R50M

Donated to the South African Solidarity Fund.

R2M

Contributed to community-related NGOs and Skills to Succeed partners.

R14.8M

Contributed to combat vaccine hesitance.

R7.5M

Donated to AMREF Health Africa.

Our R80 million Covid-19 response strengthens society. It also supports our Skills to Succeed goals—opening the doors to employment and economic participation among our youth.

Responsible citizen

At Accenture, corporate citizenship is central to our vision to improve the way the world works and lives. Skills to Succeed is an initiative we launched in 2009, is one of our proudest accomplishments.

S2S addresses the global need for skills, opening doors to employment. We work with strategic partners, reaching into the most vulnerable segments at grassroots level to drive measurable change. We collaborate widely – with our clients, NGOs, suppliers, government and other stakeholders – to ensure collective impact, plug the gaps and enable a growing economy and a society that works, powered by the potential of young people.

Responsible business and sustainability are at the heart of Accenture’s Strategy. Our objective is to deliver 360º value for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. With this new holistic approach we integrate corporate responsibility and sustainability principles into client work, our business, and society.

Our partners and projects

Skills to succeed helps address the global need for skills, opening doors to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. We work with strategic partners, reaching into the most vulnerable segments at grassroots level to drive measurable change.

National Council of and for People with Disabilities has relied on fundraisers for its organization. Accenture helped NCPD achieve record success by digitising their campaigns.

Quirky30 founded by two former inmates as a disruptive solution and a pathway out of poverty, teaches digital literacy, coding and entrepreneurship skills to unemployed and disadvantaged youth.

Southern Africa Youth Projects, provides access to technology, education, health, humanitarian, entrepreneurship training and employment services to youth in disadvantaged townships.

Mentec Foundation trains young people in townships and rural South Africa, developing African ICT digital artisans by introducing ERP training, ICT innovation and live experience.

Global Opportunity Youth Network help youth grow their skills and profiles to access more opportunities and find sustainable and meaningful livelihoods in South Africa.

GirlCode recognises the inherent gender bias in the technology sector. Accenture has partnered with GirlCode to train unemployed female graduates with a goal to get them into formal employment.

The Joburg Centre for Software Engineering aims to grow skilled capacity in South Africa’s ICT Sector. With support from Accenture, JCSE is upskilling young South Africans.

Empowering and accelerating career development

Pandemic-related national lockdowns have exacerbated unemployment in South Africa, making the creation of more employment opportunities and imparting new skills a priority.

To address youth unemployment, Accenture has launched a Skills 2 Succeed Africa (S2S Africa) initiative in partnership with Salesforce and CapaCiti South Africa. In this joint initiative, trainees will gain technical Salesforce.com as well as broader business skills. They will be supported by dedicated professionals in real-life workplace scenarios via coaching and mentorship.

The programme will enrol 50 unemployed young people every quarter, introducing 150 Salesforce-trained professionals into the business environment in 12 months. The project aims to build to more than 500 new skills and 1,000 new certifications in 24 months.

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Skills to Succeed programmes

Accenture has launched an initiative in partnership with Salesforce and CapaCiti South Africa. In this joint initiative,trainees will gain technical Salesforce.com as well as broader business skills.

Accenture Development Partnerships brings global capabilities to address complex social issues impacting the developing world. ADP has relationships with more than 20 multinational corporations.

Accenture a contributor to Aurum, a health organisation that bridges the worlds of research, policy and implementation for impact. The Aurum project also supports Accenture’s Skills to Succeed initiative.

Youth Health Africa is a youth development and empowerment organisation in the health care sector. Accenture is a contributor to the YHA programme that provides skills and empowerment to youth.

CE3 is a collaborative project that provides access to energy, information and communications technologies, and entrepreneurship skills.

Skills to Succeed Academy

The S2S Academy is a free interactive, online learning program. Through mix of video, graphics and audio, it revolutionises employability skills learning.

Through its short courses, learners are able to, among others, make better informed career choices, sharpen their interview skills, get ready for their first day at work, and improve their problem solving capabilities. The characters that populate the learning material are based on real people and real-life scenarios. They take learners through the jobseeker process, with their stories flowing through the modules in the accent of the users.

Our strategic partners are rolling out the S2S Academy programme even as we continue to engage more stakeholders to increase reach and impact. In 2020, the S2S Academy has played a huge role in the placement of beneficiaries into jobs and other educational opportunities. Register Now.

Virtual Skill-Up

Accenture’s Virtual Skill-Up (VSU) is a free Immersive Learning smartphone app that lets users practice their communication skills in real-life situations to build their confidence. The app uses virtual reality (a VR headset or 360° mode without a headset) to simulate workplace and business interactions. It helps to develop critical employability skills through immersive interview, entrepreneurship pitch and public speaking practice.

Learners get rated on key elements of their performance, such as pace, certainty and eye-contact, and receive tips to improve. It’s targeted at people preparing for careers, actively seeking employment, or growing their business. Get the app on Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.

Learn more here.

Meet our lead

Khethiwe Nkuna

Responsible Business Executive
LinkedIn

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