Accenture: Aligning community investment activities with business goals

Year:

2013

Company Description:
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and
outsourcing company, with approximately 275,000 people serving clients in more
than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive
capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive
research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with
clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The
company generated net revenues of US$28.6 billion for the fiscal year ended
Aug. 31, 2013. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

Business Issue:

The future health of our business is inextricably linked to the future prosperity of the communities in which we operate. Failure to address issues of (un)employment or to make links with local education and employment-focused organisations would limit our future access to local talent pools. Given the positioning of Ireland as a knowledge-based, ‘smart’, ‘high skills’ economy and an innovation hub, it is more important than ever for education and training to help achieve that goal through the upgrading and adaptation of skills and knowledge.

Developing the skills and talent of our people and clients is at the heart of Accenture’s business – it is what we do every day. Skill-building initiatives allows us to apply our deep experience in talent management and skills development to make a significant and lasting impact on the economic well-being of individuals, their families and communities.

Solution Applied:

Skills to Succeed draws on one of Accenture’s core competencies—training talent—to help address the need for skills that open doors to employment around the world. It is a key aspect of how we embed corporate social responsibility into our business. We exceeded our original Skills to Succeed goal and increased our impact: by 2015, we plan to equip 500,000 people globally with the skills to get a job or build a business.

Skills to Succeed supports our efforts to make a significant and sustainable impact on the economic well-being of individuals, their families and their communities. We partner with non-profits such as Fastrack to IT (FIT), Jobcare and Junior Achievement, that all share our skills-building goals and help to drive Skills to Succeed impact locally.

For the last three years, Accenture has collaborated with FIT to develop the Emerge programme, which provides the long-term unemployed with access to courses in the areas of computer programming, cloud computing, digital and mobile technologies. Accenture employees are directly involved with FIT through facilitation of company visits, mentoring, mock interviews and internships.

JobNet is an innovative, networking Jobclub set up by Jobcare in late 2010 with Accenture’s support. It meets the needs of unemployed professionals by providing a professional environment where job seekers can enhance their marketable skills and learn to network effectively to find employment. The partnership between Accenture and Jobcare allows Accenture employees from all parts of the business to volunteer their time to support Jobcare’s initiatives and to provide direct support to the beneficiaries through mentoring and mock interviews. Accenture volunteers have also participated in networking sessions with JobNet members and delivered short training sessions to the group.

Accenture volunteers participate in Junior Achievement’s Success Skills workshops which bring innovative, interactive enterprise and life skills into the lives of almost 600 students across Ireland each year. Students learn the importance of education and realise that their current skills and interests will help build a career path to a job they find interesting and fulfilling. The programme helps them to understand the fundamentals of getting a job, preparing a CV, participating in an interview and how to value and improve their communication and teamwork skills.

Company Benefits:
We wanted a theme for our community investment activities that resonated with who we are as a company – so we could make a real difference.  Developing the skills and talent of our people is at the heart of our business; it is what we do every day. Skills to Succeed combines our people’s passion, experience and commitment to nurturing talent.  We believe Skills to Succeed has the opportunity to make a sustainable difference to the long-term vibrancy and vitality of individuals, families and communities around the world.  It also allows Accenture employees the chance to develop and share their skills and experience in a meaningful way.

Stakeholder Benefits:

There are numerous benefits for the Skills to Succeed organisations with whom we collaborate.  The Skills to Succeed goal is designed to drive measurable, sustainable impact for the community.  In addition to the numbers of people equipped with skills to help them get a job or start a business, we also measure the impact through additional outcomes resulting from our investment in these programmes, e.g. numbers gaining employment, numbers starting a new business or employing others, numbers experiencing increased confidence levels.

Through Accenture’s wider business objectives, our Skills to Succeed partnerships also provide an opportunity for Accenture to raise awareness of social issues and highlight the great work of non-profits working in this space to a wider audience, e.g. graduates, employees, clients.

Tip:
Find a theme for community investment activities that is aligned with your business and be ambitious with your goals!

Solution Champion:
Carmel Halpin
Corporate Citizenship Lead: carmel.halpin@accenture.com

Link to Video:

http://www.accenture.com/us-en/company/citizenship/Pages/skills-succeed.aspx