Accenture and the Accenture Foundations have made a US$6 million contribution to Education for Employment (EFE) to help launch its Training for the Future program by delivering online and classroom-based skills training to more than 25,000 disadvantaged youth in Morocco, Spain and Tunisia.
The contribution, which includes cash and pro-bono services, will enable EFE and its local partners to secure employment for at least 3,800 of these youth.
Training for the Future brings together EFE’s nongovernmental affiliates to deliver industry-focused skills training tailored to specific positions, and to identify potential job opportunities for these youth.
The program, which also will launch in Argentina, Brazil and South Africa, will deliver skills training to 37,000 disadvantaged youth overall. EFE will work directly with its local affiliates in Morocco and Tunisia, and will provide coordination and expertise to local nongovernmental organizations in other countries.
In Spain, EFE will launch the program with Cáritas, Spanish Red Cross, FSC Inserta (Fundación ONCE), Secretariado Gitano and Fundación Tomillo.
Accenture’s contribution is part of the company’s corporate citizenship initiative, Skills to Succeed, which is equipping more than 3 million people around the world with the skills to get a job or build a business. In 2013, Accenture helped EFE develop a pilot for a program similar to Training for the Future, which enabled more than 140 disadvantaged youth – 80 percent of program participants – to secure jobs as computer programmers. More than 50 of these youth were offered positions at Accenture.
“The gap between what training programs provide, and the skills demanded in the labor market, remains a barrier to employment for many young people,” said Vicente Moreno, country managing director of Accenture in Spain. “With Training for the Future, we will help EFE scale more effective skills training for these youth.”
As a part of its contribution, Accenture will provide local pro-bono services to help implement the program across the six countries. The services will entail project management and evaluation, including access to Accenture’s proprietary digital training technology, to help equip the youth with market-driven soft skills, such as communication, decision-making and client relations.
“Working together with Accenture, we have developed a more effective way to not only introduce more youth to training, but to equip them with the skills needed for specific jobs,” said Aldo Olcese, Chairman of Education For Employment in Europe. “With Training for the Future, we will provide beneficiaries with more opportunities to access the job market, which is more likely to result in employment on both shores of the Mediterranean.”
