In 2022, let’s become Creators (not just Consumers) of Talent

Last year, I had the privilege of joining the Board of Directors for Covenant House International, a mission driven organization dedicated to eradicating youth homelessness. I have been associated with Covenant House for the past few years, most significantly through my participation in their Executive Sleepout movement. The Sleepout is a unique experience where for one night we get to brave the elements – snow, rain, winds – providing a stark window into the harsh realities of many young people around the world. My most recent participation in November prompted these reflections the morning after.

My involvement with Covenant House has been an aperture into inspiring stories of youth who have overcome tremendous odds, not only to attain great personal accomplishments, but also in lifting others in similar circumstances. When I see these young people, I can’t help but see not only phenomenal humans, but also leadership talent.?

On the other hand, in my day-to-day existence as an executive, I am constantly confronted with the acute shortage of talent to meet the ever-increasing needs of a Tech propelled global economy. This phenomenon is not uncommon in the business world - according to transcripts collected by Sentieo, a financial research company, in the second quarter of 2021, "labor shortage" was referenced 136 times during corporate calls. In the years prior, the phrase was used fewer than 60 times total.

Most of you didn’t need that stat, did you? You’re living the lack of qualified workers. Rather than bemoan the paucity of skilled workers, however, we have resolved to embark on a new mission - to become Creators of Talent! Guided by a firm belief that talent is all around us.?We simply need to seek with open hearts and minds, innovate with new models to bridge the skills gaps, and create pathways for people from a variety of backgrounds.

Why is this important? If we continue to rely solely on skilled professionals, we will experience a growing scarcity of talent as there simply isn’t enough to meet the needs of the industry. On the other hand, we will exacerbate an already widening socio-economic gap where swathes of people are left out of the gambit of employment in a pandemic ravaged world. Simply put, creating talent is the right path towards a more inclusive and just society, one where prosperity is for all rather than a select few.

So how might we create new talent? Here are some ideas that we are pursuing in Accenture…

First, we recognize that technology needn’t be the bastion of STEM graduates alone. Or even those with a college degree. So many opportunities exist for no-code and low-code work. Many tasks now use visual interfaces with basic logic and drag-and-drop capabilities, eliminating the need for expertise in complex coding languages. More importantly, the incoming generations are digital natives come of age and with increasing tech-savviness regardless of educational background.

Going to college is highly correlated to family income, and hence out of reach for a significant population. When we tap into a workforce that doesn’t have a four-year degree, we can access people who may have the aptitude and potential for technology jobs but don’t yet have job-ready skills. We have partnered with nonprofits like TechBridge and NPower across the country, helping skill young people for jobs with sustainable wages. We are also helping military personnel and their families transition to civilian life, having hired over 5,000 veterans, service members and spouses by the end of 2020.

Accenture’s apprenticeship program focuses on providing non-traditional hires with digital skills. Through it, we are filling jobs that are open while giving underserved groups greater access to the digital economy. In a learn-and-earn model that typically lasts 12 months, apprentices gain skills and can transition into a role with room for growth. In other words, they now have a career! Since 2016, Accenture has brought on 1,200 apprentices in 35 cities across North America. Many of these people are from diverse backgrounds including Black and Latinx, as well as military veterans - and four in five don’t have a college degree.

Ronny Villaman Silverio is in his third (final) year of an Accenture paid apprenticeship that started when he attended the Academy of Innovative Technology, a high school in Brooklyn, New York. At just 18 years old, he is juggling his first year of college attending evening classes, while apprenticing for Accenture during the day. “I want to study cybersecurity,” he shared. “Thanks to Accenture, I know what I want to do. I know I don’t want just a job. Jobs are something you do for money. Careers are something you do for development.”

Toshan Sukhandan attended the same high school and at just 17, is also in his third year of apprenticing with us. “When I came to this country from Guyana, in middle school, I didn’t even know how to cut and paste. Now, I’m learning how to do some really cool no-code work and I’m getting into an area that’s got a lot of jobs—cloud.”

We are running tech academies in several parts of the world. For example, 28% of our hires in Latin America came from these academies last fiscal. The model is working. Mariany Queiros dos Santos, an academy attendee in Brazil, shared: “In addition to technical learning, I met amazing people. I managed to improve myself personally and professionally.”

Second, technology jobs open the door for people with disabilities as well as those from underserved communities. Most technology jobs do not involve physical labor, allowing people with disabilities to use their talents to the fullest. Persons with disabilities represent about 15% of the world's population but estimates show that 80% are not employed. At Accenture, we have worked hard to ensure we not only hire people with disabilities but that they are fully equipped with what they need to thrive in their job.

In India, Accenture’s inspirational program, Aarambh (which means “Beginning” in Hindi), provides training and internships to people with disabilities as well as helping underprivileged women with a path to employability. We have now extended it to spouses of our employees who tragically passed away last year during the devastating second COVID wave. Upon completion, they will be offered appropriate roles within our organization. Says Shreya Prajapati: “This training will always remain close to my heart wherever I go.”

Finally, we can create pathways across sectors. Through the course of this pandemic, while some industries were hit hard (e.g., travel, tourism and retail), others like ours were in dire need of people. Workers in some industries need gainful employment. Skilling these workers for tech jobs - especially those who have had some exposure to technology already - just makes sense. During the early days of the pandemic, Accenture partnered with Lincoln Financial Group, ServiceNow and Verizon to launch People+Work Connect, a unique platform where companies who were laying off or furloughing workers could connect with companies in urgent need of workers. In many cases, cross-skilling allowed people to remain gainfully employed while switching employers or industries.

On January 1, among the many texts and wishes that I woke up to, one was especially uplifting. “[The New Year] …is yet another chance to dream wild, to promise oneself a better life than the year gone by, to pour yourself into something or someone like never before, hope for the thrill of adventure and the joy of being awed, of being touched by warmth and generosity and kindness and love and all that is good in this world. That’s why this time of year is special......the renewal of hope and possibilities.”?

Let us create new hope and possibilities. For all, not just a few. Happy 2022!