Fast Facts

• Six participating community colleges
• 850 students have participated in classroom programs (September 2010 - April 2011)
• 13,000 students have used JobSTART101 (Nov 2010 - April 2011)

Throughout their academic careers, students learn key functional skills such as writing and analysis that are necessary to compete in the job market.  "Soft skills" - inter-personal skills including effective communication, interview skills, appropriate conflict resolution, general etiquette and critical thinking and problem solving skills - are often left out of formal education, but can determine whether or not an individual will succeed in the workplace.  Accenture's Community Teach program focuses on helping students develop these soft skills.

Accenture began Community Teach in 2009 with "Get Your Game On," a guest speaker series to encourage students to continue their education and explore career opportunities they might otherwise not have considered.  The initiative is part of the company's corporate citizenship focus, Skills to Succeed, which will equip 500,000 people by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business.  The program currently has developed four in-classroom offerings and an online training program called JobSTART101. In fact, in 2012/2013, Community Teach programs have been up and running in Illinois, Michigan, Arkansas, Maryland, California and Massachusetts.  

“Business today can provide genuine insight on what skills workers should be acquiring in order to meet today’s changing economy…[we] hope that other companies will create and adopt similar programs as we continue to look for ways to help American workers acquire the knowledge, skills and support they need to move fluidly from job to job.”

-Bill Green, former Chairman Accenture

How the Partnership Works
Accenture teams with community colleges in communities in which it has offices. The Community Teach Program has two components: curriculum delivered in classroom and online curriculum for self-guided learning.

Classroom Curriculum 

• “Get Your Game On” guest speaker series: The first program in the series, “Get Your Game On”
  is an hour-long discussion led by an Accenture executive to encourage students to continue
  their education and broaden their horizons, exposing them to the opportunities available in the
  business world if they complete a bachelor’s degree.
• “Presentation Etiquette: Are You an Effective Presenter?” series: An Accenture executive
  provides real-time feedback to students on oral presentations, to help them become better
  public speakers and gain confidence as presenters.
• Professional Development Modules: This program covers resume writing
  and interviews, business protocol and online networking, among other professional skills. As the
  program expands, Accenture will be adding a mentoring component.
• Negotiations Workshop: This three-hour workshop focuses on critical thinking and the decisionmaking
  process.

Ideally, students experience the program in sequence, with “Get Your Game On” first, followed by other offerings.

Online Curriculum
JobSTART101 is a two-hour, computer-based training pogram that helps college students transition from the classroom to the workplace. accenture was deeply involved in the development and launch of this publicly available web program, which includes advice on how to establish an online persona or e-brand, develop a workplace personan, cultivate workplace relationships, manage conflict in the office, solve problem and set career goals. Accenture helps to promote the program through Community Teach and its on-campus recruiting.

Benefits to Students
Students gain skills they can use immediately in their job searches and in the workplace. They also have the opportunity to speak with an experienced business leader and learn more about how enhanced professional skills can help them advance their careers and ease their transition into the workplace.

Meeting a Need
The program allows Accenture to give back to the community and help community college students develop the skills they will need to succeed in the working world. Through its work with America’s largest and most successful companies, Accenture has seen how the skills gap and lack of professional skills training is hurting individuals who want to advance their careers. Accenture also recognizes that American companies rely on a dependable, professional workforce. The Community Teach program is an important effort to fill that gap.

Helping Los Angeles Students Prepare to Job Search
Veronica, graduating from a Los Angeles-area community college, dreamed of "acing" her job interviews. At a recent Skills to Succeed job-readiness workshop with the Los Angeles Community College District, a team of 35 Accenture volunteers coached students like Veronica on their interview skills, provided resume-building guidance and helped to demystify the job search process for more than 185 eager community college students.

When Veronica explained that nerves usually got the best of her on interviews, Accenture volunteer Takeisha Rayson, a Los Angeles-based manager, led her through practice sessions to help her feel more confident."

"It helps to know that we have all come through the interview process," said Takeisha. "That knowledge can boost anyone's self-esteem."

Skills for America's Future (SAF) is a non-partisan, employer-led initiative of the Aspen Institute. It is focused on creating a national network of partnerships among employers, community colleges, industry associations and other stakeholders. These partnerships are designed to ensure that American workers receive the necessary training to meet the skill needs of employers, giving them the opporunity to obtain and keep good jobs. 

For more information about how your company can partner with community colleges and Skills for America's Future, contact Rene Bryce-Laporte at rene.bryce-laporte@aspeninst.org