Accenture is supporting its ‘Skills to Succeed’ programme to equip more than three million people globally with job and entrepreneurial skills by 2020, with a new call for collaboration in Scotland to help prepare the future workforce and unlock the advantages of the digital economy.
In the first of what is hoped to be a series of events, workshops and meetings, Accenture will discuss the findings of its report, New Skills Now: Inclusion in the Digital Economy with its Scotland-based community partners, corporate clients and not-for-profit organisations.
Citing estimates that 65% of children starting school today would one day hold jobs that do not currently exist, Accenture wants to help build a more equal and inclusive society by future proofing workforce development.
In its report, Accenture found that the roles requiring digital skills will grow by 12% by 2024 and that project-based work is set to increase from 28% in 2015 to 66% in 2020. The firm concluded that early exposure to computer science along with the integration of critical employability skills is crucial to helping prepare the next generation of workers.
This generation can expect multiple careers and for them resilience, adaptability and a love of learning will be the critical skills for success as digital continues to drive rapid change in the economy, it said.
“Technology and data skills are no longer solely the purview of experts; digital competence is critical in all careers and will become increasingly so as all occupations and businesses will have a digital component in the future,” said Lucy Murdoch, Managing Director, Global Corporate Citizenship Delivery, for Accenture in Scotland.
“We know that digital technologies offer tremendous opportunities for growth, but the benefits must be realised as part of an inclusive society, where everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
“We hope that our report will inspire action to drive critical skills development and prepare workers of all backgrounds for success, today and tomorrow.
“To have an impact, we must work collaboratively to develop new ways to teach and learn New Skills Now, sharing, amplifying and replicating what works. For that reason, Accenture Corporate Citizenship is committed to taking the insights from this report and putting them into action with our network of Skills to Succeed partners.”
In May, Accenture announced that it is supporting its vision to improve the way the world works and lives, with a commitment of £150m over the next three years to improving job skills for the digital age through its Skills to Succeed, Tech4Good, Accenture Development Partnerships and related Accenture initiatives.
This follows the April roll out of Accenture Digital Skills, a programme of free online courses designed to help tackle the digital skills gap, across Scotland, following a successful pilot with Young Enterprise Scotland (YES).
The partnership between Accenture and YES sees seven digital training courses, hosted on FutureLearn, promoted to schools and colleges, Education Scotland and the College Development Network Scotland.
The courses have been designed to provide young people, entrepreneurs, people returning to work and those looking to re-skill with the digital knowledge and skills required to thrive in the digital economy.
