CHICAGO – Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot
today joined Governor J.B. Pritzker, City Colleges of Chicago and Accenture
executives in announcing an expansion of the global company, which will create
600 new tech jobs and create additional economic opportunity for Chicago. As
part of its investment in Chicago, Accenture will expand its workforce by
bringing together its 6,200 people to the newly named Accenture Tower at 500 W.
Madison and will create new pathways for aspiring talent by growing its
apprenticeship program to 180 students completing the program by the end of
2022.
“The City of Chicago is committed to
inclusive growth that ensures the success of a thriving
downtown extends across all of our city’s neighborhoods and communities,” said
Mayor Lightfoot. “We thank Accenture for their continued investment in the City
of Chicago, and for their partnership with the City Colleges of Chicago to
expand apprenticeships that will unlock new career opportunities for our city’s
students.”
Created in partnership with the City
Colleges of Chicago, Accenture’s professional apprentice program unlocks career
opportunities for individuals who haven’t had the opportunity to work in the
technology industry as well as those returning to the workforce, or whose jobs
have been disrupted by technology. The combination of post-secondary education
with paid work-based learning in a professional services career has become a
national model for creating new career opportunities for broader pools of
talent.
“Professional apprenticeships can
play an important role in closing the skills gap and creating new career paths
for underserved groups of individuals,” said Pallavi Verma, senior managing
director responsible for Accenture’s business in the Midwest. “Together with
the City of Chicago and City Colleges of Chicago, we will accelerate the
creation of these opportunities for the extremely talented individuals who
might not otherwise participate in the digital economy--a win-win for Chicago employers
and its residents.”
Apprentices work across a variety of
areas within Accenture, from the internal IT group to client facing work,
taking on many high-demand roles in evolving industries, such as:
cybersecurity, digital, data analytics and cloud migration, to name a few.
“Because of Accenture’s leadership on
apprenticeships, City Colleges of Chicago is increasingly an important
source of entry-level talent for the firm’s growing Midwest office,” said
Chancellor Juan Salgado of City Colleges of Chicago, who set a bold goal that
half of all City Colleges graduates would gain a work-based learning
experience, such as an apprenticeship. “With this expansion, Accenture
continues to help create a more inclusive Chicago economy.”
Accenture’s apprenticeships in
Chicago are twelve months long and include formal learning,
on-the-job training, coaching, and paid work on average of 36-40 hours per
week. Upon completing the program, apprentices have the opportunity to convert
to full-time employment with Accenture.
The apprentices include Ahmad
Aladawi, who came to Chicago from Syria in 2014, not knowing English, having to
hustle multiple jobs seven days a week to support himself and contribute to his
family. Ahmad juggled work with learning English and earning his associate
degree at Wright College, one of the seven City Colleges of Chicago. At Wright,
Ahmad learned about the Accenture apprenticeship partnership, and successfully
applied. The company has since hired Ahmad into a full-time Security Analyst
role.
In Chicago, Aon and Accenture
co-founded the Chicago Apprentice Network, which convenes companies from across
the Chicagoland area to help advance professional apprenticeship programs.
Accenture, in partnership with The Chicago Apprentice Network, created a
national apprenticeship program playbook, “Bridging the Gap Between Talent and Opportunity,” to
help other local Chicago employers jumpstart similar programs and incorporate
apprentices into their workforces.
As part of her focus on growing
economic opportunity for all communities, Mayor Lightfoot is committed to
building new opportunities for the City’s youth to engage in apprenticeship
programming. Working with the City’s corporate, philanthropic and education
partners, the administration will expand meaningful youth apprenticeship
opportunities across Chicago’s evolving industries, and create new pathways to
economic stability for communities.