Accenture and MIT’s Professional Education Programs Office Launch New Training and Certification Program for the Company’s Global IT Workforce

-- Employees will earn application developer and application designer certifications from Accenture and MIT PEP --

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and NEW YORK; May 17, 2007 — As global demand for a highly skilled IT workforce continues to grow, certification programs are increasing in both importance and sophistication.  In a first-time effort of this type, Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s office of Professional Education Programs (MIT PEP) are working together to develop the Accenture Solutions Delivery Academy, a new training and certification program based on the company’s application delivery curriculum. 

“Educational innovation and leadership in a global industrial context continues to challenge us to find new and broader ways of achieving excellence and impact,” said Dick K. P. Yue, associate dean of Engineering at MIT and faculty director of MIT PEP.  “Our program with Accenture provides one model for industry-campus engagement focused on professional education.”

“MIT’s input into the program has been invaluable giving insight into structure, content and approach which adds up to a unique training experience for our people,” said Paul Richardson, an Accenture senior executive and sponsor of the program. 

Accenture’s two-year collaboration with MIT PEP includes ongoing review of the academy’s educational content, student assessments, and overall program design by several MIT School of Engineering faculty who are experts in related subject areas, including: Java, C++, SAP, host-centric and Microsoft technologies and the software-development lifecycle.  Faculty feedback is incorporated into course material and examinations.

“The Accenture Solutions Delivery Academy allows us to offer another training program that enhances our competitiveness with its focus on educational excellence,” said Stephen J. Rohleder, Accenture’s chief operating officer.  “Employees gain access to coursework and highly marketable certifications developed with the participation of the world’s preeminent engineering school, while Accenture benefits from a technology solutions workforce that is trained in, and held to, the highest standards.”

Approximately 20,000 Accenture employees are eligible to enroll in the program, making it the largest such initiative ever undertaken by MIT PEP.  The first participants are expected to receive their certifications in August of 2007.

“Helping Accenture to launch its Solutions Delivery Academy is a natural fit with PEP’s mission to broadly engage professionals in ongoing engineering, science, and technological education opportunities that enhance leadership, practice, and innovation,” said Yue.

MIT’s School of Engineering also benefits from a first-hand view of how related concepts are being used in the workplace.

“Collaborating with Accenture allows our engineering faculty to see firsthand how concepts taught in the classroom are applied in a global corporation on large-scale software development efforts,” explained Dr. John Williams, a professor at MIT’s School of Engineering. 

To successfully progress through the Accenture Solutions Delivery Academy and earn their certifications, employees must complete online and classroom coursework, apply their knowledge on practical assignments, and pass a series of rigorous exams.

Employees who successfully complete the program will be awarded “application developer” or “application designer” certifications by Accenture and MIT PEP, recognizing software engineering, system-integration and application-delivery skills.

"One of MIT’s abiding strengths is our interest in taking the ideas we develop in our classrooms and using them in actual practice.  Through our collaboration with Accenture, we have the opportunity to do precisely that: we have a chance to affect how thousands of people at Accenture do their work," explained Dr. Steve Lerman, a professor at MIT’s School of Engineering.

Accenture invested $700 million in training during the company’s last fiscal year, ending Aug. 31, 2006, and the Accenture Solutions Delivery Academy is the latest example of the company’s commitment to advancing its employees’ technical and professional skills. 

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company.  Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments.  With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills and technologies to help clients improve their performance.  With more than 152,000 people in 49 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$16.65 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2006.  Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About MIT’s Professional Education Programs Office

MIT’s Professional Education Programs office (MIT PEP), organized under the School of Engineering, is the gateway to lifelong learning from MIT’s renowned faculty.  MIT PEP provides continuing education courses, short courses, internet-based programs, and customized lifelong learning opportunities for science and engineering professionals at all levels.  Its home page is http://mit.edu/mitpep.

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