Accenture Grants Plan International US$1.93 Million to Provide Young Adults in Vietnam and India with Business Skills

Accenture and Plan International today announced that Accenture and the Accenture Foundations have awarded Plan International a grant of US$1.93 million to help provide training and career opportunities for approximately 3,500 underprivileged young people in India and Vietnam. The grant consists of cash as well as the time and skills of Accenture employees and builds on pro bono work done by Accenture in the Netherlands.

The award is part of Accenture’s Skills to Succeed initiative, which is equipping 250,000 people by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business. The grant will help provide underprivileged 18-to-25 year olds with skills training, as well as life skills and work readiness training to prepare them for jobs in industries such as information technology, customer relations, business process outsourcing and electronic repair. The two-year program will build networks of employers to match trainees with local job opportunities.

In addition, Accenture will help Plan International develop a business model for its REACH project, which currently trains disadvantaged young people in cities in Vietnam, so it can expand that program to other developing countries. To date, REACH has placed 80 percent of the people it has trained.

“Supporting Plan International helps bring to life Accenture’s commitment to building skills – drawing on our people’s passion, experience and dedication to developing and nurturing talent,” said Adrian Lajtha, chief leadership officer at Accenture. “Plan is succeeding at a rapid pace and is proving that it’s possible to make a significant, lasting impact on the economic well-being of individuals by developing skills and connecting people with the right job opportunities.”

“These are truly exciting times for the rapidly expanding economies and markets of India and Vietnam,” said Plan International CEO Nigel Chapman. “But we must remember that this can exacerbate the widening gap between rich and poor. Accenture’s globally recognized know-how is a perfect match to Plan’s existing programs and will help us reach marginalized young people and help ensure they have the skills and opportunities to actively participate and share in the benefits of a growing nation. We are confident a standardized model for youth training programs will have a ripple effect, allowing us to rapidly expand the program worldwide.”

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 215,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. Through its Skills to Succeed corporate citizenship focus, Accenture is committed to equipping 250,000 people around the world by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business. The company generated net revenues of US$21.6 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2010. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About Plan International

Founded over 70 years ago, Plan is one of the oldest and largest children's development organisations in the world. We work in 48 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas to promote child rights and lift millions of children out of poverty.Its website address is www.plan-international.org.