Accenture’s support of Skills to Succeed-focused jobs training program earns top recognition

JobSTART 101 “Smart Tips and Real-World Training” is a free online course that provides college students and recent graduates with the critical professional skills they need to succeed in the workplace.  Business Roundtable and the HR Policy Association sponsored JobSTART 101.  Accenture, a member of both organizations, provided instructional design, content direction and program management expertise further supporting its Skills to Succeed corporate citizenship initiative.

This engaging and innovative course recently won two distinguished awards – the Silver Telly Award and the Astrid Gold Award.  The Silver Telly Award is given to the best local, regional and cable television commercials and programs, as well as for the finest work created on the web. 

JobSTART 101 also received an Astrid Gold Award, which recognizes exceptional design creativity and quality work achievement in a variety of marketing and communications categories. Winners are selected by an international panel of judges who rate overall creativity, clarity and production quality.

Preparing the next generation workforce

Accenture Chairman Bill Green, who led Business Roundtable’s Education, Innovation and Workforce Initiative during the development and release of JobSTART 101, stressed the importance of JobSTART 101: “While the United States remains focused on job creation, it’s equally important to ensure that our workforce has the skills and training to succeed in today’s economy. By building communication and analytical skills, JobSTART 101 helps prepare new employees to meet the challenges of the job market, thereby helping to create a more competitive workforce.”

JobSTART 101 covers  topics such as how to communicate and solve problems and how to develop a professional persona that helps position a career for long-term success. Designed to be engaging and fast-paced, students have the option to complete the entire course in approximately 90 minutes or tackle six topical modules at a time and participate in interactive components, such as videos and workbooks.

The genesis for the course originated with The Springboard Project, an independent commission that Green chaired in 2009. The Springboard Project recommended to Business Roundtable and the HR Policy Association the development of innovative education and training programs designed to help improve the global economy. Ultimately, that idea became JobSTART 101—and a component of Accenture’s Skills to Succeed corporate citizenship initiative to equip 250,000 people around the world by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business.