Accenture Increases Funding for Skills to Succeed in Brazil

Source: MarketWatch

Accenture and Conexao today announced that the Accenture Foundations have awarded Conexao an additional grant of US$1.1 million to help the organization expand its efforts to provide employment skills for underprivileged young people and mentor local entrepreneurs in Brazil. This grant brings Accenture’s direct support to Conexao to more than $3.9 million.

The award reflects Accenture’s global corporate citizenship initiative, Skills to Succeed, which will equip 250,000 people around the world by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business. The one-year grant will help Conexao provide vocational skills for an additional 5,700 young people and mentoring and coaching for approximately 100 entrepreneurs.

In addition to the grant, Accenture will continue supporting Conexao with pro bono services as it has done since the organization’s inception in 2007. Specifically, Accenture employee volunteers will teach professional training courses and provide mentoring support to the entrepreneurs. Earlier this year, Accenture featured Conexao in a television advertisement about the company’s global Skills to Succeed initiative.

“Supporting Conexao helps bring to life Accenture’s commitment to building skills,” said Adrian Lajtha, chief leadership officer at Accenture. “Conexao is proving it’s possible to make a significant, lasting impact on the economic well-being of individuals and their communities by developing skills and connecting people with the right job opportunities.”

Conexao is a social venture of Rede Cidada, a Brazilian organization in partnership with Youth Business International, which supports young people striving to start businesses. Established with the support of a US$1.2 million grant from Accenture Foundations, Conexao has already enrolled more than 20,300 young people in technical courses, helped approximately 6,400 enter the workforce and provided support for more than 200 entrepreneurs.

“We are delighted that Accenture has decided to extend its partnership with Conexao,” said Mario Vieria, Conexao’s chief executive officer. “This will enable us to extend our reach to thousands more young people and entrepreneurs, supporting them with training and skills for the workplace. With this initiative, we will make a huge difference to them and their families, giving them more independence and choice.”