- Accenture partners with The Astronauts Collective to launch youth mentorship programmes, aiming to mentor pre-employment students in digital skills like AI, cybersecurity, and problem-solving.
- Day X and JumpStart programmes to see Accenture staff commit 5,000 volunteer hours, mentoring students in secondary and tertiary schools with a focus on career discovery and job readiness.
- Accenture pledges $500,000 to the President’s Challenge, marking its 50th anniversary and SG60, while supporting Singapore’s Smart Nation 2.0 and youth empowerment through Mentoring SG.
Professional services firm Accenture revealed it is sponsoring youth mentorship programmes this year, at 50th anniversary celebration dinner at Raffles Hotel.
Together with The Astronauts Collective (TAC), the programmes reach pre-employment youths and seek to equip them with skills and experience of the digital economy. TAC is a charity that supports youths in discovering the world of work and meaningful careers.
Under the programmes, Accenture staff will serve as career guides and mentors. They intend to spend 5,000 hours for two years and are focusing primarily on secondary and tertiary students while they remain in school.
Mark Tham, Accenture Singapore's country managing director, stated, "Around the world, most of the developed nations are suffering due to issues related to youth. This is something we would like not to let happen. With the proper infrastructure and education system that we have here, there's no need for us to leave the youth untapped".
Specifically, youths will be taught about cybersecurity, problem-solving, critical thinking, digital literacy, and new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).
As a net talent generator, we are committed to building Singapore's digital talent pipeline empowering people with future-proof skills and generating opportunities that go beyond our own people", he said.
The firm will also leverage its global know-how in AI, skilling and digital transformation' in supporting Singapore's Smart Nation 2.0 masterplan, which seeks to establish Singapore as a global innovation and technology hub.
Accenture is sponsoring TAC's Day X Programme, an experiential workshop that exposes youths to careers in tech and consulting. It is also collaborating TAC for the JumpStart Career Mentoring Programme that offers individualised assistance to pupils.
JumpStart is six months long and will help youngsters transition from school to work. It is designed to assist them in exploring and investigating career opportunities, finding an opportunity, beginning a new job on solid ground, and maintaining their career while developing their skill set.
Once Accenture volunteers enlist, TAC conditions them and assigns youths a mentoring case manager that provides individualized assistance. Individual mentors are also available to JumpStart participants, with a 1:1 mentor-to-mentee ratio.
Day X launched in May, and will again roll out in October. JumpStart, meanwhile, will begin later this year. There is scope for the programmes to be ramped up and for the volunteers to give more time, Tham added.
TAC has touched over 40,000 young people since 2015. It partnered Accenture through Mentoring SG, a ground movement initiated by then deputy premier Lawrence Wong in late-2022 that provides youths with mentoring opportunities.
Accenture also made a pledge to give $500,000 to the President's Challenge, as part of its 50th anniversary and SG60 this year. The programme will fund 60 programmes by 52 organisations in 2025. Accenture will partner with Community Chest's Share programme, where employees can give to social causes once a month. Accenture employs about 3,600 and has collaborated with government institutions like the Ministry of Health and Changi Airport for digitalization projects.
