Accenture's C$1.4M Support of ACCES Employment to Help Thousands of New Canadians Secure Jobs

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan. 19, 2016) -

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Accenture's (NYSE:ACN) C$1.4 million grant to ACCES Employment will help the nonprofit develop a new digital platform to deliver skills training and professional services to more than 56,000 new Canadians seeking employment over the next two years.

The new end-to-end online services platform will help ACCES expand its career skills training and placement services beyond the Greater Toronto Area - nationally across Canada to assist those who have already landed, and globally to support immigrants planning their arrival in Canada. Offerings for newcomers will include client assessment, workshops, resume review, online interview coaching, speed mentoring, jobs fairs and other online versions of the nonprofit's in-person services.

Accenture's support aligns with funding that ACCES Employment has received from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Accenture funding will support the foundational development of the digital services platform, while IRCC's investment will be dedicated towards content development and operations, once the platform is built.

"Together with ACCES, we are helping connect new Canadians to meaningful employment, which creates a more secure future for themselves, their families and communities, while providing employers with an opportunity to tap into global talent here in Canada," said Janet Krstevski, managing director, Accenture, and ACCES board member. "The digital platform will enable stronger employer partnerships to develop in the Greater Toronto Area and across Canada, and will reach newcomers looking for leading strategies and training for new jobs, career progression, and to fully integrate into Canadian workplaces."

Said Allison Pond, CEO of ACCES Employment, "Working alongside Accenture, we will be enabling new Canadians to find meaningful work in their new home country. Many of these individuals possess in-demand skills but, without support, are at risk of being underemployed or unemployed due to barriers such as a lack of communication skills and professional networks, and also misperceptions of professional credentials and experience."

More than 250,000 immigrants arrive in Canada annually. ACCES supports these individuals in the Greater Toronto Area with achieving their career goals, offering online and in-person services to new Canadian jobseekers including job search workshops and consultations, connections to employers that are hiring, and sector specific bridging programs in fields like engineering, finance, information technology, human resources and sales and marketing.

"Before I came to Canada, I began job searching and realized that my approach and resumes were not what Canadian employers were looking for. I was supported by the IT Connections team at ACCES Employment who helped me to prepare for my job search through mock-interviews, a series of workshops and by refining my resume" said Emrah Celik, who eventually received multiple job offers while he was still overseas before securing a job as a senior software engineer at a leading global software company in Ontario.

Accenture's grant is a part of its corporate citizenship initiative, Skills to Succeed, which is equipping more than 3 million people around the world with the skills to get a job or build a business. Over the past six years, the company and ACCES have partnered to help hundreds of new Canadians secure employment, including at Accenture.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions-underpinned by the world's largest delivery network-Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 373,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

About ACCES Employment

ACCES Employment is a leader in connecting employers with qualified employees from diverse backgrounds. More than 16,000 job seekers are served annually at five locations across the Greater Toronto Area. As a not-for-profit corporation, ACCES receives funding from all levels of government, corporate sponsors, various supporters and the United Way Toronto. For more information about youth services and programs at ACCES, please visit www.accesemployment.ca.

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