Accenture Supports U.S. Veteran Groups with $500,000 in Grants

(3BL Media) Washington, DC - November 11, 2011 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) announced today that it has awarded four grants totaling more than $500,000 to help equip veterans with the skills they need to re-enter the workforce. The grants include pro bono contributions of time and Accenture employee skills and reflect the company’s Skills to Succeed initiative, which will equip 250,000 people around the world by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business.

“Military professionals are known for their strong work ethic, commitment to excellence, attention to detail, and ability to succeed in a challenging environment, exemplifying many of the same core values we live at Accenture,” said Michael D. Scimo, managing director, Accenture US Human Capital & Diversity. “By working with veterans programs, we hope to help military men and women take the valuable skills they gained in the service and help transition them into new careers.”   The grant recipients include:   American Corporate Partners Through its grant with American Corporate Partners, a mentoring program that helps veterans successfully jump from military careers into business, Accenture will provide 50 executives with military backgrounds to serve as mentors. Each Accenture participant will provide a one-on-one, yearlong mentorship focusing on career advice and counseling to former and transitioning military members.   Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities Hosted by the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University, Accenture awarded a grant to support the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, a summer program to provide disabled veterans with the skills needed to start their own businesses. Through this initiative, Accenture will help Krannert expand its enrollment by covering the costs for lodging, books and materials, meals, and travel for up to eight bootcamp participants. In addition, Accenture volunteers will provide training and education programming to help enhance negotiation and communications skills as well as provide ongoing mentoring and webinars following the bootcamp.   Kauffman FastTrac^® Working with Kauffman FastTrac, an affiliate of the Kauffman Foundation, Accenture will provide educational support and resources to nearly 300 veterans interested in starting and growing their own companies. Kauffman FastTrac, the leading provider of learning curricula for entrepreneurs, will tailor its in-person and online courses to veterans looking to commercialize business ideas or expand existing companies in cities across the United States.   New Sector Alliance Accenture has awarded New Sector Alliance a grant that will support the expansion of New Sector’s social change leadership training curriculum and fellowship programs to provide veterans with the skills they need to get jobs focused on social or environmental impact. The program will include skills-based curriculum development, technology platform development, training and fellowships. Accenture employees will volunteer as mentors, trainers, and career advisors, and also serve on an advisory committee of veterans and professionals to ensure the training is focused to veterans’ needs.   “As a veteran, I understand the importance of having a mentor’s support during the transition from military to civilian life,” said Keith Lippert, Accenture Military Group Sponsor. “Accenture is honored to lend its financial support and employee volunteers to the men and women who served our country and help them be successful members of our communities.”   In honor of Veterans Day, Accenture employees in Washington DC, for the first time, will dedicate their annual Day of Service volunteer efforts to the veteran community. Working with the American Corporate Partners, Armed Forces Retirement Home, Fort DuPont Park and US Vets, Accenture employees will work to improve the communities of DC-based veterans.   Each year, employees of Accenture’s Washington DC office dedicate one day to learn about their role in the local community and volunteer to support mission-based organizations. This year, Accenture’s Day of Service will reach across the metro area – DC, Virginia and Maryland – and will involve 1,500 employees helping more than 20 nonprofit organizations at nearly 50 project sites.   About Accenture Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 236,000 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 will equip 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$25.5 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2011.  Its home page is www.accenture.com.   About American Corporate Partners American Corporate Partners is a nationwide mentoring program dedicated to helping veterans who have served since 2001 transition from the armed services to private enterprise through career counseling and networking with professionals from leading US companies. Spouses of service members severely wounded or killed in action are also encouraged to apply. ACP features a bi-partisan Advisory Council of retired generals and political figures. The program operates in Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, San Antonio, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Washington, DC.   About Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities Developed at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, the EBV is an intense immersion program offering cutting edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post?9/11 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines disabled as a result of their service supporting operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The EBV program is offered by a network of seven world-class institutions: The Whitman School of Management, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Florida State University's College of Business, Mays Business School at Texas A&M, The Krannert School of Management at Purdue University, The University of Connecticut School of Business, and E. J. Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University.   About Kauffman FastTrac^® Kauffman FastTrac, not-for-profit educational organization, is the leading provider of learning curricula that equip aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with the business skills and insights, tools, resources, and networks to start and grow successful businesses. Kauffman FastTrac was created by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest foundation in the United States devoted to entrepreneurship. For more information about Kauffman FastTrac, visitwww.fasttrac.org.   About New Sector Alliance New Sector Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consulting and leadership development organization that leverages tools and talent from top academic institutions, corporations, and nonprofits to solve pressing social challenges. Since 2001, New Sector has recruited, trained, and supported over 1,000 young professionals and 1,000 business volunteers to deliver over $30 million in services to organizations working to address education, economic opportunity, health, environmental sustainability, and other critical needs. For more information, visitwww.newsector.org.   ###     Contact:   Kate Sansone Shenk Accenture +1 917-452-3784 kate.shenk@acccenture.com   Kevin Almasy Burson-Marsteller +1 202-530-4853 Kevin.Almasy@bm.com