Dorian Twiggs, 36, had just moved from Detroit to Charlotte, North Carolina. His new employer, the consulting firm Accenture, had placed him in a bank to check if all the documents needed to get home loans were reunited. She had been working in finance for eleven years and knew her job well. But five months after his arrival, his boss warned him: his activity was going to be automated. Accenture was downsizing. " I was shocked "confesses the young woman.
Like many other consulting companies, Accenture is at the forefront of the technological revolution. Artificial intelligence (AI), the secrets of machine learning ("machine learning"), the Internet of things ("Internet of Things"), its engineers know. Because it is they who install these tools at their customers. They see the consequences immediately: a number of jobs will disappear. A report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), published in March 2018, examined the impact of new technologies in thirty-two countries. Conclusion: 48% of the positions will be partially automated.
Fortunately for Mme Twiggs, Accenture had no intention of dropping her. A few years earlier, his late leader Pierre Nanterme (1959-2019) had felt the wind turn and decided that the savings made through the AI would be reinvested in the training of employees. "It's a voluntary approach. We bet on our employees, says Ellyn Shook, the human resources manager. We know they are ambitious and have a great desire to learn. " Accenture spends nearly $ 1 billion (904 million euros) a year on these different programs. For the past three years, the group's 480,000 employees have completed 70 million hours of classes.
Now a team leader
It all starts with a balance sheet. The company that wants to "Transparent" identifies the positions at risk. Orientation counselors discuss with the interested parties the evolution of their professions. They look together which neighboring posts are in great demand. They study the desires of the staff and the training necessary to become operational. Ellyn Shook does not skimp on the means: intensive training camps, online courses provided by SAP providers, Workday, Salesforce … practical internships with professionals. "To couple a student with someone experienced is essential"she explains. For example, "After taking blockchain training, we integrate our employee into a team that takes them to clients".
