Accelerating access to education

Equal access to education and skills development is imperative for communities, nations, and global economic growth. It is also key to addressing the threat of a looming, worldwide talent shortage. Around the globe, nearly 74 million young people are looking for work. But, throughout the developed world and especially in emerging markets, there is a mismatch between the skills young people offer and the abilities companies need.

Deloitte has made a long-term commitment to advancing educational and career-building opportunities. "Through Deloitte's global education and skills initiative, established in 2009, we are dedicated to providing opportunities for young people to fulfill their aspirations and potential as individuals, within their communities, and in today's global society," says Barry Salzberg, Chief Executive Officer, DTTL.

Salzberg is personally committed to education. He serves as Board Chairman for College Summit, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. that provides support, encouragement, and role models to low-income youth, connecting them to college and careers. This year, College Summit will help thousands of kids not only get to college, but stay in school to complete their degrees.

In 2012, Deloitte set a target to make a difference in the lives of one million young people by 2015. So far, 1,080,000 have been reached through national and local initiatives. Member firms are measuring the impact of these programs on the ground, allowing us to identify what is and is not working well so Deloitte can adapt its strategy and approach.

To achieve its objectives, Deloitte member firms currently are supporting more than 120 programs in collaboration with educators, not-for-profit organizations, governments, and businesses. Last year, member firms directed nearly US$50 million in donations, traditional volunteering, skills-based volunteering, pro bono services, and management costs supporting the impact of these organizations. And Deloitte professionals contributed more than 400,000 hours with educational and skills programs.

Some examples of impact made by our member firms

Deloitte China – Contributing to education in rural areas

In 2009, Deloitte China launched the Hubei Hope School Project with a goal of building or renovating one school a year for five years in remote and underserved areas in Hubei Province. To date, four Deloitte Hope Schools have been completed; a fifth will open in November 2014. These schools, built with the support of Deloitte China and the local government, are providing more than 1,200 young people in rural areas with access to education and better learning facilities in a safer environment.

Deloitte Finland – Building skills through volunteering

Deloitte Finland launched the third year of the CoRe project, a program focused on developing employability skills of at-risk young people in Peru. More than 300 people in six schools and three shelter homes in Lima's Rimac and La Victoria communities have participated in the program. Close to 30 Deloitte Finland professionals have helped in its delivery through skills-based volunteering. The program is supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and The Finnish Children and Youth Foundation, and is implemented in collaboration with Fundacion Cedro in Peru.

Deloitte LATCO (Panama) – Providing a safe learning environment

"Transición a la Vida" (Transition to Life), a program created by the Friends of Malambo Association in collaboration with Deloitte LATCO’s Panama office, helps children at the Hogar Malambo orphanage in Panama. Malambo houses about 130 children who have been abandoned or removed from their families. Deloitte LATCO professionals help them understand their strengths, establish goals, learn how to apply and interview for jobs, develop financial literacy, and strengthen their self-esteem.

Deloitte LATCO (Peru) – Collaborating to strengthen education

In Peru, around 790,000 young people aged 6 to 16 years old do not attend school. Through its Deloitte Foundation, the Peruvian firm is working with eight organizations that focus on cultural and education initiatives. Together, they are having an impact on 206,400 young people. The firm is also spurring collective action and advocacy. During its IMPACT Day in September 2013, 80 Deloitte LATCO professionals in Peru and 75 governmental and not-for-profit representatives participated in a one-day session to discuss solutions to the issue of education in the country.

Deloitte Central Europe (Serbia) – Mentoring tomorrow's professionals

Through a recent cooperative agreement between Deloitte Central Europe’s Serbia office and the Faculty of Economics, Finance, and Administration (FEFA), 10 Deloitte Central Europe practitioners have delivered presentations and workshops to FEFA students. The program offers opportunities for talented young people to strengthen their skills in entrepreneurship, leadership, finance, and consulting. The initiative will provide an opportunity for five students to access the internship program at Deloitte Central Europe’s Serbia office.

Deloitte Southern Africa – Supporting the public education system

In Johannesburg, there is a lack of mathematics achievement in grades eight and nine. Since 2013, Deloitte Southern Africa has worked with the government to strengthen the nation's public education system. In collaboration with the Gauteng province's education department, the firm provides financial support to the department's Satellite Mathematics Project. More than 30 under-performing schools have been selected by the department. The project is the first in South African public schools to make use of digital technology to support classroom teaching and learning, and is having an impact on 12,650 young people.

Deloitte UK – Raising young people's aspirations

In 2013, Deloitte UK established a strategic relationship with Teach First to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds raise their aspirations and access opportunities in higher education and employment. Twelve schools were selected across the UK to receive a tailored package of support from Deloitte UK. To date, the program has had an impact on more than 2,000 young people, and engaged more than 500 Deloitte UK professionals who have provided mentoring programs, employability workshops, tutoring, aspirations workshops, and other support. In 2014, Deloitte UK aims to increase the number of schools it is supporting and make an impact on 4,000 young people.

Deloitte U.S. – Courageous Principals take the lead

Courageous Principals is a leadership-development program in the U.S. that aims to ignite systemic changes in education by equipping public school principals with relationship building, communication, and influencing skills. The objective of the program is to reach 1 million students by 2020, starting with 500 principals — who reach 8,000 teachers, who, in turn, reach 100,000 students per year. More than 250 principals have participated and are already leveraging what they learned.

In this report, the terms Deloitte, our, we and us are used to refer to the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) network of member firms or to one or more DTTL member firms. See additional information.

[Caption]: Photo credit top banner, Manja Dahl Vittrup, Deloitte Denmark

[Caption]: Photo on left: Students from Lima invited to Deloitte LATCO’s Peru office Impact Day.

In FY2014, DTTL joined the Global Business Coalition #smartinvestment Network. Together, we are supporting progress in changing the lives of young people through education.

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