Dive Brief:
- Accenture plans to acquire learning platform Udacity as part of a push to expand AI upskilling options for clients, the professional services firm said Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.
- The company also announced it will invest $1 billion over three years into a newly launched learning platform, LearnVantage, which will assist business leaders in identifying skills gaps and provide personalized upskilling experiences. The sum is in addition to Accenture’s previously announced $3 billion investment focused on its data and AI practice.
- The company plans to integrate Udacity's proprietary content, services and technology with the LearnVantage platform. Udacity’s 230 employees will join Accenture as part of the acquisition.
Dive Insight:
Accenture has been making big bets on the future of AI — and training plays a key role.
The learning platform investment is in addition to the company's previously announced $3 billion for its data and AI practice over the following three years. The company also aims to increase its AI-trained workforce to 80,000 through hiring, acquisitions and upskilling.
The company’s AI training efforts target the entire scope of AI knowledge. Accenture has already trained 600,000 of its employees on the fundamentals of AI.
The company also plans to roll out upskilling programs for 250,000 tech pros by the end of the fiscal year as part of its annual investment in training.
Professional services firms PwC, Deloitte, EY and McKinsey have coupled training initiatives with internal and external facing generative AI efforts.
Training plans from large organizations highlight the challenges of staffing for AI initiatives. Nine in 10 IT professionals and executives believe AI initiatives will fall flat without skilled teams, according to a Pluralsight report published in December.
Across industries, executives are turning to upskilling as a way to mitigate the disconnect between AI investments and employee proficiency with the technology, from American Honda to commercial real estate firms and restaurants.
The largest providers are offering training opportunities as a way to jumpstart enterprise adoption.
AWS’ free training catalog features courses on AI for executives, developers and organizations. Google Cloud and Microsoft also released AI-focused upskilling content. Most recently, Salesforce added instructional videos related to its low-code and AI offerings.
