Deloitte Expands Sustainability, Climate and Equity Upskilling for its Leaders and Professionals

NEW YORK, 4 Dec. 2023 - Deloitte today announced expanded collaborations with renowned academic institutions, including MIT Sloan School of Management, NYU Stern Executive Education and Centre for Sustainable Business and most recently, Arizona State University, to create a differentiated, integrated learning programme intended to enhance Deloitte professionals’ ability to help guide clients in identifying and engineering solutions to support what’s good for their business, people and the planet. Acknowledging the quickly evolving market and science that encompasses effective sustainability, climate and equity problem solving, Deloitte continues to advance its large-scale enhancement of these skills among its more than 150,000 professionals in the U.S. across its Consulting, Risk & Financial Advisory, Tax and Audit & Assurance businesses.

“As the economy continues to transition to a low-carbon future, there are an increasing number of our clients who are seeking to create new advantages,” said Steve Goldbach, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and leader of sustainability, climate and equity at Deloitte US. “We are investing in this industry-leading learning programme so that our professionals can integrate our core capabilities with innovative thinking about sustainability. This is a key component of meeting our aspiration to be our clients’ first choice on sustainability."  

As the need for sustainability literacy intensifies, these academic relationships are intended to further enrich Deloitte’s robust bench of learning and development capabilities. Deloitte recently launched Project 120, a $1.4 billion investment to fundamentally shift how the organisation designs, delivers and experiences learning and development in support of its business transformation. Additionally, Deloitte Global invested $1 billion in a sustainability and climate practice to expand and elevate its robust bench of learning and development capabilities in critical in-demand skills, such as sustainability literacy and green skills. 

“It’s critically important that we elevate our learning and development programmes to stay ahead of the changing market, C-suite priorities and business demands," said Anthony Stephan, chief learning officer at Deloitte US. “Through these key investments and academic collaborations, we are accelerating the agility and innovation of learning and development at Deloitte to quickly upskill and reskill our people with the capabilities needed to more effectively address many of today's most pressing issues.”

Deloitte's sustainability, climate and equity learning and development initiatives showcase a continued, strong commitment to fostering a forward-thinking workforce, driven by professionals who actively seek to apply their knowledge to shape a more sustainable future. 

Key points 

1. Accelerating, innovating and elevating sustainability learning and development: Deloitte's approach to growth and development recognises that learning is not a one-time event but an ongoing process and the organisation continues to evolve its learning and development offerings to stay ahead of market needs, equipping its people with the knowledge and skills needed to help clients with their sustainability, climate and equity issues and to innovate internally within its own sustainability, climate and equity practices. Deloitte personnel have shown a commendable level of interest in applying their knowledge and translating it into practical actions and decision-making. In fact, the organisation’s on-demand internal learning offering focused on sustainability, climate and equity knowledge has become the No. 1 bookmarked resource.
2. Gen Z and millennials driving engagement: According to Deloitte Global’s "2023 Gen Z and Millennials” survey, 60% of U.S. millennials and 55% of Gen Z survey respondents express concern about climate change and 58% of U.S. millennials reported that they urge their employers to take concrete actions on climate change. Many Gen Z and millennials expect their employers to empower them with training and support not only for making sustainable decisions in their personal lives but also for developing the skills required to transition to a low-carbon economy. 
3. Academic collaborations for engaging content: Deloitte's continued pursuit of delivering diverse perspectives and critical insights for employees is strengthened through collaborations with outside specialists and academic institutions. NYU Stern Executive Education and Centre for Sustainable Business “Sustainability Simplified” live virtual speaker series provides an opportunity to dig into the science behind the climate crisis and the equity topics helping to shape the market today. MIT Sloan’s live virtual “Sustainability Accelerator” programme is designed to equip senior business leaders with a common language and knowledge of important sustainability related concepts and all program participants are eligible to receive a certificate of completion from MIT Sloan Executive Education. Finally, Deloitte’s newest and most comprehensive programme in collaboration with ASU, “Sustainability Certified: Foundations for Business,” will offer an Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Certificate to participants who complete self-paced, modular courses.

Deloitte’s commitment to its people, clients and the planet is evident through the intersection of its strategic investments in learning and development, as well as sustainability, climate and equity capabilities. By reinforcing this intersection, Deloitte can further help its clients address some of their most significant challenges, helping to pave the way for transformative solutions and a more equitable and purposeful future.

Deloitte’s second annual Global Sustainability Learning Week

Deloitte’s second annual Global Sustainability Learning Week, held 16-20 October, expanded upon the previous year’s inaugural initiative by not only engaging and developing its 457,000 people around the world, but also offering learning opportunities to Deloitte clients, suppliers and its wide network of ecosystem collaborators. The week-long experience served to expand and deepen participating professionals' education, by offering the opportunity to share strategies and lessons learnt in transitioning to a more sustainable future. Learning Week also aimed to mobilise professionals’ commitment and provide specific skillsets and knowledge to help collectively address sustainability challenges. To this end, Deloitte also launched a conversation series in advance of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP28) that focused on hard-to-abate and high-emitting sectors and the enabling role of hydrogen in an effort to exchange experiences and help accelerate progress toward decarbonisation.