Accenture Helping Henkel Transform Its Workforce Through Digital Skills Training and Development

Accenture, is collaborating with Henkel, a global leader in industrial and consumer goods, to attract and grow people with digital skills, which are needed for the company to better anticipate and respond to shifts in consumption.

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“Lifelong learning and digital upskilling are now key elements of our culture and long-term growth plans — not just a momentary answer to an HR or recruiting issue. They’re motivating and giving our teams the confidence to grow together.”

Since the transformation program went live in early 2019, Henkel employees have completed more than 215,000 training courses on the new system. In addition, the application process for external candidates has been reduced from around 30 minutes to 60 seconds, and external applications have increased by 40%.

Key elements of the program entailed:

• Skills and capabilities assessments. To provide a clear picture of the digital skills that would be required in the near future, Accenture used industry standard capability frameworks and tailored them to Henkel’s needs. Employees’ skill levels were then assessed in key functional areas, including marketing, sales, procurement, human resources, information technology (IT), finance, supply chain, and research & development.
• Personalized training programs. Once the strengths and skills gaps were identified, Accenture helped conceptualize learning programs tailored to Henkel’s specific functions and existing business processes. The initial digital upskilling programs, for approximately 2,000 IT and finance managers, included selecting more than 50 courses from the Accenture Academy.
• Attracting new people for digital roles. Accenture helped Henkel create a “recruiter toolbox” for digital roles within the new HR system. The toolbox established a clearer connection between the digital, functional and technical skills required for a certain role and what recruiters should be looking for on candidates’ résumés.

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“Developing the best products for our customers requires that our people have the digital skills and knowledge to respond to change quickly and effectively,” said Sylvie Nicol, Henkel’s executive vice president for human resources and infrastructure services. “Lifelong learning and digital upskilling are now key elements of our culture and long-term growth plans — not just a momentary answer to an HR or recruiting issue. They’re motivating and giving our teams the confidence to grow together.”

Christina Raab, Accenture’s global client account lead for Henkel, said, “Henkel recognizes that, in today’s environment, digital skills aren’t simply a nice ‘to have’ but a necessity for all employees. We’re excited to help Henkel embed continuous learning and digital upskilling across its workforce.”

Oliver Wright, who leads Accenture’s Consumer Goods & Services industry group globally, added, “Henkel is a great example of a company that is putting their people at the center of change to use data more effectively and drive future growth. We share a commitment, demonstrated in the new Accenture brand, to embrace change and deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity.”

The Accenture/Henkel program, “Global Digital UPskilling Initiative,” won a Gold Medal in the Best Advance in Competencies and Skills Development category in the 2020 Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Learning Awards.