Accenture to offer tech training for 10,000 women returning from maternity leave, career breaks

SINGAPORE - Accenture is offering free tech courses to 10,000 women to help them ease back into the workforce.

Chosen applicants, who are returning from maternity leave or a career break, will undergo up to 100 hours of mostly online lessons curated by the global consulting firm and its partners, ranging from generative artificial intelligence to design thinking to project management, among others.

The initiative, called Women Of Worth, is in collaboration with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and aims to support women hesitant to return to the workforce to fill roles amid a global shortage of tech talent, said Accenture senior managing director Ng Wee Wei on Dec 3 during the launch at the company’s Raffles City office.

The training targets Singaporeans and permanent residents who do not work at Accenture, said managing director Eleana Liew, adding that the initiative aims to support the industry, as part of the firm’s backing of Singapore’s long-running SG Women In Tech campaign.

Trainees will be selected from those referred by SBF and Accenture’s partners, as well as applications from the public, she said.

There is no clear criteria for applicants selected, but the programme will specifically target those returning to work with a keen interest or background in tech, Ms Liew said.

“(Trainees) will be able to converse and understand technology and be able to contribute to project delivery, depending on the roles that they sign up for. Digital fluency is what we are gunning for,” she added.

The demand for tech skills has evolved dramatically over the past five years, posing a challenge for women returning to work, Ms Ng said in her opening address, adding that the initiative aims to equip trainees with the latest skills to help them return to work.

“The reality is that women remain under-represented in the technology workforce... The attrition rate among women at mid-career levels remains high, and not many of them can rise to leadership positions,” she said.

Many women step away from their careers due to caregiving responsibilities, which can result in skill gaps in the fast-evolving technology landscape and reduced confidence to get back to work, she added.

“This is a loss for both women and a sector where skills are very much in shortage,” Ms Ng said.

“Once you are off work for a few months, you will notice technology progresses very quickly,” Ms Liew said, citing the rapid development in generative AI.

“So (the courses) aim to give them that confidence to understand the new technology and be able to sit at the table and contribute to the conversations.”

The programme, open for applications throughout 2025, will be fully sponsored by Accenture and offered through its exclusive enterprise training platform LearnVantage.

To set itself apart from existing online modules, the programme also offers trainees mentoring and networking opportunities.

Trainees will be presented with a certificate from Accenture and educational platform Udacity at the end of each online module.

Accenture did not state the budget for the Women of Worth initiative.

The launch event included a discussion with Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo and Accenture chairwoman and chief executive Julie Sweet.

When asked about the role of employers in supporting those returning to the workforce, Mrs Teo urged employers to promote learning among their employees.

“Without motivation, it doesn’t matter that there are so many free courses, or $4,000 in SkillsFuture credits,” she said, referring to skills upgrading credits offered to Singaporeans 40 years and above.

“Letting employees know that they can be so much more if they put in the extra effort says more than any other form of motivation to me,” she added.

Ms Sweet encouraged employers to log the skills employees possess beyond just their roles.

Accenture has a database of skills among its staff, she said, adding that this made it easier for the company to identify those who are suited for skills upgrading courses, enabling the company to quickly switch strategies amid disruptions caused by AI.

Accenture’s training initiative adds to a slew of tech upskilling programmes offered by private and public organisations amid a nationwide effort to raise the number of tech professionals,

especially in AI.

Tech companies such as Oracle and IBM have also pledged to train the local workforce in AI by offering free courses, among other initiatives.