COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Accenture (NYSE:ACN) today opened an innovation hub in Columbus as part of the company’s accelerated innovation investment in the U.S. The hub is designed to enable clients to compete in the digital economy by helping them modernize legacy applications, leverage disruptive technologies and take advantage of the latest IT delivery techniques.
“We are bringing our clients in Columbus, and across the U.S., the most advanced capabilities to modernize their IT to compete in the digital economy,” said Julie Sweet, Accenture’s chief executive officer – North America. “Our hubs are designed to help our clients innovate, implement and scale new solutions with speed and agility.”
As part of its investment in Columbus, Accenture is also adding 200 highly skilled technology jobs to the market and expanding its U.S. apprenticeship program to provide under-represented groups greater access to digital-economy jobs. Accenture’s national program will grow to more than 100 apprentices by the end of 2018, building upon the success of the company’s apprenticeship programs in Chicago and San Antonio.
“We are thrilled to see Accenture expand its commitment to the Columbus business and technology community with a new innovation hub,” said Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “And we are equally pleased by the opportunities they are bringing to our highly skilled workforce, with 200 jobs and much-needed apprenticeships.”
Accenture uses the most advanced software engineering technologies including agile, DevOps, cloud computing and robotic process automation. The hub will be connected to Accenture’s U.S. and global network of innovation hubs, bringing the company’s deep expertise around the world to Columbus. The hub also includes the recently announced Accenture Pivotal Business Group (APBG), which helps enterprises migrate legacy applications to the cloud and accelerate cloud-native application development.
“The Accenture Pivotal Business Group was designed to help the world’s largest enterprises move at startup speeds, by migrating applications onto Pivotal Cloud Foundry® to unlock operational efficiencies, as well as adopting next-generation software development methodologies to boost developer productivity,” said Bill Cook, President at Pivotal. “We’re also excited to see the expansion of the APBG into new geographical locations to meet the growing demand for the unique value our two companies bring to the market.”
Located in the historic Buggyworks complex in Columbus’ Arena District, the new innovation hub is the third of 10 new hubs in the U.S. that Accenture announced last year. The company’s other U.S. innovation hubs are in Boston; Chicago; Houston; New York; San Jose, California; and Washington, D.C. Accenture’s nationwide investment also includes a $1.4 billion commitment to training and the hiring of 15,000 new employees by the end of 2020.
“Our ecosystem partners and our talent are critical parts of the capabilities we bring our clients in the Columbus innovation hub, said Annette Rippert, senior managing director--Accenture Technology, North America. “With the Accenture Pivotal Business Group, our clients have access to specialized skills to accelerate their digital transformations. And as we grow our Columbus workforce, we are recruiting people who have deep skills in DevOps and Agile methodologies, Java and cloud computing.”
Accenture employs more than 750 people in Columbus and supports local skill-development programs including Junior Achievement and i.c. stars.
Accenture in the United States
Accenture is a leading professional services company providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Serving 95 of the Fortune 100 and more than 70 percent of the Fortune 500, Accenture employs an innovation-led approach to help clients imagine and invent their future. The company has more than 50,000 people and operations in 42 cities in the United States. Accenture was named one of the leading companies to Change the World by Fortune magazine, and is consistently recognized as a FORTUNE Blue Ribbon Company. With an unwavering commitment to inclusion and diversity, the company appears regularly on FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity lists. Visit us at accenture.com/US.