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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Accenture Opens Innovation Hub in Seattle, Washington

11/14/2018
Accenture, a leading professional services company, opened a new innovation hub in the heart of the business, financial and tech district in Seattle, Washington.

According to company officials, as part of its investment in Seattle, Accenture is adding 300 highly skilled technology jobs by the end of 2020 and expanding its U.S. apprenticeship program.

The apprenticeship program provides under-represented groups greater access to innovation-economy jobs. Accenture’s national program will grow to more than 150 apprentices by the end of this year, building upon the success of the company’s apprenticeship programs in other cities, including Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Detroit and San Antonio.

Julie Sweet, Accenture’s CEO, North America, added, “Our investment in Seattle ensures that we have the critical talent and capabilities to help our clients create, implement and scale solutions for the digital economy. We are an innovation-led company, committed to helping this important market continue to grow and flourish as a tech destination.”

The new innovation hub is designed as an environment where clients can work side-by-side with their Accenture teams to ideate, rapidly prototype and then scale innovative products and services. It includes a Fjord design studio to facilitate a design-thinking approach to problem solving and a Liquid Studio that quickly turns concepts into prototypes through rapid software application development.

“Our Seattle innovation hub is a gamechanger for our people and our clients,” said Gil Wootton, Seattle Office Lead, Accenture. “The work that we do with our clients is advancing their innovation agenda and sustaining their leadership in their industries.”

In the new space, Accenture is co-located with Avanade, the leading digital innovator in the Microsoft ecosystem. Created as a joint venture with Microsoft, Avanade works with Accenture to help clients engage customers, empower employees, optimize operations and transform products through the power of Microsoft.

“As we continue to drive economic growth throughout the region, it is critical for local companies to promote programs that are finding new ways, and creating new opportunities, to train and hire talent from across the community,” said Dow Constantine, King County Executive. “I appreciate Accenture’s investment here, and its commitment to creating job opportunities for all of our residents through its community partnerships.”

“Many world-class organizations have been born, bred and built in Seattle, and we continue to push the envelope for global innovation,” said Governor Jay Inslee. “Our tech footprint keeps growing, and today’s news is a clear indicator that Seattle is not slowing down. I’m pleased to see Accenture’s commitment to driving growth for local organizations, creating new job opportunities and investing in the local community.”

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