Global professional services firm Deloitte announced today collaborations with a series of academic institutions including MIT Sloan School of Management, NYU Stern Executive Education and Center for Sustainable Business, and Arizona State University (ASU) to expand its sustainability, climate and equity upskilling program for its more than 150,000 professionals in the U.S.

According to Deloitte, the new program, offered across its across its Consulting, Risk & Financial Advisory, Tax and Audit & Assurance businesses, aims to enhance the ability and skills of its professionals to help clients with solutions their sustainability, climate and equity issues, “to support what’s good for their business, people and the planet.”

Steve Goldbach, Principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP, and Leader of Sustainability, Climate and Equity at Deloitte US, said:

“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. We are investing in this industry-leading learning program 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.”

The new collaborations follow the launch last year by Deloitte of its global Sustainability & Climate learning program aimed at enhancing the skills and capabilities of its 415,000 global employees and building the proficiency of its professionals on climate and sustainability issues, and a $1 billion investment announced in 2021 in the firm’s Global Sustainability & Climate practice to enhance its capabilities, assets and services to support clients and address sustainability-related needs.

Learning offerings provided through the expanded upskilling program will include “Sustainability Simplified,” a live virtual speaker series by NYU Stern Executive Education and Center for Sustainable Business examining the science behind the climate crisis and the equity topics, the live virtual “Sustainability Accelerator” program by MIT Sloan School of Management aimed at equipping business leaders with a common language and knowledge of important sustainability related concepts, and ASU’s “Sustainability Certified: Foundations for Business,” which will offer an ESG certificate to participants who complete self-paced, modular courses.

Anthony Stephan, Chief Learning Officer at Deloitte US, said:

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