n addition to its work with college students and young workers, Deloitte is
also trying to drum up interest in accounting and consulting careers among students
in middle school and high school.
The company is distributing materials for its Pre-College
Outreach program to interested schools. An informational career guide is being made
available to students, parents and teachers. An interactive Web site is designed
to "wake young people up to traditional career-development concepts," rather than
simply focusing on vocational training, says Phillip Roark, president and CEO of
Insala, a Dallas-based software company working with Deloitte on its career planning
efforts.
Deloitte also partnered with Weekly Reader, an educational
magazine, to develop a "virtual team challenge" that enables students to apply their
talents and skills to solve simulated real-world business issues.
Although most companies aren’t actively recruiting youngsters
in middle school, Deloitte’s research uncovered some surprising findings. Many adolescents
already have well-established college plans by time they are 12. Nearly half of
12- to 14-year-olds have started thinking seriously about their careers. By the
time they are 17 to 18, many have chosen a career path.
Through focus groups, Deloitte also learned that students
tend to remember companies that guide them in making "important and wise decisions"
about their future careers, says W. Stanton Smith, Deloitte’s national director
of next-generation initiatives.
Another Deloitte innovation is a still-developing virtual
online council, known as Deloitte Insiders. These are young people ranging from
fourth-graders to college seniors (generally between the ages of 9 and 22), with
whom the company plans to consult on a regular basis via surveys. Periodically,
virtual "town halls" also will enable senior leadership to interact with the panel.
Students will be nominated by Deloitte employees, who are being asked to submit
potential candidates from among their family and friends.
Workforce Management Online, April 2008 -- Register Now!
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