Have you ever wondered about what makes Deloitte stand out? Is it the size, the global network, the history, or the services offered?
According to Deloitte, it is their people strategy that keeps learning and development at its core and focuses on fostering leadership skills all across the board.
Deloitte University is the strong foundation for the organization’s learning culture and brand development. So let’s take a closer look at what Deloitte University is all about and hear from students that have attended programs there.
What is Deloitte University?
Deloitte is a multinational professional services firm that provides consulting, audit, tax, accounting, and legal advisory services. It is one of the largest professional services firms in the world by revenue and number of professionals.
Deloitte University is Deloitte’s world-class learning space dedicated to training and nurturing its people. It opened in October 2011 at a cost of $300 million, which was the largest investment towards employee development in Deloitte history.
Deloitte University provides leadership and technical coaching to Deloitte professionals and clients across the globe. It is a cornerstone for building and integrating a global culture for Deloitte.
The 5 story campus in Texas has more than 30 classrooms on the first floor, while the other floors house living quarters, a modern fitness center, and a restaurant.
There are also communal areas or “city places” replicating the general ambiance and food experiences of Deloitte’s larger offices in Chicago, New York, Singapore, Mexico City, Toronto, and Paris. The guests can mingle and experience various cities through these communal areas.
Where is Deloitte University?
The primary Deloitte University facility is located in Westlake, Texas. However, since 2011, Deloitte has opened additional locations in Canada, Mexico, Belgium, India, and Singapore.
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What courses are available at Deloitte University?
Deloitte University’s goal is to develop future leaders through training sessions led by Managing Partners, Partners, and Directors.
The ideology behind Deloitte University was not about establishing your run-of-the-mill, theory-focused leadership programs. Nor did it involve the creation of some lecture series by old men reminiscing about their past experiences to a group of starry-eyed newbies.
Instead, the courses are designed to be highly interactive and immersive, and they encourage learning both inside and outside of the classroom. Courses are focused on experiential learning, which is designed to foster out-of-the-box thinking.
Some of these experiential learning methods include:
- Interactive sessions with leaders to encourage learning, collaborations, and relationships
- Simulating client interactions
- Creative role play
- Case studies
- Digital technologies, including augmented reality, a kinetic touch plane (the “Xpressions Wall”), Pepper the humanoid robot, and more
Deloitte University has about 165 courses offered to help students build relevant industry knowledge including industries like Consumer Business, Manufacturing, Health Care, Technology, Public Sector, Media and Telecommunications, Financial Services, Energy and Resources, and more.
Do all Deloitte employees go to Deloitte University?
Not all but most of them do, especially the new employees.
Most new recruits attend Deloitte University within the first 90 days of their employment as part of their onboarding. For example, in 2018 over 10,000 college graduates and 4,300 interns participated in the first-year training program. Others attend at various defining points of their career, such as promotions or practice changes.
What does a day at Deloitte University look like?
According to the attendees of Deloitte University, an average training program is usually 4 to 5 days long and includes project simulation and knowledge relevant to the firm/industry.
Daytime training is carried out between 8am to 6pm, which generally includes break out classroom sessions involving 15-20 people. These sessions incorporate interactive learning industry-relevant hard and soft skills. For example, Excel, PowerPoint, client management, presenting, etc.
After 6pm, guests or participants are free to relax and loosen up, explore the campus, hit the gym, socialize, or go to the bar. There are generally some networking events and activities like game night and carnival night, especially on the first and last days of the training. Fun competitions are held between classrooms to build a general atmosphere of fun and camaraderie.
Most of all, you get lots of opportunities to build connections, know the people you are working with, and get the overall vibe of the Deloitte culture.