Voices

Deloitte launches Deloitte University Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Deloitte launched Deloitte University Europe, the Middle East and Africa (DU EMA) Monday to help staff and clients navigate market changes and stay on the leading edge of learning and innovation.

Tailored to the region’s needs to develop the next generation of international business leaders and advisors, the curriculum will be taught on a Belgium campus in the model of the U.S. DU, launched two years ago in Westlake, Texas. That location has been attended by more than 50,000 people from more than 70 countries.

The DU EMA facility will house the Deloitte Client Experience Labs, providing a semi-permanent environment for clients and staff to collaborate and innovate in dealing with complex business problems. The lab sessions will incorporate the use of expert facilitation, tailored engagement techniques, a flexible physical design space, and collaborative technologies.

“Deloitte University is more than a physical location—it represents the global expansion of a different, and we think better, way of doing business,” stated Barry Salzberg, Global CEO of Deloitte. “As a professional services organization, we need smart, well-trained people to serve our clients across borders. Deloitte professionals  are the greatest asset we have, and we’re committed to investing in them and developing them as leaders. We launched the first DU in the U.S. two years ago. In that short time it’s become successful beyond our highest expectations. This second university builds on that success and satisfies a need in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.”

DU EMA follows the U.S. model in offering courses led by current Deloitte leaders who will share their on-the-job experience in a tailored classroom setting.

As Dolce La Hulpe Brussels is DU EMA’s prime location, Deloitte is also working with Dolce Hotels and Resorts, which will host centrally organized training, and using additional space at Dolce Chantilly for future growth.

The DU EMA curriculum centralizes learning as a critical component in the workplace, to be practically and effectively applied, and was developed to include business development, leadership, functional and industry learning.

“The development of an international curriculum at Deloitte University EMEA has been a collaborative effort between member firms,” stated Deloitte Netherlands’ Jorrit Volkers, dean of DU EMEA. “Deloitte University EMEA is a place for current Deloitte leaders to inspire and develop the next generation.” 

“Competition for talent in the coming years will be challenging. Deloitte University EMEA will help the organization attract and retain talent by distinguishing Deloitte from its competitors.” stated Rik Vanpeteghem, Deloitte Belgium CEO. “We aim to develop comprehensive, innovative and impactful solutions to the challenges faced by clients and by society. Both DU EMEA and The Lab are important platforms for sharing experiences and insights that will contribute to those solutions.”

The DU EMA opening ceremony was hosted at Dolce La Hulpe on Monday and welcomed 350 people to hear from speakers including CEO Salzberg, who spoke about the founding of DU in the United States. Keynote speaker Bob Geldof also spoke about challenges, collaboration and leadership.

A roundtable was also hosted by Volkers to discuss challenges and trends in corporate and leadership development training.

DU EMA, developed through a network of member firms in the region, is expecting nearly 4,000 people to participate in the curriculum in fiscal year 2014, with participation expected to be close to 10,000 training days and rising to at least 30,000 training days annually in the next three years.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
MORE FROM ACCOUNTING TODAY