EY

Badges and virtual Tech MBAs

Skills and learning at EY: How can what you learn transform who you become?

One of the key levers to making work 100% human is to create a positive and rewarding employee experience. EY's promise to its people is the ability to create and customize an exceptional experience that is truly transformative, regardless of whenever they join and however long they stay. It’s why we say, “the exceptional EY experience. It’s yours to build.”

Central to such an exceptional experience is the opportunity to learn and cultivate new competencies, transformative leadership attributes and behaviors – and to do so in a way that’s unique to the individual. Through EY Badges, the organization’s 300,000+ people can pursue digital credentials in future-focused skills that help them better serve EY clients, while differentiating themselves in the market.

EY Badges span a broad range of topics, including AI, blockchain and data visualization – along with complementary soft-skills and leadership behaviors including curiosity, agility, teaming and inclusion & belonging. To date, EY people have earned 70,000 Badges, and 109,000 are currently in progress.

In July 2020, EY elevated its Badges program with the introduction of a first-ever fully virtual Tech MBA. This online qualification, awarded by Hult International Business School, is the first-ever fully accredited corporate MBA. This marks a 'first' not just for the EY organization (EY) but for any large organization. Hult, a triple-accredited university, is renowned for its skill-focused approach to education and commitment to practical learning and is regularly ranked as one of the top business schools in the world.

Encapsulating EY’s commitment to providing its people opportunities to thrive today and tomorrow, the focus of EY Tech MBA curriculum is centered around building skills that are critical for the future. As such, EY Tech MBA candidates will earn their degree based on a combination of badges in Technology, Leadership and Business, as well as final learning papers and a capstone project. The degree is customizable to a student’s desired learnings in those categories and may include such courses as AI, blockchain, purpose, business strategy and digital transformation.

“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are rethinking their operating models, customer relationships and value propositions,” says Trent Henry, EY Global Vice Chair – Talent. “Through continuous learning programs such as EY Badges and The EY Tech MBA, EY people are equipped to enable the transformation efforts needed to thrive in the next-normal; both for clients, each other and EY.”

It’s no secret that a highly skilled and engaged workforce drives better business results. That's why EY is empowering its people to be intentional about their careers, seeking out the experiences that will help them bring out the best in themselves and others. The experiences they can have at EY – and the perspectives, skillsets and mindsets that these experiences deliver – are the keys to helping people become the leaders they want to be; the leaders that EY, its clients and society needs.

“We want to empower EY people with the mindset and skill set to navigate what’s next, become the transformative leaders the world needs, pursue careers as unique as they are, and build their own exceptional EY experience,” Henry says.

What began in 2017 as an initiative to give all EY people the opportunity to develop future-focused skills so that they could develop the technology skill set and the leadership mindset required for future success has, in a relatively short period of time, evolved into a program that’s encouraging people to invest in not just short-term gains, but in their long-term career objectives. In the ever-changing environment we find ourselves, the innovation, creative problem-solving and transformative leadership skills being developed by our people will enable EY to continue to live its purpose of building a better working world.