Nokia today announces its strategic collaboration with Accenture, transferring all its Symbian development activities and about 3,000 employees to Accenture. Nokia also outlined its plans to align its global workforce by cutting 4,000 jobs globally by the end of 2012..

“The collaboration, which is subject to final agreement, calls for Accenture to provide Symbian-based software development and support services, with the expected transition of about 3,000 Nokia employees to Accenture. The companies expect completion of the final agreement during summer 2011, and expect the transition of employees by the end of the calendar year 2011. Transitioning employees, located in China, Finland, India, United Kingdom and the United States, will initially work on Symbian software activities for Nokia. Over time, Accenture and Nokia will seek opportunities to retrain and redeploy transitioned employees.

This collaboration also includes plans for Accenture to provide mobility software, business and operational services around the Windows Phone platform to Nokia and other ecosystem participants. Under the proposed agreement, Accenture would become a preferred partner for Nokia’s smartphone development activities, as well as a preferred provider of services.”

Key points in Nokia’s third and fourth transformation steps:

• Approximately 3,000 employees are planned to transfer to Accenture to support the continued delivery of Symbian software development and support services.
• Reduce its global workforce by about 4,000 employees by the end of 2012 (out of approximately 65,000 worldwide, not including NSN) , with the majority of reductions in Denmark, Finland and the UK.
  
• The planned reductions will have the greatest impact on the Symbian and MeeGo R&D
  
• Consolidation of R&D sites so that each site has a clear strategic role and mission. That will  increase speed and accountability as Nokia ramps up capabilities and competence development on each site.
• Transformation at Nokia ramping up. Increasing capacity for the development of Nokia smartphones based on the Windows Phone platform, as well as increasing its overall investment in Mobile Phones and building a team to focus on future disruptions.
• Launching a comprehensive social responsibility program for employees and the communities that are likely to be affected by reductions. Nokia will invest time, money and expertise in a program to support re-employment in all the countries where the impact will be felt.

Read Full Press Release  at: - http://press.nokia.com/

[Via Nokia Conversations]