TLDR: Deloitte has launched a comprehensive AI upskilling initiative, partnering with Palantir and Ontologize to train its professionals on the Palantir Foundry platform. This program aims to equip employees with the specialized skills needed to leverage AI effectively for clients, rapidly building the industry’s largest cohort of Foundry-trained experts. The initiative combines a modular pre-work curriculum with intensive in-person training and hands-on experience, focusing on driving measurable, outcome-driven impact. This strategic move underscores Deloitte’s commitment to democratizing AI access and fostering data-driven mission success across various industries.
In a significant move to address the growing demand for specialized AI capabilities, Deloitte has unveiled a robust upskilling blueprint, focusing on the powerful Palantir Foundry platform. This initiative, developed in collaboration with Ontologize, aims to empower Deloitte’s workforce with the necessary skills to harness AI’s full potential and deliver impactful outcomes for clients across diverse sectors.
The core of this program involves comprehensive training designed to rapidly create the industry’s largest cohort of Foundry-trained professionals. Within six months, Deloitte has already made substantial progress in this endeavor. Palantir Foundry, recognized as a leading platform for unlocking enterprise-wide data, integrates Generative AI (GenAI) and agentic workflows, offering low/no-code tools and seamless integration with Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) to accelerate data integration, visualization, application development, and AI modeling.
Ontologize, a team comprising former Palantir experts, plays a crucial role by providing a specialized training program. This curriculum is complemented by Deloitte’s own structured pre-work modules, delivered through its AI Academy. Taylor Gregoire-Wright, CEO and founder of Ontologize, emphasized the hands-on, scenario-driven nature of their training: “Our role is to accelerate the number of Deloitte engineers who are self-sufficient on Foundry. The faster they can navigate Palantir with confidence, the quicker they can turn data into outcomes for clients.” This approach ensures practitioners gain practical experience with real-world scenarios, making Foundry and AIP second nature.
Deloitte’s upskilling journey is structured, beginning with a modular pre-work curriculum based on cross-industry examples, allowing professionals to build foundational knowledge at their own pace. This is followed by intensive, in-person training sessions led by Ontologize, tailored for specific user groups such as data engineers and application developers. Beyond the classroom, the program offers opportunities for developing engineering demos, experimenting in an internal Foundry environment, and participating in data engineering challenges. A dedicated Palantir-focused Center of Excellence (CoE) further fosters continuous skill development and community practice.
Mark Urbanczyk, principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP and leader of Deloitte’s Palantir Alliance, highlighted the synergy: “Deloitte combines hands-on engineering experience with real industry domain experience. With Ontologize’s training, we give both our engineers and domain specialists the tools they need to maximize mission impact for our clients with Palantir.” This collaborative approach has been acknowledged by Palantir, with Tim O’Brien, vice president of Integrated Systems, noting Deloitte’s engineering expertise and agility in tackling complex challenges with Foundry.
Inspired by Palantir’s Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) model, Deloitte has also launched its own FDE Delivery Pool. This enables rapid deployment of trained resources—including data engineers, application developers, and AI specialists—to client engagements, ensuring tailored expertise. These FDEs are deeply embedded in client missions, focusing on anticipating challenges and architecting solutions that deliver measurable ROI, rather than just completing tasks. An example includes leveraging the Palantir AIP-based Enterprise Operating System (EOS) to help a government agency enhance financial management, logistics, and supply chain processes.
Also Read:
- Snowflake and Palantir Forge Alliance to Accelerate Enterprise AI Capabilities
- Databricks Unveils Major Initiative to Train 100,000 AI and Data Professionals Across UK and Ireland
Monica McEwen, principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP and Deloitte’s Government & Public Services (GPS) AI & Data leader, stated, “We achieve breakthrough results for our clients by delivering engagements side-by-side with Palantir, combining our collective engineering skills and domain knowledge to deliver solutions.” This broader commitment to upskilling extends beyond technical teams, aiming to democratize data science through Foundry’s ontology layer, low/no-code interface, and advanced GenAI features, empowering even non-technical staff in data-driven decision-making. This initiative is part of Deloitte’s larger commitment to workforce development and social impact, including training veterans and other talent pools.
