PwC, a consulting firm specializing in audit, tax and advisory services, announced a new critical thinking and judgment certificate program for more than 85,000 partners and employees. The program is designed to strengthen the human capabilities necessary for quality work and trust through a practical approach to developing sound judgment.
“For generations, professionals have built judgment by doing the work — researching, analyzing, questioning assumptions and learning from mistakes,” Yolanda Seals-Coffield, PwC’s chief people and inclusion officer, said in a company blog post. “As AI takes on more of these foundational tasks, it’s changing how people develop the critical thinking and judgment skills that remain essential to quality work and trust. This shift underscores the importance of creating more intentional opportunities to practice and strengthen these capabilities.”
The program’s framework includes diagnostics, masterclasses, personalized simulations and on-the-job tools designed to help people navigate complex decisions, establish context, challenge information and assumptions and communicate recommendations. PwC is continually improving this framework with input from academic experts, including professors affiliated with the Wharton School and Harvard University.
Additionally, through its Student Human Skills Initiative, the firm plans to fund selected universities to help professors develop educational materials that bring the framework into introductory courses, beginning in early 2027.
PwC will start rolling out the new certification in December 2026 to its Acceleration Centers in the U.S. and Mexico, aiming to complete the launch by June 2027.
