SAP underlines steps to empower today’s youth during Expo 2020 Dubai

SAP provided an enlightening panel on “Yesterday’s skills won’t do tomorrow’s jobs: Closing the Digital Skills Gap with Public-Private Partnerships,” in accordance with the company’s vision of helping the world run better and enhancing people’s lives. The discussion, which was held in the SAP House during Expo 2020 Dubai’s Knowledge and Learning theme week, was attended by education professionals as well as SAP executives.

Commenting on the panel session during RewirEd Summit 2021, Dr. Karina Edmonds said: “SAP is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on Quality Education and Gender Equality in collaboration with academic communities to build digital skills. Our global University Alliances Program and Next-Gen fosters a community enabling youth to learn, share and be inspired to address the digital needs to improve people’s lives”.

Dr. Karina Edmonds, SVP and Global Head of Academies and University Alliances at SAP, will speak at a high-level discussion on the Future of Learning for All: EdTech and Learning Equity as part of the themed week.

Commenting on these programs for students, Dr. Safwat Altal, Assistant Professor – Business, Faculty of Business, Higher Colleges of Technology, said: “These initiatives not only push students further but open more doors in their future and give them a competitive edge in the job market. I applaud the private sector’s contribution such as SAP initiatives and appreciate the effort taken today toward building a better future and educating our youth with the skills they will need for tomorrow.”

Commenting on these initiatives, Alexandravan der Ploeg, Head of Global Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP said: “Preparing for the digital future is a global collective action that needs to be a shared responsibility to inspire and empower the younger generation. By fostering an ecosystem of youth communities and non-profits across the region, our Ecosystem Builder is another program that aims to boost the capacity of young entrepreneurial change-makers to thrive in the increasingly digital economy and collaborate towards a more resilient MENA ecosystem”.

The panel discussed SAP’s position as the world’s top provider of Enterprise Application Software, as well as the company’s purpose to promote the development of tomorrow’s leaders, specifically today’s youth. SAP works to reduce the digital skills gap through its Ecosystem and academic institutions, allowing youth and enterprises to overcome the challenges of digital skills in today’s expanding digital economy.

In addition to its corporate social responsibility trademark programs, SAP continues to host various initiatives to further this goal, including Digital Skills for Today.

In addition, in conjunction with Zayed University and the University Competence Center Magdeburg, SAP University Alliances and SAP Next-Gen will hold the second edition of SAP Academic Community Conference MENA. Instructors and members of the SAP Next-Gen academic and innovation community will explore the future of education, work, technology, and sustainability and workshops on SAP’s newest technologies, such as SAP S/4HANA, SAP Analytics, and Industry 4.0.

The SAP Dual Study Program, which leverages partnerships with leading universities to allow students to enrol in 6–12-month courses that combine university theoretical studies with the opportunity for students to obtain SAP certification, is one of SAP’s educational programs active in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This ongoing project is backed by 22 SAP Dual Study Program partner universities across the area, resulting in the training of 1,850 students in the Middle East and North Africa.

Another initiative is the SAP Young Professionals Program, which is a comprehensive digital skills training program for the industry that lasts 2-3 months and is offered to top talented university graduates in order to provide them with functional and technical knowledge of SAP’s latest software as well as certifications accepted by companies (around the world/in the region). Participants earn the title of SAP Associate Consultant, giving them a competitive advantage in the job market. This program provided over 1,700 long-term job possibilities in the MENA region, with a placement rate of over 95%.

Furthermore, SAP’s Digital Literacy and Workforce Readiness initiatives have impacted over 77,000 lives in the MENA area and Turkey, while the Ecosystem Builder program has helped the Change-maker community flourish in the digital world, notably after the pandemic, with 135,000 beneficiaries.