About the SAP MENA Education for Employment Program
Prince Sultan University (PSU) and SAP bring Business and System Skills to KSA Graduates
We hear many times that KSA organizations are looking to employ graduates who also have SAP skills. So, how did SAP respond? SAP MENA established the Training and Development Institute (TDI) in 2012. One of the key objectives of the TDI was to empower local students in the region with SAP knowledge and skills, thereby rounding off their knowledge and making them more relevant and attractive to local employers.
In addition to the various university programs in the region, a specific partnership was established with PSU in 2013 to provide SAP knowledge and skills to graduates across KSA. This program was commercialized with generous sponsorship and support from Mobily, a key mobile and telecom provider in KSA. The three year program is now being managed and delivered by SAP MENA Education together with PSU.
At the time the new PSU-SAP partnership was established, PSU already had a program branded, Education for Employment (E4E), which covers training for various global software vendors. SAP was added to the list of options for KSA graduates to choose from.
The study is full-time, fully sponsored, and the SAP stream follows and runs for 30 weeks from end Jan to end August, 2014. SAP had no problem in filling the 50 spaces on the program, and the 30 female and 20 male students joined the E4E program.
The curriculum is as follows:
- SAP Integration Academy (with SAP Certification)
- SAP Design Thinking
- Business Intelligence Overview
- SAP Functional Academy (Human Resources, Procurement/Materials Management, or Finance – each with SAP Certification)
- Mobility Applications
- HANA (with SAP Certification)
- Solution Manager (with SAP Certification)
- Case Study (Project Simulation)
Our E4E graduates are doing well and getting ready to graduate at the end of August, 2014. The program is unique in that the graduates get exposed to a very wide range of technical and functional skills. They also have the opportunity to be certified with no less than four SAP Global certifications. Most SAP employees are envious of this great opportunity.
SAP and PSU spent a lot of time at the SAP and SUGMENA forum in Riyadh and the end of May highlighting the program to SUGMENA and the community of customer and partners. Some of the graduates already have job offers. Our aim, in support of Saudiazation, is to ensure that ALL our students have work placement after completing the program. It was great to hear the upcoming SAP Board Sponsor for the MENA region, and future SAP CFO, Luka Mucic, mention his appreciation of local programs like the PSU/SAP program. Both he, SAP MENA Managing Director, Sam Alkharrat and the outgoing SAP CFO, veteran Werner Brandt, took time to meet with PSU faculty and students.
All the male and female students were in attendance and eager to explore their new world and engage with the community. Some even followed the forum to Dubai and a few even received offers of work.
It is an exciting journey, but we know it is just the start of a long career. Armed with their University degrees and their SAP certifications, they now look forward to engaging with the SAP Customers and the SAP Partners in KSA, and becoming part of the growing Saudi economy.
The Graduation of our students is taking place at PSU in Riyadh at 10 am on 1st September, 2014. If you are part of the SAP community in KSA and are interested in employing our exciting batch of young graduates, or sponsorship and helping in any way, please click here.
Information about the main parties:
Prince Sultan University (PSU)
Prince Sultan University was originally founded in 1999 as Prince Sultan Private College, but, in 2003, the Ministry of Higher Education declared it to be a university. It was inaugurated by HRH Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud who is the Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation, and Inspector-General. PSU is a non-profit institution established in Riyadh by Al-Riyadh Philanthropic Society for Science and licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education.
HRH Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz has been the Chairman of the board of Directors of the Riyadh Philanthropic Society for Science since the very beginning, and in this capacity, he has been instrumental in the establishment of Prince Sultan University of which he is an enthusiastic patron.
PSU is the first private University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Rector of PSU is Dr. Ahmed Yamani. http://www.psu.edu.sa/colleges/psu/Aboutpsu.aspx
Mobily
Mobily is the band name for Etihad Etisalat and is innovative mobile telecom company in KSA. Mobility is key PSU partner and sponsor of the PSU Education for Employment Program (E4E) for three years starting in 2014. http://www.mobily.sa
SAP
Headquartered in Waldorf, Germany, with locations in more than 130 countries, SAP is the world leader in enterprise software and software-related services with more than 250,000 customers, including 86% of the Global Fortune 500 and 98% of the 100 most valuable brands. SAP has 66 500 employees and a huge partner ecosystem of 11,500 partners. SAP Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is led by Managing Director, Sam Alkharrat, Managing Director, with SAP Saudi Arabia being led by Managing Director, Ahmed Jaber Al-Faifi. SAP has 2 offices in KSA Riyadh and Al Khobar.
http://www.sap.com/mena