SAP’s newly-announced Africa-wide skills initiative is crucial to helping the software company achieve its ambitious growth targets on the continent. SAP, which expects African revenue to top $1-billion within the next three years, yesterday launched its Skills for Africa programme as the regional chapter of its EMEA Workforce of the Future campaign.
The new programme, which offers a hybrid approach of classroom and e-learning, aims to certify 3 000 young people in Africa by 2018. This is in addition to the youngsters developed through the company’s existing learning interventions.
SAP co-CEO Jim Hagemann Snabe says the company will invest “a couple of million Euros” in the programme, as well as bringing its significant intellectual capital and partnership eco-system to bear.
He stresses that the initiative is not simply about training young people in SAP skills, but also in ensuring that every youngster who goes through the programme is employed at the end of it, either by SA or its partners.
Hagemann Snabe points out that SAP has introduced a number of new technologies to the market in the past three years – including mobile computing, cloud and HANA in-memory database – and new skills are required to ensure these technologies are properly implemented.
“The only limiting factor is the availability of skills,” he says.
SAP co-CEO Jim Hagemann Snabe says the company will invest “a couple of million Euros” in the programme, as well as bringing its significant intellectual capital and partnership eco-system to bear.
He stresses that the initiative is not simply about training young people in SAP skills, but also in ensuring that every youngster who goes through the programme is employed at the end of it, either by SA or its partners.
Hagemann Snabe points out that SAP has introduced a number of new technologies to the market in the past three years – including mobile computing, cloud and HANA in-memory database – and new skills are required to ensure these technologies are properly implemented.
“The only limiting factor is the availability of skills,” he says.