SAP, the global business software company, revealed that it has invested more than 285 million Saudi riyals in the Kingdom over the past four years, and the SAP Institute for Training and Development has organized programs to train and certify more than 750 Saudi citizens, with the institute successfully helping 98 percent of them secure employment.
The “SAP Specialized Program for Youth” lasts two or three months and provides young people with the necessary training and skills to become certified SAP consultants. Since 2012, the SAP Institute for Training and Development has generated economic value for the Kingdom amounting to 199 million riyals in the area of developing technical knowledge and skills for the younger generation.
SAP stated that the skills gap in Saudi Arabia’s technology sector has reached 30,000 jobs, which can be bridged through an effective partnership between the public, private, and academic sectors by equipping Saudi youth with the technical skills needed to fill these positions,which, at the same time, contributes to achieving the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by developing young talent and preparing them for the job market.
Steve Tzikakakis, Regional President for Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at SAP, noted that unique innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and cloud computing, are collectively driving the transformation of future work environments in the Kingdom. He said: “The strategic partnership between the public and private sectors and the academic sector is pooling efforts to integrate technical skills from the school years through graduation and into the workforce, enabling the Kingdom to harness its immense potential and achieve the much-needed economic, social, and environmental transformation.” Tzikakis also expressed SAP’s pride in the leading role it plays in building and strengthening these partnerships through the SAP Institute for Training and Development.
In addition, through its University Alliance program, SAP has been able to collaborate with 35 educational institutions in the Kingdom, alongside its clients and partners in the country, to support emerging talent and pave the way for them to connect and innovate within the framework of the “Next-Generation Innovation Center” program.
