Palestinian universities join SAP program to boost IT skills
Wednesday, Apr 29, 2015 in Office of the Quartet Representative
Eight Palestinian universities have joined SAP’s University Alliances program to develop highly qualified graduates with critical skills for the 21st century workforce. At an event in Ramallah today (29 April 2015), Marita Mitschein, SAP’s Senior Vice President for Strategic Investments and Managing Director for SAP Training & Development Institute in the Middle East and North Africa, and representatives of the universities signed a series of agreements that will lead to significant opportunities for the Palestinians.
The agreements were facilitated by the Office of the Quartet Representative as part of its work to help develop the Palestinian economy. OQR worked with SAP leaders in the Middle East and North Africa region to connect them with the Palestinian universities. The goal is to enable universities and students in IT or business studies to access SAP-developed curricula, allowing them to gain the skills and experience needed to work in a global high-tech environment.
In addition to the University Alliances programme, SAP’s intention is to help create a roadmap for jobs through the SAP Young Professional Program for graduates holding business, science, finance and information technology degrees. Palestinian candidates who meet the entry criteria will have the opportunity to be trained on innovative solutions, tools, and offerings from SAP, bringing SAP business skills to those who have a cultural and social understanding of the region, providing these students a competitive advantage for career opportunities within SAP’s ecosystem of partners and customers and better prepare them for the thriving digital economy.
“SAP believes in the importance of IT to shape peoples live in the Middle East and we are proud to play a part in doing that in Palestine,” said Mitschein. “We believe that the talents in Palestine can be developed to create skills and jobs which will benefit the local economy and the wider region. We encourage our partners in the SAP ecosystem to play their part in creating jobs and opportunity”
Head of the Office of the Quartet Representative Kito de Boer added: “We believe there is an opportunity for the IT sector to be a significant contributor to Palestinian economic and employment growth, and we are delighted that SAP is taking a part in driving this forward. We look forward to our continuing relationship with SAP, and to work with the wider community of international IT companies to make a real contribution to this sector. ICT is a critically-important and growing service sector. We believe that SAP can help improve the quality of the Palestinian IT offer even further, and help leverage this quality – together with relative wage competitiveness – to create opportunities and encourage investment in the Palestinian territories.”
OQR Private Sector Development Advisor Enas Abu Laban explained: “Since 2007, this region has been one of SAP’s fastest-growing markets with more than 1,350 customers. There are over 1,600 qualified SAP consultants and 120 business partners across 16 countries – and our goal is for Palestinians to become an essential part of this network. Today’s announcements means that the universities of Bir-Zeit, Al Najah, Khadouri, Bethlehem, Polytechnic, Al Quds, Hebron and the Arab American University have joined 101 university alliance partners in the region, and become part of the SAP network – giving students access to significant skills and job opportunities.”
About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 282,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.
About the OQR
The Office of the Quartet Representative works to support the Palestinian people on economic development, rule of law and improved movement and access for goods and people, as they build the institutions and economy of a viable and peaceful state in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Document Sources: Office of the Quartet Representative (OQR)
Subject: Economic issues, Education and culture
Publication Date: 29/04/2015