The German tech giant’s partnership with US-based massive open online course (MOOC) provider Coursera allows the company to extend its SAP skills development effort beyond its traditional customer base and reach underrepresented and marginalized groups in the technology industry.
Although digital transformation is not new, the global COVID-19 pandemic has greatly accelerated the rate at which organizations throughout the world have undertaken digital, cultural, and strategic transformations. This acceleration was driven by a need for organizations to rapidly adapt to the changing landscape brought about by the pandemic. Many organizations were forced to reevaluate their business models and strategies in order to remain competitive in a market that was quickly shifting online. The pandemic has thus acted as a catalyst for organizational change on a global scale.
However, the serious lack of IT professionals has been highlighted by the need to keep up with rapidly developing technologies. ManpowerGroup’s talent shortage study found that over three-quarters of businesses worldwide are having trouble filling open positions due to a lack of qualified applicants. Rapidly developing technologies require ever-more sophisticated IT support, which in turn necessitates a greater number of qualified IT specialists.
Expanding People to Work by SAP
The current shortfall in IT skills represents a significant challenge for businesses and organizations that are struggling to keep pace with technological advancements. Expanding the initiative called People to Work by SAP throughout the world demonstrates the German enterprise software giant’s dedication to empowering individuals with access to better economic opportunities through publicly supported SAP software training and certification. The initiative provides a variety of country-specific training programs for individuals looking for work, those at risk of unemployment or underemployment, and current employees who are required to reskill due to changing job needs.
“Through our existing programs such as People to Work by SAP and NS2Serves, we are reaching underserved communities with digital upskilling opportunities to create lasting socioeconomic impact for all,” SAP Chief Learning Officer Max Wessel stated.
Moreover, SAP’s digital skills development effort is aimed at giving everyone a foot in the door of the SAP ecosystem by providing the means to acquire and use new skills. According to Wessel, the company will offer free role-based learning tools — including training and certification — to women and other underrepresented minorities in technology in order to meet the growing need for skilled workers in the industry. With this, participants may acquire valuable skills in high-demand fields through self-paced courses, including programming, data analysis, and IT consulting.
Accelerating SAP Skills Development with Coursera
In a recent announcement at SAP TechEd, SAP collaborates with Coursera, a worldwide online learning platform with over 110 million learners. The two companies have partnered to provide a seven-course online SAP Technology Consultant Professional Certificate on the Coursera platform, where students can gain a deeper understanding of SAP, the technology consulting industry, and the benefits of hiring SAP experts. This offering is unique as it is only found on Coursera, yet it gives everyone with access to role-based, introductory learning tools.
By lowering the barriers to education, SAP hopes to increase the number of individuals capable of becoming consultants in the field, as well as the number of people who can become professional developers and business professionals capable of creating applications on SAP.
There are no requirements for the new professional certificate, making it easier for students to enroll, and they may expect to be ready for an entry-level digital position within a few months. Once students have earned their Coursera credential, they may use the SAP Learning site’s free, role-based resources to learn even more about SAP’s solutions.
“With the launch of our global skills initiative and Coursera partnership, we aim to expand our efforts in lowering the barrier to accessing digital skill development opportunities to build a larger and more diverse ecosystem of tech professionals,” Wessel concluded.
