The ‘SAP Young Professionals Program’
provides essential skills for starting a career in the IT sector
Islem Azzouzi, from Tunisia, initially had trouble finding a qualified job. Thanks to the ‘SAP Young Professionals Program’, she has learned required job skills and is now working as an SAP functional consultant at a Big Four. With the support of Invest for Jobs and develoPPP, SAP has expanded its successful program to Tunisia and nine other African countries.
Youth unemployment is high in many African countries. Numerous university graduates cannot find a job. Twenty-five-year old Islem Azzouzi from Tunis had trouble finding a highly qualified job in alignment with her skills and educational background job, too, despite a Master's degree in Business Analytics and several internships.
Many digital-savvy people lack the practical skills they need for the job market. This is where the ‘SAP Young Professionals Program’ of the German software company SAP comes in, which is supported by Invest for Jobs and develoPPP. For Islem, participating in the program has turned out to be an important career boost. In addition to modules on digital topics such as cloud computing and big data, participants specifically learn personal skills such as communication, presentation and negotiating techniques. After completing the program, the graduates are then certified SAP Associate Consultants.
Islem was particularly attracted to the technical aspect of the program. ‘I have always been keen on technology,’ she explains. ‘The work with SAP was the perfect opportunity to achieve my goals and pursue my career interests.’
Harnessing on the opportunities of digitalisation
After completing the ‘SAP Young Professionals Program’, trainees receive a job offer from an SAP partner or customer company. After the three-month training program, Islem accepted a permanent position at the Service Delivery Center, the IT consultancy unit of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC SDC) in Tunis. At the centre, she and her team support customers of PwC SCD with implementing SAP software solutions, thus directly contributing to the digitalisation of additional companies in the region.
‘The SAP Young Professionals Program was life changing .’
Islem Azzouzi
In her new job, Islem benefits every day from the practical job skills she learned in the ‘SAP Young Professionals Program’. For instance, the training prepared her for work in crosscultural teams and provided her with the opportunity to establish a strong network within the SAP ecosystem. ‘The SAP Young Professionals Program was life changing,’ she reflects.
Growth for companies
Thanks to the ‘SAP Young Professionals Program’, companies benefit from the growing pool of IT specialists that have solid SAP software expertise and essential practical job skills. With the expertise and digital competencies, she has gained, Islem can now support digitalisation processes in any of the companies that PwC provides with consulting services. The ‘SAP Young Professionals Program’ thus directly contributes to growth in the region.
‘In early 2021 there were eight of us on the team,’ says Islem, recalling her early days at the PwC Service Delivery Center in Tunis. ‘Now, there are more than 45 of us, including 11 specialists who completed the SAP Young Professionals Program.’ This growth is remarkable, as she acknowledges.