Palestinians Earn SAP Skills to Support Middle East’s Digital Economy

Palestinian university graduates have earned valuable high-tech skills to support the Middle East’s Digital Economy, thanks to a public-private partnership that graduated its first group of students.

As part of SAP’s Young Professional Program, 18 Palestinians are now certified as SAP Associate Consultants in SAP Business One. They completed a 2-month-long training program that included SAP software knowledge certification and a plethora of soft skill development workshops such as Design Thinking and Communication & Presentation Techniques.

The aim of this unique program is to support in the creation of sustainable workplaces by boosting the business system knowledge of young graduates in the region. The training program ties the most talented millennials in order to drive innovation and tackle unemployment in the region.

SAP’s Young Professional Program in Ramallah was delivered and sponsored mainly by global technology company SAP in collaboration with the Office of the Quartet as well as the Palestine Ministry of Telecommunications and IT. It was co-funded by USAID’s Complete Project that strengthens Palestine’s economic competitiveness as well as by SAP Global Corporate Social Responsibility.

Demonstrating Palestinians’ in-depth ICT experience, ICT companies across Palestine contribute 6 percent of its GDP, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

More than 80 individuals from various Palestinian companies as well as representatives from the Palestine Ministry of Telecommunications and IT attended the graduation and networking event and saw the strong commitment and attitude of the young talents.

“Palestinian university graduates want to make a difference, and SAP’s Young Professional Program empowers the region’s talents, enables them to support the Middle East’s Digital Economy, and attract multinationals to Palestine,” said John Clarke, Deputy Head of the Office of the Quartet.

Across the Middle East and North Africa, SAP’s Young Professional Program has graduated and shaped more than 760 talented Arab nationals, with over 90 percent being placed into employment, largely in the SAP ecosystem.

“The Young Professional Program supports Palestinians landing Digital Economy careers, growing Palestine’s implementers, and builds onto our University Alliances partnerships that integrate technology in education,” said Marita Mitschein, Managing Director of the SAP Training and Development Institute.