SAP, UNICEF activate educate to employ initiative

Multinational software company SAP (Software Analytics Program) has partnered with Unicef in activating a pilot program to educate and employ young minds into guaranteed careers.

SAP in partnership with Unicef alongside other public-private organizations such as Umuzi and the National Youth Development Agency introduced a pilot project titled SAP Educate to Employ, an initiative aimed at preparing underserved young minds for the workforce.

In prioritizing education, the partnership sees various stakeholders including government working together in an effort to introduce a pathway that will possibly resolve the disproportionate levels of youth unemployment.

The aim

Young minds will be equipped with the tools, education, and expertise required to excel in today’s digital economy.

The event at the SAP offices in Woodmead showcased how different stakeholders brought together collective efforts aimed at combating youth unemployment.

How does it work?

The initiative aims to educate youth aged 16 – 24 years on soft skills foundational knowledge using the Student Zone portal on the SAP learning site.

Digital careers in the form of support assistant, developer, and consulting are some of the jobs young minds can look forward to at the end of their journey from the educate-to-employ platform.

The catch

While on the student Zone portal on the SAP learning site young minds have the opportunity to learn about the latest SAP solutions at no cost in order to kickstart their career.

The initiative forms part of SAP’s global commitment to supporting UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited (GenU), a partnership that aims to deliver innovative solutions to challenges youth face around the world.

From government, Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Pinky Kekana tabled how upskilling the youth to participate in the digital economy was pivotal to a prosperous nation.

“We welcome SAP’s continued investment into skills development for the youth, and extend our congratulations to UNICEF and SAP on their partnership. The South African government is encouraged by the initiative and we look forward to supporting efforts to scale the SAP Educate to Employ initiative.”

How it works

About 100 participants selected from a pool of 18,000 applicants across the continent will receive fully remote learning over a six to twelve-month period with the aim of joining the SAP ecosystem as a young professional once completed.

The point simplified

Managing Director at SAP, Kholiwe Makhohliso pointed to upskilling and mobilizing Africa’s youth population as a major challenge in today’s economy.

“To build a prosperous future for all, we must urgently address one of South Africa and the continent’s greatest challenges – youth unemployment – which affects a disproportionate number of African youth.

“We are proud to introduce a new Corporate Social Responsibility initiative – SAP Educate to Employ in South Africa as a demand-driven job creation initiative that empowers youth with vital skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values to build their competencies for the 21st-century digital economy,” she said.

From UNICEF, Christine Muhigana added how it was important to remain competitive in a dynamic and changing job market.

“Youth need access to work-relevant skills and training opportunities. Through our partnership with SAP and working closely with key public sector role-players, we believe that this initiative can potentially make a lasting positive impact on youth job prospects in South Africa and beyond.”

Also read: AI silent war, is Nadella the Microsoft pied piper as OpenAI shakes