Deliver Your News to the World

Institutes in Bulgaria and Romania to Benefit from SAP® University Alliances Program


WEBWIRE

SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced the latest in an ongoing series of global endeavors to foster tomorrow’s business and IT talent via the global SAP® University Alliances program. Marking the long-running program’s first steps into Eastern Europe, three educational institutes in Bulgaria and two universities in Romania are the latest additions to the global SAP University Alliances program. At the universities of Sibiu and Timisoara in Romania, and the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (FMI) at Sofia University, the Technical University in Sofia and the University of National and World Economy in Bulgaria, the program will help students gain hands-on, classroom experience applying state-of-the-art enterprise software to real-world business scenarios.

Whereas university graduates enter the world of business with boundless enthusiasm, they often lack the practical skills needed to add immediate value to the marketplace. The SAP University Alliances program offers university faculty access to SAP software and educational resources to enrich their curricula. Students can use the software to learn the latest techniques in business process design and management. The program helps students gain practical experience and strategic planning skills that can be applied directly once they enter business life. In addition to fostering general business and IT expertise, the program stands to enhance job opportunities for students in Bulgaria and Romania, countries marked by growing market demand for qualified SAP consultants.

SAP has one of its five global delivery centers based in Romania. The centers provide customers a flexible mix of skills and consulting services designed to reduce time to value, lower total cost of ownership for IT and increase return on investment from a mix of onshore, offshore and near shore services. SAP global delivery centers have been increasingly in demand by customers seeking to gain advantages from experience gleaned from more than 1,000 successful projects.

In Romania, the universities of Sibiu and Timisoara are upgrading their computer labs with modern servers, PCs and peripherals through a 30,000 euro grant from the SAP Corporate Social Responsibility program within SAP Global Communications. By the end of 2007, the Romanian program is expected to train approximately 100 consultants.

SAP Labs Bulgaria, one of eight SAP software development centers, actively supported the program at the educational institutes in Sofia, covering all related equipment expenses.

“We very much appreciate the opportunity to enter the SAP University Alliances program,” said Boyan Bontchev, associate professor, Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (FMI) at Sofia University. “Promoting SAP solutions to teachers and next, to students, will set new challenges for motivated young people to receive real-life, industry-oriented training. FMI will continue preparing and delivering highly educated specialists to companies like SAP Labs Bulgaria and will apply the benefits from the SAP University Alliances program in order to reply to the increasing demand for young professionals in Bulgaria and throughout Europe.”

“We are preparing a master program in the area of enterprise resource planning, and we plan to base the education plan on SAP products and research and development,” said Valentin Kissimov, associate professor, University of National and World Economy in Bulgaria. “By installing an SAP system for education pre-loaded with prototype data, we will be able to present general ERP educational principles and communicate the industrial strengths of SAP in a more academic way. We are very grateful that the SAP University Alliances program is helping to support academic progress in Bulgaria.”

Commitment to IT Innovation and Education

As a global leader in business and IT innovation, SAP is already taking public leadership in numerous corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. With the global SAP University Alliances program, SAP is demonstrating its commitment to higher education through investments in education that foster IT innovation and help equip tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and managers with essential business know-how. For universities participating in the program, SAP provides free-of-charge licenses for current software releases and offers ongoing support and training opportunities tailored to the specific needs of faculty members. User group meetings and curriculum congresses held in the EMEA, Americas and Asia-Pacific Japan regions share best practices and present new and innovative curricula.

“The SAP University Alliances program is designed to develop talented IT graduates who can bring immediate value to any company when they enter the labor market,” said Stefan Gruler, chief operating officer of Field Services, SAP. “SAP consultants can help cut the total cost of ownership for SAP customers, which in turn helps to maximize customer success. In the process, our graduates’ careers accelerate in a meaningful fashion.”

The SAP University Alliances program was launched in Germany in 1988. Today, the global program has nearly 800 universities participating worldwide. Annually, more than 150,000 students worldwide are enrolled in courses supported by SAP software.



WebWireID44102





This news content was configured by WebWire editorial staff. Linking is permitted.

News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.