SAP launches SAP Skills University in Singapore together with five polytechnics and SkillsFuture Singapore

From left: Mah Wee Beng, Deputy Principal & Registrar, Ngee Ann Polytechnic; Jeanne Liew, Principal & CEO, Nanyang Polytechnic; Ng Cher Pong, Chief Executive, SkillsFuture Singapore; Ong Ye Kung, Singapore Minister for Education, who witnessed the signing ceremony; Khor Chern Chuen, MD, SAP Singapore; Peter Lam, Principal & CEO, Temasek Polytechnic; Lim Peng Hun, Deputy Principal (Academic), Singapore Polytechnic; Boo Chong-Han, Deputy Principal, Republic Polytechnic.

SAP has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch the SAP Skills University Singapore. Witnessed by Singapore Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung, the collaboration was inked by SAP, the five polytechnics – Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic – and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). 

Spearheaded by SAP, the SAP Skills University Singapore - SAP’s first such collaboration in Southeast Asia (SEA) - and the polytechnics will work closely with SAP to develop and deliver the training programmes.

The university’s curriculum will be designed in accordance to specific industry demand and skills needs required by the technology organisations and their partners. It will train Singaporeans to take on information and communications technology (ICT) related job roles and anticipate future skills demand to build up a pool of skilled Singaporeans who can easily transit into these roles when they become available. It is targeted to meet the manpower and skills needs of not only SAP but also the broader industry, including SAP’s customers and partners. The collaboration will also offer career advisory and placements services for ICT-related jobs, with funding support by SSG.

As part of the collaboration, two new work-learn programmes which combine placement and training will be made available. Targeted at mid-career individuals, the professional conversion programmes aim to help such individuals to gain new skills and transit into the ICT sector. There will also be a programme that caters to fresh polytechnic graduates and facilitates employment opportunities with companies in the ICT industry.

Within the next three years, over 1,000 individuals are expected to benefit from the collaboration, where they will be equipped to gain more critical skillsets in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and the Internet of Things (IoT). According to the Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information, there is demand for over 42,000 workers specialising in data science, AI and robotic engineering by 2020.

“As technological disruptions are occurring at an unprecedented pace, SSG actively seeks out collaborations with industry partners to enable Singaporeans keep pace with the evolving skills needs in areas such as data science, robotics and AI, in order to support industry transformation,” said Ng Cher Pong, Chief Executive, SkillsFuture Singapore.

“In the national Jobs Bank alone, there are currently more than 500 job postings that require some form of SAP-related certifications... So, it makes business sense for SAP to step in to strengthen this ecosystem, by training in excess of its own manpower needs in order to support its partnets and customers,” he said in a speech at the launch ceremony.

Khor Chern Chuen, MD, SAP Singapore, said SAP's higher purpose is to help the world run better and improve people's lives, and that the company is in a unique position to identify and project demand for specific skillsets. “Equipping the workforce with the right skillsets is critical for any organisation or economy to be future-ready and keep up with today’s rapidly evolving world of digital disruption,” he said.

“With the SAP Skills University Singapore, we aim to facilitate education in the fields of advanced technology and complement the foundation that’s being taught in academic institutions with hands-on learning through SAP products and working experiences. This is a crucial measure in closing the gap between the demand and supply for qualified information and communications technology professionals.”

He noted that the work available is evolving, and that companies have to embrace new business models and emerging technologies, as well as to relearn how to work many times over the course of employee careers. "We need to move away from the degree model and move towards a more functional model," he said in his opening speech. "We are committed to do our utmost to ensure young and mid career professionals to stay productive to stay gainfully employed thereby ensuring their employers stay competitive."

With a workforce of 3,700 across SEA, and thousands more in the SAP ecosystem of over 700 partners, SAP will be drawing from its expertise, knowledge and network to provide course participants with the training to upskill and boost their chances of securing roles of their choice. Graduates from the SAP Skills University can take advantage of a coaching and mentoring network to network with SAP employees, SAP partners and SAP customers, as well as coding bootcamps to sharpen coding skills.

SAP has a number of educational initiatives in place, such as OpenSAP, a suite of free enterprise massive open online courses (MOOCs). According to Khor, some 2.7 million students have enrolled in OpenSAP.

There is also the ASEAN Data Science Explorer programme, where youths in ASEAN are invited to highlight key issues in ASEAN with solutions that leverage data analytics. Khor noted that over 2,500 students and educators have gone through the programme, with the the next cycle of national competitions taking place in September, and the regional finals in October.

Minister Ong addresses the audience.

The SAP Next-Gen programme is an innovation platform for the SAP ecosystem enabling companies, partners and universities to connect and innovate with purpose linked to the UN Global Goals, while through the long-standing University Alliance programme, SAP currently partners over 100 institutes of higher learning (IHLs) in SEA to execute training programmes. An estimated 12,000 youths pick up SAP software development and management skills annually, including about 6,000 students in Singapore. SAP's relationship with the polytechnics has been in place since 2008, when partnerships were begun with Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic.
 

Ong Ye Kung, Singapore Minister for Education, used a bridge metaphor to talk about lifelong learning. "The biggest bridge that we have firmly crossed is the mindset, and that's the hardest," he said. "For many places that hasn't even sunk in...the entire concept of education being lifelong is firmly in place and that's very valuable."

He noted that traditionally, IHLs and industry have been at loggerheads, with apprenticeship schemes and academic institutions teaching different things. "The tension has always been there but today there are no more walls," he said.

He hoped that the announcement would be about the crossing of a new bridge, one where companies do not only train their own hires, but take on some of the roles of universities and polytechnics in training others. "You can't have that without a lifelong learning mindset and industry cooperation," he said. "It is quite a new idea for many in the industry to say, 'I'm training for the whole industry and beyond the industry'.

"For all you know it could be a good profit centre for SAP, I hope it breaks new ground for our lifelong learning infrastructure."

Singapore is home to SAP's regional headquarters. Regional support centres and the SAP Leonardo Center, SAP's innovation centre, are also located in a country.

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