SAP Veterans to Work Program Equips Veterans With the Skills to Succeed in Today’s Workforce
Original blog by Trenae Simpson on Boston College Center for Corporate Citizens…
According to a recent study by ManpowerGroup, the lack of skilled talent in the U.S. has made it difficult for employers to fill many jobs. This imbalance has created a job gap that many companies are developing strategies to address. SAP, a leading provider of enterprise software and services for managing accounting, distribution, human resources, manufacturing functions and technology, created its Veterans to Work program to leverage its expertise and create meaningful opportunities for U.S. veterans. Tyrone Webb Jr., Program Manager, Platform Solutions Group, shared some of SAP’s strategies for reaching veterans and engaging employees in the program.
What is the history behind the Veterans to Work program?
To acknowledge the tremendous contributions of the U.S. military, SAP launched the Veterans to Work initiative in November of 2012 to help U.S. veterans acquire the skills and training they need to be successful in today’s IT workforce. This program provides training, scholarships, and certification programs on SAP market leading solutions.
Diane Fanelli, COO of the Platform Solutions Group for SAP, conceived the program and developed the business case for it. Fanelli’s vision was based on the fast growth of the company and the tremendous need for individuals trained to support its human resource needs. SAP’s rapid growth in analytics, mobility, and technology has resulted in a shortage of trained and certified talent on SAP products. Fanelli realized the company had an opportunity to provide a career path for returning veterans while also seeding the market with SAP-trained and certified individuals who were schooled in the latest technology areas that are expecting the greatest growth over the next five years.
SAP’s training goals are aggressive, and veterans can become certified in one or more areas such as database, in-memory, mobile applications, and analytics, thus further broadening their job opportunities.
Original source: Boston College for Corporate Citizenship
