Twenty-two blue chip companies in Nigeria are presently enjoying the services of 22 young men and women trained by the SAP in financial accounting and project management.
At their graduation last Thursday at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Victoria Island, Johann Pretorius, Director, Training, SAP Training and Development Institute, said the participants selected for the training met certain criteria, including – graduating recently with First Class (or 2.1) in their degrees, having Accounting qualifications, and being either unemployed or under employed.
He said the eight-week training was implemented under SAP’s Skills for Africa project, which is being run for the first time in Nigeria.
“In about 22 countries globally, SAP is running a programme like this. This is the first time we are running the programme in Nigeria under the Skills for Africa Project (SAP) decided to grow the ease of doing business, but they couldn’t find local capacity. Our Managing Director went to a youth event in Dubai and realised that there are good youths. She brought the idea for training and linkages to jobs to the SAP Board. The programme started in 2012,” he said.
Pretorius said the beneficiaries would spend one year interning as associate consultants in the firms they have been posted to.
He noted the two certifications (SAP S/4HANA Financial Accounting, SAP Activate Project Management) they got at the training were globally recognised.
“Their certifications are not local ut global so the qualification will allow them to go to any SAP customers worldwide to find opportunities,” he said, adding that they also got exposed to soft skills like presentation, communication, sustainable development, and design thinking.
He said the participants got special training in Finance because it was an area where partner firms operating in Nigeria requested expertise.
In his remarks, Nigerian Content Industry Collaboration Manager, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Bolarinwa Onaolapo, said Shell plugged into the SAP initiative because it aligns with its local content development policy.
“We have partnered SAP to take interns. It is an opportunity for them to work in a corporate environment to express the skills they ave acquired in the classroom in a real life work place,” he said.
Certificates were presented to the 22 associate consultants at the event. Three of the students were recognised for their outstanding academic performance. They were: Christina Begusa (overall best masters in International Business, Coventry University, United Kingdom); Olaitan Rasaq (Economics, University of Ilorin); and Adedoyin Akande (Accounting, University of Lagos). Adedoyin and Dafe Isodje, were also recognised for showing outstanding leadership as class representatives.
Ms Begusa said the facilitators helped prepare them for success.
“When we started, they trained our mindset that we can actually do anything when we train our minds. From then I found I understood everything we were taught,” she said.
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