Software, solutions provider seeks training tie-up with Cebu schools

AS SAP Philippines tries to move aggressively in new areas of enterprise applications, they also want to be sure there are enough individuals with information technology skills to fill up positions.

Carel Villanueva, marketing manager of SAP Philippines, said that after successful partnerships with institutions in Manila, they want to work with Cebu colleges and universities and make them adopt SAP solutions in their accounting subjects.

Currently, he said, 15 schools are members of SAP Philippines’ University Alliance Program, but they are based in Luzon. The company wants to expand their reach to universities in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Villanueva admitted there are discussions with some schools in Cebu but declined to identify them until agreements have been reached.

He assured that students who have been trained with SAP applications have an edge in the job market over those who do not. He cited graduates of Mapua Institute of Technology as among those who have been hired by technology company HP even before graduating and students of the Technological Institute of the Philippines who have found employers less than three months after.

Villanueva said these were due to their exposure to SAP applications.

Elective

The partnership, he explained, would make institutions integrate SAP training into the curriculum and offer it as a workshop-type elective.

While SAP will train faculty members on SAP applications, they will not send their own staff members to train the students.

“The best teachers are still the accounting teachers. SAP merely enhances the system but the principles of accounting are still the same,” he said.

With SAP exposure becoming an asset for students, Villanueva said many are also
interested in getting SAP certifications to land better jobs.

Certifications could be costly. Villanueva said examinations could cost P25,000 to P30,000 while training could cost P100,000 to P500,000.

However, he said SAP-trained employees are in demand and could land jobs with salaries ranging from P50,000 to P500,000 a month.

Since the first semester has started, Villanueva said they might be able to begin offering the SAP subjects in schools by the second semester.

SAP Philippines managing director Darren Rushworth said they are investing in more talent for their company, adding 50 percent of their existing staff members this year alone.

Rushworth said they are doubling account specialists to work on their new product areas such as analytics and cloud computing.