Having successfully implemented a number of social initiatives in 2017, SAP and the ASEAN Foundation will continue their strategic collaboration into 2018 with new ventures under the strategic pillars of education and entrepreneurship.
The initiatives aim to equip young people in ASEA with the skills they need to thrive in the digital economy; build capacity of innovative social enterprise to help youth build successful careers; and to build the skilled workforce that will be required for the IT sector.
Among the successes in 2017 have been the ASEAN Data Science Explorers competition, which saw 804 participants trained in SAP’s Analytics Cloud software and create submissions addressing some of the most pressing social issues in the region. Highlights included a project by Team ‘Omotesando’ from Indonesia, which aimed to accelerate financial inclusion through branchless banking, and a project by Team ‘Tonkar Data’ from Laos, which proposed adoption of smart and vertical farming to improve agriculture productivity.
The Youth Volunteering Innovation Challenge provided 29 young people with access to mentor and capital to start or scale-up social impact and sustainable development projects. SAP also supported nine of the top 50 ASEAN social enterprises through its SAP Social Sabbatical and NUS Crossing the Chasm Challenge, providing mentorship and consulting.
“Through this synergetic collaboration, we have been able to leverage resources from both organizations to inspire ASEAN youths to actively participate in efforts towards driving a sustainable future for ASEAN. With digitisation being the pivotal force in today’s ASEAN economies, both the public and the private sector need to work together to impart digital skills to the young,” said Elaine Tan, executive director, ASEAN Foundation.
“SAP has been a strong supporter in making consistent effort to move the needle in this respect; we hope to continue to collaborate with them to prepare ASEAN’s workforce for the future.”
“2017 has been a special year for the ASEAN community, with ASEAN turning 50 and the ASEAN Foundation celebrating its 20th anniversary. The community has come a long way and through this collaboration, SAP is proud to have been part of this journey to help ASEAN write the next chapter towards a more sustainable future,” said Claus Andresen, president and managing director, SAP Southeast Asia.
“Helping the world run better and improving people’s lives is at the heart of everything we do at SAP and we are pleased with the outcomes of the collaboration in the first year. I am confident that the renewal of this collaboration will help scale our ambitious CSR programs to create even greater positive impact across the region.”
