The Great Resignation’s effect on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) throughout Asia and the Pacific was the subject of a study published earlier this year that revealed some interesting new details. SAP commissioned Dynata to conduct a survey of 1,363 SME owners and decision-makers in eight countries throughout the APJ region for their report titled “Transformational Talent: The Impact of the Great Resignation on Digital Transformation in APJ’s SMEs.” Participating countries include Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and Thailand.

SAP’s study confirms the reality of the Great Resignation and its current effects on SMEs across APJ. A majority of respondents (40%) believe that staff resignations are higher now than they were a year ago, and almost two-thirds (64%) of SMEs say they are struggling to deal with the fallout from the Great Resignation. According to SAP APJ President Paul Marriott, the Great Resignation is commonly misunderstood as employees leaving their companies to follow their passion. However, he believes that in order to attract top people, organizations also need to offer competitive compensation, a flexible work environment, and a transparent path to growth and development.

“Prioritizing upskilling and career progression, and supporting it with access to the right technology and partners is proven to be a win-win for employees and for SME,” Marriott remarked.

Echoing Marriott’s thoughts, another SAP top executive Atul Tuli — who currently serves as the Managing Director at SAP Indochina — said that SAP’s survey indicate that the shortage of trained skills is the biggest obstacle for businesses in Thailand when it comes to driving development and digital transformation, even more so than cyber security, financial constraints, and a general lack of awareness of digital solutions. He further shared:

“Nurturing talent and advancing digital skills are the cornerstones for empowerment and inclusive growth. SAP has always been committed to supporting the digital agenda in Thailand and this initiative further reinforces our efforts towards enabling digital transformation and sustainable growth.”

Fostering Digital Skills Development with SAP Thailand and DEPA

Reinforcing the German tech giant’s commitment to foster digital skills development in the country, SAP Thailand has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DEPA in order to launch a new digital learning program for students, working professionals, and business owners who seek to expand their knowledge and expertise in emerging innovations and technological advancements. SAP’s online courses will be used to support the open educational system, and the two entities will work together to better manage open online courses so that they comply with global standards and improve the quality of lifelong learning.

Moreover, SAP has been working with similar organizations to maximize their own resources, from the delivery of integrated technology products and solutions to the sharing of their own talents, in order to boost the youth’s digital capabilities and prepare them for the workforce of tomorrow. Over the past few years, SAP Thailand has honed over 1,200 students’ digital skills through programs like the open SAP online learning platform and the ASEAN Data Science Explorers competition.

“We are excited to partner with Depa to enhance the digital skilling ecosystem in Thailand, build towards a more digital future, and catalyse the next decade of growth and innovation to help the world run better and improve people’s lives,” SAP Indochina MD Tuli said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, President at DEPA shared that since the digital economy in Thailand is expected to expand to 30% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030 (or earlier), their organization has made it a top priority to train Thai business owners to use digital technologies. He said that local  entrepreneurs have been rapidly undergoing digital transformation in recent years in response to the rising need for skills related to the use of digital methods and tools.

Commenting on the recently signed MoU with SAP Thailand to foster digital skills development in the country, Dr. Nimmanphatcharin concluded:

“We need committed private sector partnership to ensure young people are learning the skills they will need to thrive. This partnership is crucial to help accelerate our efforts in upskilling and reskilling them to stay relevant in the future workforce.

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The German tech giant’s work-integrated learning program, which is supported on a global scale, offers real-world experience to students, complementing academic studies by directing and preparing them for careers in the future. Participants in the STAR Program are able to rotate across numerous SAP business areas while simultaneously receiving on-the-job and structured development as well as mentoring from executives across the company’s customer success organisational departments.

Hongwei Lu, Senior Manager of STAR Learning and Development, Southeast Asia at SAP, mentioned that several SAP global executives including CEO Christian Klein and Executive Board Member Thomas Saueressig are graduates of past STAR programs. She added:

“That’s two out of six executive members and STAR students have had a great opportunity to become part of the top ranks of our company and other leading technology companies. This is our way of shaping future leaders even before the get-go of formal work – call it talent-hacking!”

In Indonesia, a survey conducted by East Ventures for the Digital Competitiveness Index (EV-DCI) 2022 in collaboration with Katadata and PwC Indonesia indicated that almost 80{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of local businesses have placed a strong emphasis on making investments in information and communication technology (ICT) as well as digital transformation initiatives. The estimates provided by the Ministry of Communication and Information stated that the country would require nine million digital talents within the next 15 years, which works out to an annual average of 600,000 digital assets.

SAP Internships Fostering Indonesia’s Digital Talents

Since its inception in 1979, the STAR program has been implemented in a total of 13 different countries with this year marking the beginning of the initiative’s rollout in Indonesia. The SAP internships last for one academic year and accept individuals who are in their second year of college. Furthermore, they focus on helping students in the information technology and consulting industries be better prepared and skilled for the workforce of the future.

Moreover, SAP Indonesia developed STAR as a direct response to a move by the Indonesian government to cultivate multifaceted talents that are able to face employment challenges in the world today. Not only does SAP Indonesia want to increase interpersonal skills with the help of STAR, but also the digital literacy and general ICT capabilities that are essential for the digital economy.

Additionally, Participants are given the opportunity to switch departments every three months, specifically moving between the Consulting, Customer Engagement, Solution, Sales, and ICA divisions. The SAP e-learning platform also assists trainees in expanding their knowledge of the relevant industry as well as their technical expertise.

Andreas Diantoro, who was appointed as SAP Indonesia’s MD in 2018, hopes that the STAR program would be able to help the country fill the current gap in digital talent skills while also developing young leaders who will be early movers in the industry.

“SAP’s STAR program is targeted at equipping and maturing students to ensure they are workforce-ready,” he added.

This month, the SAP Indonesia MD won the Best CEO Award in the Enterprise Application Software category in the recently concluded event organised by The Iconomics. Diantoro has high expectations that the award, along with the efforts of SAP, will encourage more individuals in Indonesia to strive for greatness and make significant contributions to the development of their nation.

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SAP has been actively creating initiatives and creating programs that are geared towards addressing the increasing need for tech professionals. One of these include the Young Professionals Program which is being held at different cities and countries all over the world.

On January 10, GDN Online reported that the 16 participants of SAP’s Young Professionals Program have graduated which is marked by a ceremony organised by the Abu Dhabi City Municipality and SAP.

The said ceremony was graced by the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the UAE, Peter Fischer. The Executive Director of the Municipality Services Abu Dhabi Municipality, Salem Almenari, as well as other local and global organisations’ representatives, were present at the event.

SAP received gratitude and praise from the Abu Dhabi Municipality for empowering the graduates with digital skills knowledge and expertise with training courses that offers certifications. The Municipality also emphasised the contribution of SAP’s 3-month course in enhancing its support for transforming the society as well as building a talent pool of well-trained experts. This course is beneficial in addressing the digital challenges faced by today’s youths and equipping them with the much-needed knowledge and skills to help them thrive in today’s technology age.

SAP will continue to build and maintain partnerships with its customers and partners as well as government, public sector institutions, and universities to deliver its Young Professionals Program across more countries around the world. SAP’s Young Professionals Program has shown proven benefits to its stakeholders.

Additionally, graduates of the Young Professionals Program reap the benefits of the course, such as suitable and rewarding jobs. This is also an advantage for SAP customers and partners in recruiting young talents. Overall, the Young Professionals Program enriches the ecosystem of SAP customers and partners. It also creates a vibrant digital job market.

In her speech, Marita Mitschein, the Senior Vice President of Digital Skills, SAP South Europe, and the MD of the SAP Training and Development Institute, mentioned the potential impact of the program to UAE as a “great place to live and work, and enhance economic competitiveness.” She also thanked the Abu Dhabi Municipality for their efforts in working hand-in-hand with SAP in making the program successful.

The Young Professional Program is a SAP initiative provided by the SAP Training and Development Institute. It has a curriculum that is designed to train youths or recent graduates with certifications, as well as soft skills such as business model innovation, communication, design thinking, interview, and sales skills. These skills are necessary to help them be job-ready as an SAP Associate Consultant.

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