In December 2021, SAP became a founding member of GenU, a global multi-sector partnership with the stated mission of preparing the next generation of workers and contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Quality Education (#4) and Decent Work and Economic Growth (#8). GenU brings together stakeholders from government, international organizations, civil society, the commercial sector, and youth from all over the world to achieve its goals, such as bridging the gap between secondary-age education, training and employment, as well as entrepreneurship.

Starting in 2019, SAP has partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to implement GenU’s program, which aims to equip young people from low-income communities with the education, life skills, and employment preparation they need to become productive members of society. UNICEF is the organization that serves as the foundation for the world’s first Public-Private-Youth Partnership (PPYP) known as GenU, which was introduced before the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2018.

Since then, the groups have spread their game-changing educational methods to three million young people across India, Turkey, and Vietnam. Recognizing that teachers are the ones who will spread SAP’s educational vision to their students, UNICEF and GenU’s regional initiatives place a strong emphasis on enhancing their abilities. SAP’s help in Vietnam was a prime illustration of how gamification, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) may be used to improve UNICEF’s educational programs.

As a result of these initiatives, 432 educators have been equipped with the knowledge and skills to apply cutting-edge methods of teaching their students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields through the use of visual and interactive approaches.

Expanding SAP, UNICEF, and GenU’s Partnership

This month, SAP, UNICEF, and GenU expanded their collaboration to launch a pilot program to help disadvantaged youth gain the skills they need to succeed in the digital and sustainable economy. Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA), GenU’s flagship program, will be utilized in the pilot projects that will be launched in the Philippines, South Africa, and Nigeria.

Kevin Frey, Chief Executive Officer at GenU, said that unemployment among today’s youth is three times higher than those of adults, foretelling an uncertain future for humanity as a whole. He emphasized that in order for young people to be able to keep up with the constantly shifting demands of the job market, they need a complete set of skills that will allow them to compete both locally and internationally.

“I am delighted that SAP and GenU are continuing our long-standing partnership. Together we will support even more young people worldwide to unlock opportunities,” Frey added.

Making SAP Skills Training Available for Young People

SAP and GenU aim to provide over 500,000 young people with opportunities to learn digital and foundational skills by the end of the program’s first year. The partnership will also lend its support to SAP’s Educate to Employ campaign, which targets young adults (those between the ages of 16 and 24) and seeks to equip them with the necessary soft skills, foundational knowledge, and SAP skills through the use of the student zone on the SAP Learning website. In the said platform, students can access free training on the most up-to-date SAP solutions and technologies to launch their professional careers.

According to Christian Klein, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Executive Board at SAP, it is crucial that young people all across the world get the resources they need to develop their skills and create the future of our global community. Commenting on the expanded partnership with UNICEF and GenU, he remarked:

“We are excited to continue our collaboration with GenU to help empower the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers around the globe to thrive and create positive change for the societies in which they live and work.”

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Late last year, SAP and UNICEF have announced its global collaboration, as part of Generation Unlimited, to provide quality education, life skills, and job skills training to young people in disadvantaged communities, preparing them for decent work and active citizenship. The three-year partnership aims to reach out to the youth across Africa, Asia, and Europe, with initial efforts focused on India, Turkey, and Vietnam.

True to its objective, in mid-July this year coinciding with the celebration of World Youth Skills Day, the global partnership of SAP and UNICEF has reached the Indian soil. Centred on improving the employability of the youth amid the pandemic to prepare them for the new world of work, SAP India Pvt Ltd and UNICEF India have committed to providing career counseling and digital education in India. 

Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF Representative in India, said that the SAP India and YuWaah partnership will equip the youth when facing today’s urgent challenges by exposing them to life skills, social innovation, and career guidance. She said:

“COVID-19 has led to disruptions in educational, economic, and social spheres of life, throwing up many challenges for young people. The UNICEF – YuWaah – SAP India partnership aims to empower young people, to harness their creativity, problem-solving, and leadership assets, to make a difference in their own lives and in their communities.”

The Three-way Collaboration

UNICEF will be collaborating with YuWaah to provide digital education and occupational skillset to the underserved young people of India. Yuwaah was launched in November 2019 to strengthen education, skills, empowerment, and economic opportunities for young people, aligned with the Government of India’s efforts. Generation Unlimited India’s strategy and mission is to enable India’s youth and connect them to aspirational work and engage them as active change-makers.

The UNICEF – YuWaah – SAP collaboration aims to:

• Improve digital skills and life skills for young people
• Provide young people with career options.
• Reimagine the model in other states with the Government of India
• Impacting one million young people by the end of 2022.

Recognising the Opportunity Gap

It has to be noted that India has the world’s largest youth population with 333 million aged between 10 – 24 years. Despite the country’s accelerating technology-driven economy, in terms of career and employability opportunities, young people in the rural areas are at a huge disadvantage. Outside the cities, the young population has limited access to information, training, opportunities or the skills to future-proof their careers. Add to the equation the socio-economic impact of coronavirus.

Alexandra van der Ploeg, Head of CSR at SAP said:

“Quality education and digital inclusion have never been more important. COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of access to education and this couldn’t be more relevant to India which has the highest number of young people.” 

Van der Ploeg emphasised that SAP’s partnership with UNICEF in support of the UN’s Generation Unlimited initiative puts the spotlight on the power of innovation in addressing social issues as well as empowering the youth through education, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship.

“In true SAP spirit, our unique partnership with UNICEF will not only maximise our collective impact but inspire young people in India and across the globe to help the world run better. After all, if our young people aren’t given the opportunities for skill development, they won’t be able to associate and support social causes that help in development of a nation,” she further said.

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SAP and UNICEF have announced its global collaboration, as part of Generation Unlimited, to provide quality education, life skills, and job skills training to young people in disadvantaged communities, preparing them for decent work and active citizenship. The partnership aims to reach out to the youth across Africa, Asia, and Europe, with initial efforts focused on India, Turkey, and Vietnam.

In support of Generation Unlimited, SAP and UNICEF will co-create solutions for quality education and job skills for young people in underserved communities. Generation Unlimited engages the youth as it brings together multisector public and private investment in education and employment.

The official announcement of the three-year partnership was made at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Businesses, governments, and non-governmental organizations will be working together as part of the initiative to build sustainable education models with a focus on workforce inclusion initiatives to help young people thrive, and provide organisations with a prepared workforce. 

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said:

“For young people, the path to a successful future goes through quality education that equips them – and empowers them – with the skills they need to thrive in today’s workforce.” 

Fore added:

“Young people are some of the world’s best creatives, enthusiasts and thinkers. We are excited to work with SAP to harness young people’s energy and ideas, and help them contribute to their economies and societies.”

Recognising the need for specialised skills in today’s rapidly changing economy, the collaboration intends to develop a standardized national curriculum, workforce readiness programmes, and in-depth research to better inform and connect the private sector with future talent. According to statistics, more than 1 in 5 young people today are neither in employment, education or training.

By 2030, about 2 billion youth around the world will be seeking employment and the companies and communities must prepare to sustainably integrate them into the workforce.

SAP CEO Bill McDermott stated that the opportunity gap in this new economy has made people concerned. He explained:

 “Businesses need to take meaningful steps to upskill the current and future workforce, regardless of their age or where they live in the world. Together with UNICEF, SAP will focus on starting in the classroom where the foundation for every career is built. We will increase collaboration with the public sector and focus on the best possible curriculum to prepare future workers. This is another example where doing what’s right and doing what’s right for business are in perfect harmony.”

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