Zimele Technologies is sponsoring the annual subscription of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) to the SAP University Alliance Programme.
SAP South Africa launched the University Alliance Programme to equip university lecturers to teach undergraduate and graduate students on how technology can enable integrated business processes and strategic thinking.
Participating institutions get access to the SAP Business Suite, including SAP ERP. Subscription member benefits include infrastructure-hosting services by SAP, curriculum support, faculty training, access to a dedicated Web site, and an environment for collaborating and sharing.
Students gain marketable skills through hands-on experience, demonstrations, case studies, research and problem-solving exercises. The programme places a large emphasis on how technology can empower a business to optimise its key processes.
This ongoing sponsorship is a way for Zimele Technologies to give back to UWC, as academics and students from UWC pioneered the company. Says Thando Mjebeza, CEO of Zimele Technologies and lecturer and alumnus of UWC: "The objective is to provide UWC with access to high quality training from SAP, a system to teach students on SAP products, and training material and support from SAP.
"We are committed to increasing the number of black skilled IT professionals in South Africa and as a result we are looking at extending this sponsorship to academic institutions from the Eastern Cape very soon."
Max Fuzani, SAP University Alliance Programme Manager: "It is our intention to introduce the University Alliance Programme curriculum to all the universities and further education and training colleges in South Africa and throughout the rest of the African continent, in a systematic and collaborative manner."
The University Alliance Programme is a global undertaking of universities and other tertiary education institutions around the world, which began in Germany in the late 1980s. South Africa, China, India, Japan, and Bulgaria are its newest members.
UWC is hosting an academic training programme from 14 to 18 January, sponsored by SAP, where academics from all over Africa who are interested in collaborating with SAP University Alliance will be trained by academics from Germany. Present are directors from SAP and professors from German universities, who have collaborated with SAP University Alliance. This training is being offered to a total of 30 faculty and staff from current and prospective member institutions.
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