Lifelong Learning for Lifelong Success

Covid-19 has impacted our work and our private lives. As schools and universities have shut down amid the coronavirus outbreak, e-learning has become the learning method of choice. For millions of schoolchildren around the globe, the day currently starts with booting up their computers as classrooms are virtually transported into their homes.

We have seen numerous offerings and initiatives taken form recently. These are not only connected to the coronavirus outbreak, but also to a major change we are seeing because of the ongoing digital transformation: the shift to lifelong learning.

Most of us made a linear progression from learning at school to working. I myself started my career at SAP in 1999 as a student. I was fortunate to always have strong mentors, and I also was granted the opportunity to be able to work in different functions and areas, thus experiencing and learning a lot “on the job”. Then again, did you know that in many industries and countries, the most in-demand occupations and specialties did not exist 10 or even five years ago? According to one popular estimate, sixty-five percent of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in jobs that don’t yet exist, and they say that 85 percent of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven't even been created yet.

In such a rapidly evolving environment, the ability to anticipate and prepare for future skills and embrace lifelong learning is becoming increasingly critical. I believe the future of work won’t be about college degrees, but about job skills as the rapid technological change makes our traditional career paths increasingly anachronistic.

With people and technology front and center of everything we do, we are all about empowering people with technology. With openSAP, we provide everyone interested in learning about our latest innovations a free learning platform. openSAP Enterprise MOOCs are complete courses, and learners can earn a certificate to demonstrate the knowledge they’ve acquired. Complementary learning opportunities exist in the form of openSAP Podcasts and openSAP Microlearning.

During this challenging time for the whole world, we want to make sure education does not take a back seat. Pupils, students and subject-matter experts need access to safe and healthy learning environments to continue their education virtually. This is why we have broadened access to our digital learning offerings so children and students can continue their education virtually and free of charge. Be it massive open online courses (MOOCs), learning journeys for university students or the SAP Young Thinkers program - all of the offerings are accessible through the openSAP platform and free of charge. 

As a company we have always believed in our responsibility to support the next generation of professionals and users with our best-in-class digital learning. As part of that, we aim to provide the world’s youth with the skills and the knowledge they need to tackle the world’s and society’s challenges and thrive in the digital economy. I am a firm believer that we must continue to open the doors of opportunity to more young people – both in times of success and adversity.