Indonesia chosen as major SAP delivery center for a global company

While the world economy stagnates, Indonesia has been recording growth of over 6% for the last few years. Moreover, it is the best kind of growth – driven not only by rising consumption, but by sound investments that will deliver sustainable future growth.

One of the most important long-term investments that any country can make is in education. In 2012, a McKinsey report on Indonesia, entitled The Archipelago: Unleashing Indonesia’s Potential, suggested that Indonesia could go from the world’s 16th largest economy to the 7th largest by 2030 – as long as it focuses on developing its higher education system, among other factors.

Meeting industry needs

Both the Indonesian government and the private sector have taken a range of strategic measures to improve the quality of higher education in the country. Many quality-oriented universities have now become more open and sensitive to industry needs, adjusting the content and style of their courses accordingly. Some, like Institut Teknologi Harapan Bangsa (ITHB) in Bandung, have even included industry-standard professional certifications into their curriculums.

A few years on, these efforts are bearing fruit. In fact, some global multinationals now see Indonesia not just as a nation with abundant natural resource and unskilled labor, but also an important source of highly competent professionals – not least in technology.

Favored source for SAP

Recently, a listed US company with 75,600 employees around the world held a campus hiring event at ITHB. Its executives said they chose Indonesia because they believe the country can produce world-class technology professionals in sufficient numbers to run and manage their complex information systems. They also emphasized the myriad career opportunities awaiting professionals with expertise in technology infrastructure, project management, and applications, both within Indonesia and beyond.

The company has eight Delivery Centers (SDCs) around the globe for SAP, the world’s leading ERP business application. Recently, it decided to make Indonesia the location of its largest SDC. Wayne, Head of Information Services, confirmed that Indonesia beat several other strong candidates including India and the Philippines.

That’s good news for ITHB graduates, particularly those who’ve gained SAP certification. But it also proves to all Indonesian graduates that they have what it takes to compete on the world’s technology stage.

Golden opportunities

Addressing the newly recruited ITHB graduates, Adrian, the company’s Recruitment & Project Manager, stressed the importance of strong character and a passion for learning.

Those values are perfectly exemplified by Rusna, a recent ITHB graduate in Information Systems. Even before she graduated, Rusna was offered the exciting opportunity to study the firm’s SAP operations in Switzerland, Italy and several other European countries. And as Adrian confirmed, the main reason for the company returning to ITHB for more recruits is the competence and character shown by Rusna since she joined the firm.

All this fully vindicates ITHB’s strategy of developing students’ character, as well as their skills and qualifications. Now students in Indonesia need to plan their careers carefully and make sure they choose the right path. The career opportunities, particularly in IT, are there for the taking.