​This week, Al-Quds University joined a global universities alliance program known as “SAP”. The aim of this is to support graduates and equip them with the skills needed by the labor market, in order to promote employment opportunities for the Palestinian youth.

During the ceremony held in Ramallah, Dr. Imad Abu Kishek, Al-Quds University President, signed the agreement with Marita Mitshin, the Senior Vice President of the giant global business software SAP. 

Dr. Abu Kishek said “in the light of the high unemployment rate in Palestine, we must find a way to connect and fill the gap between the private sector and higher education. This agreement is an important opportunity in Palestine to provide students’ with skills that help them in the domestic and international job market.”

The Quartet Office representative sponsored and organized the agreement signing ceremony, as this type of initiative contributes to the development of the Palestinian economy. This office works with many officials of SAP in the Middle East and North Africa in order to link the company with Palestinian universities. This enables students who study disciplines such as business technology, to access the advanced curriculum SAP, allowing them to acquire the skills and experience necessary to work in a global business environment characterized by high technologies.

SAP encourages the partnership of Palestinian universities and the University Alliance program to assist in gaining access to jobs through the Young Professionals Program. This increased access will be particularly helpful to graduates who hold degrees in business, science, finance and IT. Students who meet the criteria for participation in the program will have the opportunity to obtain training with SAP’s innovative tools and products.

The Quartet representative, Quito de Boer, highlighted the open scope of the information technology sector which plays a major role in Palestinian economic growth. He expressed his happiness that SAP takes and the initiative to push this forward.  Mr de Boer said that he is looking forward to building a close and continuous relationship with SAP, and work with the international IT community to make a real quantum leap happen in this sector. Mr de Boer added "the Palestinian information and communication technology sector is an important and growing sector, and we see that SAP can help improve the quality of services provided in this sector by instilling competitive wages granted to employees in this sector, to create opportunities and encourage investment in the Palestinian territories".