The new buzzword around IT circles in SAP SE certification. It is particularly relevant as a platform used in a few major service industries, most notably finance and accounting, production planning and materials management. Here’s everything you need to know about SAP certification.
What is it?
In short, it is a qualification based on an exam as provided by SAP SE who are a well-respected provider of ERP (Enterprise Recourse Planning) solutions. One of the major benefits of this exam is that it is almost universally recognized in IT industries around the world, so is a great place to start if you are looking for a valid qualification.
In terms of business management, SAP systems are able to encompass almost every facet with a combination of e-solutions and web interfaces.
SAP certification itself consists of two courses, one of which is more functional in nature, while the other is technical, so it covers all individual strengths and weaknesses and areas of expertise, whatever yours may be, and it is as heavy on the practical side as it is on the theory, which adds weight to many already working in the field.
What are the pre-requisites for SAP certification?
The first thing to note here is that there are more than 200 versions of the relevant certification, as well as two main levels of each. These can be classified as associate and professional. As the name suggests, the professional qualification requires a great deal more of relevant experience in order to qualify for the exam.
There are two types of pre-requisites in order to qualify for SAP certification. The first very simply involves completing a SAP-recognized course. Certificate of completion of the course is enough to qualify you to take the exam.
If you have not completed officially recognized SAP training, then there are other modes of qualification. You can provide evidence of having worked with SAP for a minimum 12-month period, or a two-year period spent in a support role, combined with a minimum six months spent in a role related to the module you are interested in taking up. Otherwise you would need to have between three and seven years of experience of SAP knowledge, or have spent one year working for an SAP associate or recognized client, also with the six months specialization in the module that you are interested in undertaking.
What are the career benefits?
In an industry where experience can often be more valuable that official qualification, what is the difference with SAP: how can it add value to your CV?
First, it’s a good idea to look at some of the numbers involved:
SAP itself employs more than 96,000 people and has more than 400,000 customers. Included in that customer base are 92% of the companies which make up the Ford Global 2,000 companies list, so we are talking about some of the world’s biggest brands and industry leaders, including sustainability leaders. Currently 350,000 people are SAP qualified, and that number if growing all the time.
The simple fact of the matter is that SAP business management solutions and the individuals who can administer them are now ubiquitous in a number of major industries, so certification in these systems will immediately stand you out as relevant and qualified for a huge number of roles available now.
As previously mentioned, it’s a globally recognized qualification too, which opens up your career horizons greatly, and the base pay of a SAP qualified worker is greater than non-qualified peers. It is these befits that is seeing huge levels of uptake in training in SAP and the qualification itself is becoming a com mon sight on competitive resumes: don’t get caught behind the curve.
In summary, it’s all about the relevant proficiency in the types of software that are more commonly than ever implemented at the coal face of important service industries: SAP specialists and consultants, network professionals and data specialists are all included under this SAP umbrella and are benefiting by adding this qualification to their list of qualifications.
