Demand for professionals who can build, govern, and orchestrate these agents is rising faster than supply, making graduates with hands-on agent-building experience among the most sought-after profiles in today’s job market.

This year at 麻豆原创 Sapphire, 麻豆原创 laid out its vision for the Autonomous Enterprise, where AI agents manage and execute business processes end to end. For universities, this raises an immediate question: How do graduates get ready for a world where AI agents are part of daily operations?

麻豆原创 is now providing new no-cost offerings and resources for universities that give lecturers and students hands-on access to AI agent building, process management, and enterprise architecture tools. The goal is to help higher education keep pace with the rapid adoption of agentic AI in industry and prepare graduates for a changing job market.

Preparing the next generation of AI agent builders

麻豆原创 has put together a new set of offerings and resources that help universities embed agentic AI-related concepts and technology into their teaching hands-on. Three offerings, each covering a different angle of agentic AI, are now accessible at no cost for academic lecturers and their students:

• : Before building an agent, the process it will operate in must be understood. 麻豆原创 Signavio Process Transformation Suite gives lecturers and their students access to process mining, modeling, and process transformation capabilities. They can model and analyze existing processes, spot inefficiencies, and design improved workflows that include AI agents. Additionally, students and lecturers can now experience process modeling with 麻豆原创 Signavio Process Modeler as part of 麻豆原创 Learning Hub, student edition.
• : For students to understand where agents sit within an organization’s IT landscape, this is the tool. Newly available at no cost for academic lecturers via 麻豆原创 Learning Hub, student edition, 麻豆原创 LeanIX lets students model enterprise architectures and reason about what changes when introducing AI agents into an existing system landscape.
• : Lecturers and their students can access an agent-building environment from 麻豆原创 and leverage various enablement resources. These allow students to explore configuring and building an AI agent, either in a guided demo experience or in a live system hands-on.

What makes this especially valuable is how the pieces connect. Students can explore different components of agentic AI hands-on using 麻豆原创 solutions. They learn that building an agent is only part of the job. Understanding process context, architectural and governance implications is equally important.

Collaboration with educational institutions globally

麻豆原创 will also collaborate intensively on embedding agentic AI into teaching with lecturers from more than 10 universities globally, including:

• Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary
• E枚tv枚s Lor谩nd University, Hungary
• Hasso Plattner Institute, Germany
• HEC Montr茅al, Canada
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
• National University of Singapore Business Analytics Centre, Singapore
• TEC de Monterrey, Mexico
• Technical University of Munich, Germany
• Tongji University, China
• Technical University of Dresden, Germany
• University of California, Irvine, U.S.

The institutions will get exclusive early access to 麻豆原创’s latest agent building platform capabilities, benefit from agent building deep dives for students with 麻豆原创 experts, and from the opportunity to articulate academic needs with regards to teaching agentic AI related concepts hands-on to 麻豆原创.

鈥淲e want students to work with the same tools and scenarios that companies are using right now,鈥� Dr. Katharina Schaefer, head of Academic Partnerships at 麻豆原创, said. 鈥淏y giving lecturers free access to our agent-building resources, we make it easy for them to bring that reality into their courses. Students who build AI agents on real enterprise processes during their studies will have a head start when they enter the job market.鈥�

For faculty, the practical element is what counts. Students do not just read about AI agents in a textbook. They build them on real systems with real constraints.

“What excited me is that students get to work with enterprise-grade tools, thanks to this new platform,” said Prof. Jes煤s Aguilar-Gonzalez, TEC de Monterrey. “Students from our School of Engineering & Sciences build agents connected to real business processes and have to think about architecture and governance. That is much closer to what they will face in their first job than any textbook exercise.”

What sets this apart is its enterprise context: Agentic AI is taught in connection with business processes and the system landscape that supports them, so students learn how AI fits into real operations rather than experimenting in isolation.

Building the workforce of the future

As part of the , 麻豆原创 has been partnering with more than 2,800 educational institutions for decades to enable students to learn, research, and innovate with business applications and technology. With these offerings, 麻豆原创 supports students in developing sought-after 麻豆原创 skills, preparing them for job opportunities worldwide.

Ready to bring agentic AI into your classroom? Visit the or reach out via universityalliances@sap.com to get started.

According to the World Economic Forum鈥檚 Future of Jobs Report, analytical thinking ranks as the top sought-after skill in the job market. Yet traditional teaching often struggles to connect theory with practice in a way that truly engages students.

It鈥檚 not a shortage of content or tools; rather, it is a gap in relevance and inspiration that leaves students disengaged from the very skills that could define their careers. Learning needs to be anchored in real-world data, meaningful contexts, and hands-on experience that sparks curiosity and excitement. The best learning doesn鈥檛 come from memorizing concepts, it comes from doing, especially when theory is tied to a topic that learners care about.

This is where , in collaboration with the NHL, comes in.

We have created a new Business Builders game that brings hockey into the classroom鈥攏ot just as a sport, but as a rich, real-world data environment for teaching analytics and critical thinking.

In this latest edition of games under the Business Builders umbrella, students take on the role of a hockey analyst responsible for identifying the factors that drive goal scoring using real NHL Game data.

鈥淗ockey is fast, dynamic, and full of rich data, a perfect environment for teaching critical thinking,鈥� said Brant Berglund, senior director of Coaching and GM Technology at the NHL. 鈥淟everaging a strategic partnership with NHL, 麻豆原创, and HEC Montr茅al, we鈥檝e created a pathway for universities to access approved NHL.com data for academic initiatives, without compromising the integrity of the League鈥榮 data.鈥�

Through our collaboration with the NHL, we provide a learning platform for educators that is full of authentic data students can relate to. The NHL generates just under 1.5 million data points per game, including about 120 shot attempts, 1,000 passes, and 5,000 puck touches鈥攔aw material for deep, practical analysis.

Business Builders can ignite an interest in STEM and help students build real data skills. The hockey-focused game was developed by the team at ERPsim Lab at HEC Montr茅al led by Prof. Pierre-Majorique L茅ger, as well as the support of academics from other universities. This reinforces a core principle of Business Builders: It is created by educators, for educators.

鈥淲hen the question feels meaningful, learners lean in, stay focused, and keep pushing forward,鈥� L茅ger explained. 鈥淔or students in sport management or business management, real sport data can also elevate the learning experience. It adds context, complexity, and constraints that traditional teaching methods cannot provide. Students learn to judge what truly matters, justify their decisions, and manage trade-offs. This develops professional judgment, confidence in analytics, and the ability to communicate strategy and decisions clearly. These skills translate directly to real careers in sport management and business.鈥�

Students explore questions such as:

• What sets top NHL scorers apart?
• Does shot angle affect scoring?
• Which NHL players lead in goals scored, and from what distances?
• Which shot speeds and shot types yield the highest goal conversion rates?

By analyzing these scenarios with 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud, students learn to interpret visualizations, tell compelling data stories, and sharpen their data-driven decision-making and critical-thinking skills.

For professors, the platform is equally powerful. Business Builders supports active learning at scale by enabling educators to manage and evaluate larger groups more efficiently while gaining visibility into student engagement. This makes grading easier, supports discussion-based learning, and helps instructors understand how students interact with data.

By introducing a modern, meaningful learning experience鈥攆ar more dynamic than slides alone鈥攑rofessors bring real-world relevance into their classroom and elevate the impact of teaching.

麻豆原创鈥檚 role in this collaboration reflects its broader commitment to education, skills development, and preparing students for the future workforce. In a rapidly changing world shaped by AI, data, and digital transformation, access to practical learning tools that build real competencies is essential. Through the 麻豆原创 University Alliances program, 麻豆原创 works with educational institutions around the world to help bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world practice.

鈥淎ccess to business software and real data is essential for preparing students for the future,鈥� said Dr. Katharina Schaefer, head of Academic Partnerships at 麻豆原创. 鈥淲ith free learning platforms like Business Builders, we empower educators to bring enterprise analytics into the classroom and help students develop the skills that are increasingly in demand across industries, and in a world where data and AI define the competitive advantage. Today鈥檚 learners need more than conceptual understanding; they need practical experience with real software and real data to build confidence and readiness for work life.鈥�

One of the educators closely involved in shaping this new game is Prof. Olivier Caya from the University of Sherbrooke, who contributed his perspective as both a faculty member and practitioner.

鈥淲hat makes this experience so powerful is that it all happens in 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud, the same solution used by thousands of organizations worldwide,鈥� Caya said. 鈥淭his creates a strong connection between what students do in the classroom and what they will encounter in professional practice. Students are not working with software detached from reality; they are developing skills with the same software used in real business environments.鈥�

The result is a learning experience that is fun, interactive, and relevant. Educators can stand out with a state-of-the-art platform that connects passion with pedagogy, while students gain highly sought-after skills using real software from a global technology leader.

Business Builders is provided free of charge to educators and students and includes access to 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud. It is designed from beginner-friendly introductions to more advanced analytical challenges optimized for master鈥檚-level courses.

After using Business Builders, students can deepen their analytical knowledge through access to , a free learning platform that offers guided learning content, practice systems, and up to two 麻豆原创 certification exam attempts per year, helping them to boost their career opportunities even further.

Business Builders is about connecting passion with education. Together with academic and industry partners, 麻豆原创 is making analytical thinking tangible and memorable鈥攅mpowering the workforce of tomorrow with the skills that matter most today.

Academic institutions are at the forefront of addressing this challenge, tasked with equipping students with the competencies required in a digital-first economy. Recognizing this imperative, 麻豆原创 University Alliances and HEC Montr茅al have collaborated to develop , an innovative, gamified learning platform designed to help enhance students’ analytical and decision-making skills using 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud.

Introducing Business Builders: A gamified approach to make students future-ready

Business Builders is designed to help students develop these high-demand skills in a practical and engaging way. Through real-life business challenges powered by 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud, students can learn how to visualize data, draw actionable insights, and make evidence-based decisions in real time.

Used by educators in over 70 countries, Business Builders is free for educators and students. It is designed to be accessible to any classroom鈥攚hether in business, STEM, or interdisciplinary courses.

By blending gameplay with professional tools, Business Builders helps address several key pain points in education:

• It can make data and analytics more tangible and relevant.
• It helps foster analytical thinking, data storytelling, and digital literacy.
• It can align directly with the needs of the future workforce.

Whether students aspire to careers in consulting, supply chain, product management, marketing, sustainability, or HR, Business Builders can provide an environment to explore these topics while gaining in-demand skills.

Two new scenarios for a broader audience

Building on the success of three existing scenarios, 麻豆原创 and HEC Montr茅al are now launching two brand-new games designed to support even earlier-stage learners: The Agent and The Maple Heir. These scenarios help make Business Builders more inclusive, scalable, and suitable for students age 15 and older and first-year university students. Importantly, no prior experience with 麻豆原创 tools is required, making it easy for educators and students to get started.

The Agent is an easy-to-use sports management scenario that can empower students to become decision-makers as they take on the role of a sports agent. Through real-world sports challenges, students can develop basic analytical skills using intuitive dashboards in 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud. They answer questions like: Which player is the most improved? How can a team optimize its performance? Which sport averages the highest number of followers on social media? What is the value? It鈥檚 a fun, relevant, and accessible way to introduce analytics in the classroom鈥攏o 麻豆原创 experience needed.

The Maple Heir, on the other hand, is a scenario that introduces students to the fundamentals of running a business through the engaging story of inheriting a maple syrup company in Quebec, Canada. Students step into the role of a new stakeholder eager to understand and optimize the company鈥檚 operations, financial health, and growth potential. From analyzing income statements and profitability metrics to exploring production processes and workforce management, students can gain hands-on experience in making strategic business decisions. The scenario also addresses real-world challenges like seasonal demand fluctuations and business expansion opportunities. By visualizing data and presenting actionable insights with 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud, students can learn essential concepts in entrepreneurship, finance, and operations in a gamified, accessible way.

Both scenarios are built with educators in mind: they鈥檙e easy to integrate into existing curricula and supported by ready-made teaching materials. Whether in economics, business, IT, or interdisciplinary courses, they can offer an engaging way to make learning stick.

Empowering educators to build the future

The launch of these two new scenarios reaffirms 麻豆原创鈥檚 commitment to empowering the academic community to build the future workforce鈥攐ne student at a time. By helping students master analytics tools, hone critical thinking, and gain early exposure to business systems, Business Builders helps ensure they鈥檙e better prepared for internships, first jobs, and long-term careers.

In a world increasingly shaped by AI and data, it鈥檚 not just about knowing how to code or use a tool鈥攊t鈥檚 about thinking critically, communicating clearly, and making sense of complex information. With Business Builders, educators can give students a head start in all of these areas.

If you’re an educator looking to enhance your curriculum with innovative, practical learning tools, explore today or join one of our to experience it in action and hear firsthand from those already using it.

Thorsten Haas is part of 麻豆原创 University Alliances.

A recent survey reported that cognitive skills, such as creative thinking, analytical thinking, and technology literacy, a type of critical thinking skill, are forecast to be the most sought-after employee skills by 2027.

Collaboration between academia and industry is essential to deliver these skills at speed to students. That鈥檚 why the has been forging partnerships with educational institutions for 25 years, with more than 2,800 institutions currently working with 麻豆原创 to educate tomorrow鈥檚 talent with 麻豆原创 skills.

One of these partners is , a prestigious, internationally recognized business school with a long history of creating innovative learning approaches to equip students with 麻豆原创 skills.

Two decades ago, HEC Montr茅al pioneered , a revolutionary and hugely successful educational tool immersing students in a real-life business scenario within 麻豆原创. Today, an estimated 30,000 students a year learn with ERPsim.

In an interview, Professor Pierre-Majorique L茅ger of HEC Montr茅al talked about the latest collaboration between HEC Montr茅al and 麻豆原创: Business Builders, the next generation of 麻豆原创 gamified learning.

Business Builders: Game On with 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud

Business Builders is a gamified learning tool that can develop STEM skills and helps students sharpen their analytical, critical, and creative thinking skills using the solution.

Professor L茅ger says educators are caught up in the generative AI tsunami and need to 鈥渞ethink a new pedagogical approach for students to develop data analytics and data literacy skills while at the same time recognizing that ChatGPT, for example, makes it super easy for students to circumvent doing the tasks themselves.鈥�

Business Builders is one solution to that problem.

The game can be played either face-to-face or in virtual teaching sessions, either synchronously in a single session or over several sessions.

Students find themselves in one of three scenarios in a fast-paced, competitive game with interactive, realistic learning scenarios. There is no chance of resorting to ChatGPT or a similar AI tool to win. Instead, students must demonstrate data-driven decision-making skills and apply visualization techniques to make informed decisions.

In each game, students take on roles such as marketing or product researcher, financial analyst, or supply chain analyst. Each game has multiple stages, with subsequent stages demanding greater skills and knowledge.

The stages comprise 10 business questions targeting different levels of skills and knowledge. The business questions are designed for students with little or no data analytics skills as well as those with more advanced data visualization and manipulation skills.

As part of the game, students use 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud to visually analyze the data and identify the best graphical representations to answer the questions.

Real-Life Problems with Realistic Data

The game uses vast synthetic data sets to make the business decision-making process as authentic as possible. 鈥淭he notion of synthetic data is important,鈥� Professor L茅ger explains, 鈥渂ecause sometimes reality is too complex to bring into the classroom and does not serve the pedagogical process. Based on experience with ERPsim, creating a realistic synthetic data set that is as close as possible to reality is the best way to go.鈥�

Business Builders currently offers three game scenarios offering a diverse range of real-life problems that students can solve using 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud: environmental, social, and governance; supply chain resilience; and international expansion.

According to HEC Montr茅al, the most-played scenario to date is supply chain resilience. This scenario involves a real-life problem where the Panama Canal gets shut down due to climate change, affecting the shipment of holiday gifts from Southeast Asia to the United States. Students are tasked with deciding how to reroute the containers and prioritize products to minimize the impact of this event.

A Win-Win for Students, Educators, and Employers

鈥淚t is the challenge of our generation of professors faced with generative AI to come up with a novel way to teach students about data analytics,鈥� Professor L茅ger says. 鈥淲e have found a way of using gamification to engage students in leveraging what they know about analytics and mathematics to become business builders. Using data to get insights and solving problems on the best technology that exists 鈥� 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud. And the best thing of all, it鈥檚 free for lecturers and their students around the world.鈥�

To guide students through the game scenario questions and help optimize the learning experience, educators have access to tailor-made training materials. Instead of taking a hit-and-miss approach with the data and platform features, these tailor-made training materials help lecturers deepen the learning experience. Students can understand how insights are uncovered and how to make informed business decisions based on analysis of data sets and data visualizations.

麻豆原创 has also created a handbook about the basic concepts of data visualization and storytelling in 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud. Available in a slide-deck format, educators can refer to the theoretical aspects while students are getting hands-on practical experience in 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud.

Since its launch in July 2024, more than 300 educational institutions have registered for access to the Business Builders game and an anticipated 2,500 students will use 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud to compete with their peers in the game by the end 2024.

With technology accelerating at an ever-increasing speed, the good news is that educators can register and get up and running with Business Builders free of charge in a just matter of days. Find out how on the website.

The global skills and opportunity gap is a recurring topic at landmark events such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos and UN General Assembly and Climate Week in New York. This is no different at the current UN Conference of the Parties () in Baku, Azerbaijan.

That鈥檚 because today’s youth are the leaders, innovators, and problem-solvers of tomorrow. However, as these gaps remain, it’s important to accelerate active engagement and enhance collaboration across sectors. Ensuring that young people are adequately prepared to enter and excel in the workforce is an investment in their future and a strategic imperative for businesses and societies worldwide. Without adequate learning pathways, young people risk unemployment and businesses may struggle to compete in the burgeoning green and digital economies due to a widening talent shortage.

Human Capital and Youth Day

For this reason, November 18 has been designated as the COP29 theme day for Human Capital Development for Climate Resilience. The initiative underscores that addressing climate change requires a holistic approach supported by healthier, better educated, and adequately skilled young people.

The Human Capital Day serves as a reminder that tackling climate change requires societal transformation 鈥� and there is no better time than now. A key component of this shift is ensuring access to quality education and skill development opportunities for youth that lead to tangible employment opportunities. According to the  (ILO), global youth unemployment was 13% in 2023, with many young people facing limited prospects for stable and decent work. At the same time, the  found that 44% of businesses report difficulties in finding talent with the right skills to fill jobs.

At 麻豆原创, we believe in our responsibility to support the next generation of professionals and users with our best-in-class digital learning. We fully support the COP29 agenda for human capital and are actively involved with the global community of governments, financial institutions, and private sector entities.

麻豆原创 Education and Employment Programs

麻豆原创 has several programs and partnerships to help tackle the deepening mismatch between the supply of young job seekers and the demand for skilled talent. These initiatives focus on human capital development and provide valuable educational opportunities for youth:

• 麻豆原创 and UNICEF鈥檚 partnership in support of Generation Unlimited develops innovative solutions to global skilling challenges to help young people transition to earning. The goal is to generate inclusive opportunities for underserved young people worldwide, preparing them for decent work with the skills needed in the market. The program helps equip youth with essential skills and builds on UNICEF鈥檚 Generation Unlimited (GenU) signature program, the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA), a platform developed by young Africans to tackle labor market challenges. To date, the partnership reached more than 600,000 youth with foundational and digital skills that help young people unlock opportunities in the changing global economy.
• 麻豆原创 Educate to Employ is one of the learn-to-earn pathways on YOMA designed by 麻豆原创 to equip youth with essential competencies for the digital economy. Implemented by a local social enterprise in South Africa called UMUZI, the free program focuses on developing skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values to help prepare and bring candidates into employment within the 麻豆原创 ecosystem. More than 1,000 learners completed one or more foundational skills courses, while 165 learners completed over 550 hours of critical skills development training and earned an 麻豆原创 technology consultant professional certificate. The next step is to secure meaningful employment opportunities within the 麻豆原创 ecosystem and beyond.
• The 麻豆原创 University Alliances program includes over 2,700 members in more than 100 countries. It enables academia to educate the next generation on using intelligent AI-enabled technology, engage at 麻豆原创 events, build industry partnerships, and prepare graduates for the 麻豆原创 ecosystem. 麻豆原创 University Alliances initiatives aim to empower youth to work in digitized enterprises, shape their futures, and have a meaningful impact on the world. During COP29, 麻豆原创 will engage with students and faculty members from local university partners in Baku. Planned activities include an on-campus, gamified learning experience with a focus on sustainability, dialogue on learning and skills for sustainable youth development, and student visits to 麻豆原创鈥檚 booth in the Green Zone.

To further amplify youth empowerment, 麻豆原创 actively collaborates with leading youth organizations. Through these partnerships, 麻豆原创 brings young voices to the forefront of decision-making, fostering intergenerational collaboration and innovative solutions to pressing global challenges.

• We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) is a non-profit organization that empowers youth and brings them to decision-making tables to share ideas and innovative solutions for global problems. For instance, at COP29, WAFF, in partnership with Care About Climate and Groundswell, launched the Universal NDC Youth Clause campaign 鈥� a global call to action for governments to integrate youth voices into their updated climate plans due in February 2025. By adopting this clause, governments pledge to work collaboratively with young people to achieve ambitious climate goals.
• The 麻豆原创 and World Scouting partnership examines the critical role that youth-led initiatives play in advancing environmental sustainability. It provides opportunities to share insights on successful youth-driven projects and discuss challenges and the support needed to scale efforts. The engagement is based on the premise that young people are at the forefront of environmental activism and are leveraging technology, creativity, and community engagement to make tangible impacts amid unprecedented environmental challenges.

As the world grapples with urgent challenges like climate change and digital transformation, 麻豆原创 believes that investing in youth and human development has never been more crucial. 麻豆原创鈥檚 contribution to building a sustainable future through initiatives that equip young people with job-ready skills underscores the importance of a whole-of-society approach.

By collaborating with global multistakeholder partners and empowering the next generation, we can help bridge the talent gap, foster climate resilience, and ensure that today鈥檚 youth are prepared to lead us into a more sustainable and inclusive future.

The innovative gaming platform is designed to redefine educational experiences and equip students with the skills they need for a successful career start.

To engage with the platform, users need to be enrolled students or active professors. By offering challenges designed to allow students to experience, analyze, and respond to business scenarios in a safe and controlled environment, the platform aims to enhance their analytical, data storytelling, and decision-making skills. The initiative reflects a shared vision for future-ready education, aligning with the World Economic Forum鈥檚 recognition of .

鈥淒ata visualization is one of the most sought-after skills in the current job market, and our gaming platform equips students with a competitive edge,鈥� shared Karina Montilla Edmonds, global head of Academies and 麻豆原创 University Alliances at 麻豆原创. 鈥淏y merging learning with gaming, we are driving student engagement while building career-relevant skills. It鈥檚 a win-win.鈥�

Gamifying Learning Experience to Shape Future Professionals

Business Builders offers students hands-on experience with 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud through immersive, data-driven business challenges that mimic real-world business scenarios. It welcomes learners at all levels of familiarity with 麻豆原创, including those with no prior knowledge of data science and programming.

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Students can engage in three distinct scenarios: sustainability, supply chain resilience, and international business expansion. Each scenario is designed to challenge students in specific areas of business management, including data analytics in the sustainability scenario, logistical complexities in the supply chain resilience scenario, and market analysis and product development in the international business expansion scenario.

In the future, additional scenarios will be added to extend the scope of Business Builders. The aim is for students to learn and apply advanced visualization and data storytelling techniques to gain insights from business data and successfully solve the business challenges.

鈥淎ll business school students, regardless of their specialization, benefit immensely from learning advanced visualization techniques,鈥� said Pierre-Majorique L茅ger, full professor of IT at HEC Montr茅al. “These skills enable them to manage and interpret vast amounts of data, derive meaningful business insights, and make informed decisions effectively.”

The practical experience gained through the business games helps students understand the complex interdependencies of business processes, enhancing the overall educational impact. Additionally, the platform鈥檚 interactive nature and competitive elements, such as classroom and global leaderboards, infuse learning with excitement and a tangible sense of achievement.

The platform offers educators an opportunity to revitalize their curriculum, extending beyond the confines of traditional teaching methods to make learning more hands-on, enjoyable, and relevant. They can integrate current, pressing business issues and trends into their lessons, making education more interesting and directly linked to what students will face in their future jobs.

And by joining a global network of educators using the platform, they can extend the reach and impact of their teaching, further enhancing the educational experience with a wide array of perspectives and expertise from around the world.

Free Access for More Inclusive Education

One of the cornerstones of this initiative is its commitment to inclusivity. By offering the platform free of charge to students, educators, and academic institutions worldwide, 麻豆原创 University Alliances and HEC Montr茅al aim to ensure that aspiring leaders — regardless of geographic or socioeconomic barriers — have access to state-of-the-art resources.

This democratization of educational tools is critical for preparing diverse groups of students for what lies ahead, making sure they are ready to hit the ground running in the digital economy and data-centric world.

To find out more about the gaming platform, or visit .

The conference participants face complex challenges as they strive to turn these aspirations into concrete action. Amidst the vibrant backdrop of Dubai, the objective stands tall: to ensure that all nations, particularly the less affluent, aren’t disproportionately burdened in pursuing a sustainable world. Yet, can these ambitious goals truly be achieved?

The UN Climate Change Conference is a platform for governments to collaborate on creating policies against rising global temperatures and confronting the consequences of climate change. Over the years, these gatherings have shown progress, but many say they are too slow in creating tangible results. Recent assessments suggest a potential warming of 3 degrees Celsius, highlighting the urgent need for collective action to achieve the crucial 1.5-degree target.

COP28 aims to be more than just another meeting; it seeks to serve as a significant moment where the international community reflects on and evaluates the progress made since the 2015 Paris Agreement. Above all, it represents a critical self-assessment, examining what actions are required to bridge the gap by 2030.

麻豆原创 Promotes Sustainable Innovation: Making Progress Together

麻豆原创 is participating in COP28 and advocating for ambitious policy action and the adoption of technology for corporate sustainability management. Through the active participation of CEO and Member of the Executive Board of 麻豆原创 SE Christian Klein, 麻豆原创 Chief Marketing & Solutions Officer and Member of the Executive Board of 麻豆原创 SE Julia White, and Chief Sustainability and Commercial Officer Sophia Mendelsohn, 麻豆原创 showcases its critical role in advancing sustainability. 麻豆原创 underscores its commitment to climate action by engaging in nearly 70 initiatives during COP28 on various fronts like carbon accounting, climate justice, and the circular economy. 

Businesses of every stripe are reshaping their processes and how they operate to not only adjust to increasing regulation but to thrive in an era demanding zero emissions. 鈥溌槎乖粹�檚 customers generate 87% of the world鈥檚 global commerce, about US$46 trillion. That puts us in a unique position in which we play a critical role in the global economic ecosystem,鈥� says Mendelsohn. 鈥溌槎乖� can help 87% of total global commerce organize its supply chain, transportation, and financial data in a way that enables a circular and net zero economy.鈥� 

A conducted by 麻豆原创 revealed a significant advantage for businesses that proactively incorporate sustainability into their strategies, surpassing those that merely respond to external pressures. 麻豆原创’s solutions can help by streamlining data collection, enabling comprehensive analysis, sharing standardized data, and seamlessly integrating sustainability measures into core business processes. This transparency and integration can empower businesses to effectively navigate regulatory landscapes and make well-informed, sustainable decisions across their entire value chain.

麻豆原创’s advocacy of managing carbon, fostering collaborative supply chain ecosystems, and supporting local initiatives in combating climate change and societal challenges exemplifies its strategic priorities driving this significant global shift towards sustainability. This underscores the urgency for all companies, regardless of size or industry, to prioritize sustainability. Climate change poses an unparalleled challenge that necessitates collective effort 鈥� a challenge no single entity can tackle alone.

That鈥檚 why 麻豆原创 is working with a broad set of partners for sustainability. Alicia Lenze, global marketing head of Sustainability Marketing at 麻豆原创, says, 鈥淐ollaborating with our global sustainability ecosystem is essential to our customer success. We work with partners of all kinds 鈥� institutional, strategic, consulting, and technology 鈥� to achieve our sustainability goals together. We actively engage with institutional partners such as The World Business Council for Sustainable Development , The International Chamber of Commerce (), and We Mean Business to demonstrate how we are helping companies take concrete actions to tackle climate change.鈥�

麻豆原创 also strives to be a trusted sustainability partner to governments, international organizations, and civil society. By fostering meaningful relationships, 麻豆原创 drives climate action through technology and advocates for effective climate policies and youth inclusion in a just transition. COP28 is an opportunity for governments to implement a balanced approach to addressing climate challenges, combining mitigation and adaptation with crucial technological support. 鈥淚鈥檓 hopeful for an ambitious and impactful set of outcomes, which will send a strong signal to all stakeholders, including businesses, that we need to act with urgency and scale to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement for our people and planet,鈥� says Pete Selfridge, head of Global Government Affairs at 麻豆原创.

Empowering Change Through Education and Youth Action

is teaming up with Abu Dhabi University to host a special Academic Community Conference. Dr. Karina Edmonds, senior vice president and global head of 麻豆原创 Academies and University Alliances, will lead the talks, focusing on the critical mix of education, sustainability, and technology. This partnership aims to teach the next generation of leaders, equipping them to navigate and work in our changing world. 鈥淓ngaging academia and youth in 麻豆原创鈥檚 sustainability efforts is paramount. We are very proud to team up with our academic partners and innovation ecosystem during COP28 to facilitate dialogue around the power of emerging technologies in addressing climate change and its impact,鈥� says Edmonds.

麻豆原创 also focuses on climate justice initiatives, particularly empowering youth through events like the Green Rising Showcase and Youth to the Table’s COP28 Collaborator Roundtable, highlighting the significance of youthful involvement in shaping a sustainable and equitable future. The private sector plays a big role in climate justice by bringing people together, speaking up, teaching new skills, and giving resources. Projects like aim to involve 10 million young people in climate action. Ensuring youth representation in decision-making forums is vital for inclusive policies.

COP28 marks an important moment for global action on climate change. It represents an opportunity for collective effort, emphasizing the need for collaboration and a shared commitment to addressing this critical issue. 麻豆原创’s engagement goes beyond mere attendance 鈥� it entails spearheading initiatives toward a sustainable future, encouraging collective responsibility, innovation, and progress.

Claudia Cortes is part of Global Sustainability Communications at 麻豆原创.

Enter ENGAGE.EU

ENGAGE.EU is an alliance of leading European universities that seeks to give the citizens of Europe the skills and expertise they need to overcome the major issues facing society today.

Among these challenges and progressive European topics are digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI), climate change and what it means for sustainable economies, and the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. All of which are having lasting effects on the economy and society and require us to adopt new ways of thinking.

Think Tank at the University of Mannheim

To give academics from a range of disciplines an opportunity to examine these challenges in more detail, the first ENGAGE.EU Think Tank was staged at the University of Mannheim 鈥� not far from 麻豆原创 headquarters in Walldorf.

The event was open to all academics studying at an ENGAGE.EU university who are interested in digital transformation and its impact on the economy, law, and politics. As such, the think tank acted as a forum for interdisciplinary academic exchange between a Pan-European network of universities.

Given the problems we face today, supply chains 鈥� the beating heart of the global economy 鈥� are the subject of intense debate. They were also the focus of comments made at the think tank by two guest speakers from 麻豆原创: Luka Mucic, CFO and member of the Executive Board of 麻豆原创 SE, and Kristian Schier, chief architect, 麻豆原创 Product Engineering. The discussion panel they took part in was open not just to think tank researchers, but also to all students and faculty members from the University of Mannheim.

鈥淭he current economic status is unsustainable. Looking at the challenges we are presented with 鈥� not only with regards to supply chains 鈥� it鈥檚 clear that companies need to work with governments and society and play their part in finding a solution together,鈥� said Mucic. He added that transitioning from linear supply chains to agile, more transparent, and resilient models is vital to building the resilience to withstand crises now and in the future. Supply chains, he said, need to be sustainable by design and become more circular, adding that technology plays a decisive role when it comes to mapping and managing the complexity involved.

While supply chain costs are increasing, not least due to rising gas prices, there is also the problem that supply chains require too much energy and emit too much CO2. To address this, companies must first become aware of their role in the overall supply chain. Then companies need to think about how processes can be improved. Schier and Mucic both pointed to automation as one of the keys to success. 鈥淯sing connectivity technologies to link production with sales and purchasing means that a machine knows, for example, what quantities of materials to order 鈥� and when. That makes it possible to automate and optimize ordering processes,鈥� explained Schier.

Why Is 麻豆原创 Involved?

New digital technologies are transforming the economy and society. But, societal change also requires innovations in science, business, and politics. 鈥淲e see the collaboration between leading European universities that is at the heart of ENGAGE.EU and their interaction with society and business as a huge opportunity. We at 麻豆原创 support these efforts aimed at shaping societal change together and advancing the progress of digital transformation,鈥� said Dr. Katharina Sch盲fer, global head of 麻豆原创 University Alliances. One of ENGAGE.EU鈥檚 key themes is the transfer of digital skills to young people to enable them to drive this transformation forward. In this context, 麻豆原创 is working closely with the ENGAGE.EU Consortium as part of the 麻豆原创 University Alliances program. More opportunities to bring the academic community together are in the pipeline, including a due to begin next year.

Together, ENGAGE.EU and 麻豆原创 focus on societal challenges such as climate change, digital transformation, and new technologies like artificial intelligence. The use of cloud software for teaching and research is of central importance for 麻豆原创 University Alliances. 麻豆原创 is therefore opening up applications and platforms for scenario- and problem-based research and teaching purposes so that they can be used to find solutions to these challenges.

This is where the aim of ENGAGE.EU and the vision of 麻豆原创 University Alliances coincide: in transferring digital skills to young people to enable them to shape their own future.

The collaboration between ENGAGE.EU and 麻豆原创 illustrates the importance of close cooperation between industry and academia to develop solution strategies for upcoming global challenges while empowering and engaging engaged European citizens.

Photos by Katrin Gl眉ckler

Her story begins with the vision of another individual, one who also received an impactful mentorship early in life.

The Possibilities of Early Mentorship

Tony Buehler, senior IT manager of 麻豆原创 at HISD and founder of the 麻豆原创 (OneSource) Student Internship Program, found his passion and future career back in 1995, when a mentor suggested he research the up-and-coming software company known as 麻豆原创. He was told that 麻豆原创 would likely become foundational to just about every business infrastructure and could lead to a long and fruitful career.

Nearly 20 years later, in 2014, Buehler brought his burgeoning 麻豆原创 expertise to the HISD IT department. At the time, he was sent to an IT management class that explored the theme, 鈥淲hat can you do in your department to help students?鈥� Buehler realized that upon leaving school, students would be exposed to 麻豆原创 processes in some manner at most businesses. He suggested implementing a hands-on curriculum for teaching 麻豆原创 to high school students. With the approval of his superiors, he launched an experimental extracurricular program 鈥� with a mentorship-based approach 鈥� for junior- and senior-level students.

The eight-week commitment required interns to attend meetings and training sessions, working with their mentors on resolving problems and making enhancements in the HISD production system. Remarkably, by the fifth week, interns were able to analyze and solve real customer issues alongside their mentor.

The Growth of the Internship Program

The internship program started with just eight students in its first year 鈥� five from Sam Houston MSTC High School and three from Scarborough High School. To date, over 100 students have graduated from the program and continued on to pursue a college education. The eighth-largest school district in the U.S., economically disadvantaged students. For many, the pursuit of a college education, let alone a career in technology, seemed like an impossible dream. But Buehler and his team believed that internships using a mentoring model could change the game. Their goal was to empower youth with the realization that they could understand 麻豆原创 and apply that knowledge towards a college path and future career.

Within four years, HISD鈥檚 麻豆原创 internship program became the first K-12 program to join the Global University Alliance. The alliance is a worldwide consortium of over 3,400 colleges and universities, with a focus on enterprise and industry standards, research, and best practices. HISD is proud to be the only non-college-level member.

鈥淭his program is a big deal for us,鈥� Buehler said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e doing something no one else is doing. Our internship program looks at each student as a diamond in the rough. It鈥檚 great to see these students sparkle when they realize that they have the ability and desire to pursue a career in the technology field for their future.鈥�

The Groundwork for Purpose and Success

Jennifer certainly represents an 麻豆原创 program success story. With her years of experience attained through classes and work as a summer intern, she is well prepared for an 麻豆原创 career. Buehler knew that with her knowledge, she would be a perfect fit within the HISD IT department. He even adjusted an open position to entry-level status so Jennifer could qualify to apply. Out of 43 applicants, her superior r茅sum茅 made her the obvious choice.

As one of the first students in the program, she credits the internship with fully preparing her for the successful transition to college IT courses. In fact, her level of 麻豆原创 knowledge was so comprehensive, she was asked to teach first-level classes by one of her professors. Jennifer is quick to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of her mentors and the life-changing merits of the program.

鈥淭y Matthews was the mentor that oversaw setting us up with the right person depending on our interests,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he was always someone with whom we could comfortably express our concerns, and she always guided us in the right direction. Even after the internship, she would always reach out to connect and guided me to come back every summer for the internship. As a result, I spent six years working as a summer intern. This program has been a success due in big part to her contribution and kindness to the students. Tony also made us feel very welcome and would include us in his weekly team meetings to make us feel like real employees. His promotion of that kind of opportunity and consideration truly made me feel like I could become a business professional.鈥�

Today, Jennifer is embracing her additional role as an ambassador of the program by speaking to area high schools about the merits of 麻豆原创 training and careers in IT. She stands before them as a testimony of what can be achieved. With future plans to expand the program across the rest of the district, eight schools may offer 麻豆原创 training within the next two or three years. Jennifer says she is ready to pay it forward by sharing her journey as motivation for other students to pursue their aspirations and hopes for a fulfilling career. She has come full circle 鈥� from student, to graduate, to 麻豆原创 professional, and, now, to inspirational mentor.

Steve Risseeuw is national vice president of State, Local, Education, & Healthcare at 麻豆原创.聽

Inclusion is a choice and a commitment, while belonging is a feeling that results from our actions. To strive for inclusion, 麻豆原创 leads with compassion, support, and acceptance for all backgrounds and aims for diversity in all fields.

麻豆原创 is committed to full spectrum diversity, inclusive of gender, age, race, ethnicity, orientation, ability, nationality, religion, veteran status, background, culture, experience, strengths, and perspectives. Living up to this commitment, 麻豆原创 engages in a broad range of initiatives, promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality — including programs that foster more gender equality in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies and the tech industry.

麻豆原创 at Grace Hopper Celebration

A recent example of 麻豆原创鈥檚 efforts in the field is the ,聽 the largest assembly of female technologists in the world and a conference that empowers women to pursue STEM careers in the name of Grace Hopper (1906-1992), an American computer scientist, pioneer in the field of data science, and one of the first females to rebuff stigmas attached to womankind. Grace Hopper Celebration 2022 ran from September 16 through 23 in Orlando, Florida.

As proud collaborator of the Grace Hopper Celebration, the Chief Trust office at 麻豆原创 sponsored a skills development lab aimed to equip young women with the skills to succeed, be seen, and be hired in tech roles. The workshop, called 鈥溌槎乖� ElevateHer Pitch Challenge鈥� and held September 21, was a career development skills-building exercise. For one hour, 麻豆原创 worked with approximately 400 attendees on site to masterfully craft their own personal elevator pitches to use in interviews or networking settings. Using the motto 鈥淧itch Us With Your Shot,鈥� the workshop infused gaming techniques with the challenge to further refine the participants鈥� skills.

Why are workshops and skills development labs like this one so important? Only 15 to 22% of professionals in data science-related roles are women, an under-representation in the field. This poses a constraint on talent for companies that are hiring, as data science is susceptible to bias and a wide range of views and expertise is essential for drawing relevant real-life connections. Data science and artificial intelligence (AI) becoming more ubiquitous by the day further fuels the issue.

In response, we need to lay a foundation for the next generation by creating equal opportunities and access to knowledge and skills. Promotion and communication amount to nothing if the status of unequal access is further perpetuated. To create a sustainable and long-lasting impact, aspiring data scientists need to connect with practitioners and role models.

麻豆原创 at WiDS

Dedicated to creating this kind of exchange, in May 2022, . The program was introduced by Stanford University in 2015 and has developed into a global movement inspiring people all over the world. Its efforts include conferences, data-thons, podcasts, educational outreach programs, and workshops, and its goal is to advocate for data scientists worldwide to educate themselves regardless of their gender and despite barriers they must overcome. 麻豆原创 has been a proud collaborator and sponsor since 2016.

This year, participants were taken on a virtual data science tour from Tokyo to Palo Alto. Around 50 female data scientists joined forces and delivered live content on the matter for more than 10 hours. Thanks to the female forerunners鈥� efforts and insights on topics such as AI, machine learning, data engineering, and human-centric data, approximately 700 participants were engaged in all corners of the world.

During her panel discussion, 麻豆原创 Labs India Managing Director Sindhu Gangadharan said, 鈥淒ata is the new gold in the digital economy and businesses are experiencing a gold rush. We need women to play a much bigger role in shaping the future of the data science domain. Women and data science are a perfect match. Data science needs skills that women bring to the table — insights as well as their perspectives.鈥�

When asked about the lack of women in leadership positions in Asia, 麻豆原创 Labs Japan Managing Director Hiromi Hara stated that women should make use of flexible work arrangements and not feel held back by gender roles.

Rising to the challenge, 麻豆原创 has been named one of , but the path to inclusion does not end here. To bring everyone to the table, 麻豆原创 is making a proactive choice to be integrative and going the extra mile through programs such as 鈥淓mpower Her,鈥� the initiative, and the Business Women’s Network.

Another initiative supporting these endeavors is the recent . To level the playing field, 麻豆原创 funds student memberships in Women in Cyber Security (WiCyS) and contributes to creating accessible and affordable experiential learning opportunities for the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

The barriers for women in STEM careers persist, however. Inclusion is a never-ending job, a never-ending responsibility to be carried by companies. As Mary Shinn, managing director of 麻豆原创 Korea, put it: “Through working in the field, we become role models for our children.鈥� If the outlook of an inclusive tomorrow free from social constructs does not prove the value of a general feeling of belonging in the workplace today, what could?

With TUMO, provided 22 innovation challenges to explore emerging technologies and concepts, each associated with : augmented extended planning and analysis (xP&A), augmented access control, future of self-service, and future of asynchronous work. 麻豆原创 Innovation Center Network focuses on exploring new technologies through use cases to solve future problems. Innovation is an ongoing process that needs not only curiosity and determination but also inventive ideas and out-of-the-box thinking. It was precisely this fresh thinking and unusual approaches that made working with the TUMO students so interesting for both sides.

鈥淔or me, it was a great experience working with artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing, with the help of which we were able to find interesting insights from user conversations,鈥� said Sasun Tadevosyan, one of the five students developing the chatbot. 鈥淔urther research and improvements will help to create a virtual assistant to automate routine work.”

Sasun and her team built the chatbot as part of the challenge. Here, the students were asked to explore how user contextual data and the concept of human digital twins can be leveraged in a privacy-preserving, predictive manner to improve access control and authorization experiences. A digital twin could eventually help humans anticipate these access requirements and gather the necessary information to facilitate access, increasing productivity and enabling quicker business decisions.

For their chatbot, Sasun and team evaluated chat messages between two users who want to organize a meeting and extracted insights about meeting details using a rule engine. The chatbot helps set up the call and automatically creates authorizations and access to the meeting as well as relevant documents that will be shared.

This is a great example of how digital assistants can make life easier by automating daily routines, like in this case scheduling a meeting and making sure everyone has the necessary access rights to collaborate more easily.

During the four months, experts from 麻豆原创 Innovation Center Network monitored the progress of all challenges and were in constant exchange with the participants to support if needed. Apart from solving the challenge, working with TUMO Labs experts helped strengthen the students鈥� soft skills, and support from 麻豆原创 University Alliances provided all students with access to 麻豆原创 learning resources.

鈥淲e learned to work as a team and under pressure. We got problem-solving, creative and critical thinking, and public speaking skills,鈥� recapped the team around Ani Galstyan that worked on the future of asynchronous work.

This group of five students was challenged to examine how digital avatars are used in various fields today. They created a Web site to showcase different possibilities to implement digital avatars in different fields such as business, the gaming industry, and the military. Plus, they added features to help users create their personal avatar. During their research, Ani and team learned how digital avatars can be a valuable addition in healthcare, as they could eventually lead to a more holistic understanding of the human body to predict and prevent possible side effects before working with real human beings.

After working on their projects, the students presented their outcomes at a in April in front of 麻豆原创 and TUMO experts as well as 麻豆原创 customer ACBA Bank and partners.

Bahareh Fatemi, Head of TUMO Labs, said in : 鈥淲e鈥檙e super excited with working with the 麻豆原创 Innovation Center Network! Having these sort of collaborations internationally for us is very important because it will allow us to understand where we can improve and where we can push our students to adapt and get more skills.鈥�

Plans are already underway to continue working with 麻豆原创 Innovation Center Network on additional innovation challenges, further explore emerging topics, and provide opportunities for more students to participate.

鈥淭hat was a great experience for us to explore AI avatars in different fields,鈥� concluded Ani after participating in the project. 鈥淲e are looking forward to seeing new developments in the future as we are going through technological improvements nowadays.鈥�

Lukasz Ostrowski is a development manager for 麻豆原创 Innovation Center Network.
Igor Belousov is global content delivery director and country manager of Italy, Turkey, and CIS for 麻豆原创 University Alliances.