SAP, PDO Link Digital Innovation Programme with SAP Young Professionals to Grow Omani Tech Talent

SAP and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) have formalised a pathway to grow Omani digital talent by linking PDO’s Digital Innovation Programme with the SAP Young Professionals programme (YPP). Graduates from PDO’s programme will feed into the next SAP YPP intake scheduled to start in mid-November, where selected participants will receive specialist training in enterprise technology and artificial intelligence over a two-month cohort.

"Cultivating local digital capabilities matters for both young individuals joining the workforce and for organizations seeking qualified technology professionals," said Waheed Al Hamaid, Head of Enterprise Solutions at PDO. "The collaboration with SAP offers Omani talent the chance to build practical skills aligned with market demands, and bridging the Digital Innovation Programme with the SAP Young Professionals programme provides participants an additional route to hone their expertise and build careers in the technology field."

Programme details and training outcomes

PDO’s Digital Innovation Programme — designed to nurture Omani talent through training, hands-on challenges and direct engagement with technology companies — completed its inaugural eight-week cohort on September 22. That first cohort delivered more than 5,000 training hours and involved over 40 trainers, with SAP among the participating technology companies and institutions.

Recent graduates in Oman earned certifications in SAP Generative AI development and in implementing end-to-end business processes for SAP Business Suite. Their instruction included practical, hands-on experience with SAP Generative AI Hub and SAP AI Launchpad, covering applied topics such as prompt engineering, template management and workflow orchestration.

• Inaugural Digital Innovation Programme cohort: eight weeks, concluded September 22
• Training delivered: over 5,000 hours; trainers: more than 40
• Certifications awarded: SAP Generative AI development; SAP Business Suite end-to-end processes
• Tools and platforms: SAP Generative AI Hub, SAP AI Launchpad
• Next SAP YPP intake: mid-November, two-month specialised training

Industry perspective and skills emphasis

"AI is reshaping the skills required of technology consultants, and this must be mirrored in how those entering the profession are readied," said Alp Geckalan, Head of Digital Skills Center at SAP. "They require a solid grasp of enterprise processes along with the capacity to operate new AI tools, and partnering with PDO enables these elements to be combined, equipping Omani graduates with skills they can bring to the workplace."

The combined approach positions participants to understand both core ERP and business-suite processes and the practical deployment of generative AI capabilities within enterprise contexts. Training emphasised not only certifications but applied workflows and tooling that consultants will likely deploy in customer and partner environments.

Outlook

With the SAP YPP cohort for Oman and other countries in SAP’s Fast Growth Markets cluster due to begin in November and run for two months, organisers expect a steady pipeline of certified Omani professionals ready for roles in SAP’s customer and partner ecosystem. The initiative creates structured progression from PDO’s local skills development activities into internationally recognised SAP accreditation, aiming to close gaps between academic qualifications and industry-specific, AI-enabled consultancy skills.