When it comes to linking today’s bright collegiate with the latest in technology, SAP SE is at the forefront with its SAP University Alliances program. As a prominent provider of enterprise application software, it is to SAP’s advantage to help foster tomorrow’s IT leaders through higher learning alliances, particularly for the underrepresented minority — women.

SAP University Alliances is a global program, consisting of more than 3,100 member institutions in over 106 countries. It exposes students and faculty to the latest SAP technologies, enabling universities and vocational schools to integrate SAP software into their teaching.

As Ann Rosenberg, VP and head of global SAP university alliances at SAP, says of herself, “I’m a matchmaker!” She maps the industries to the schools, tech companies look to academia to work on new ideas, and students benefit by solving real-world issues.

Rosenberg recently joined Lisa Martin (@Luccazara), co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile live streaming studio, during Stanford Global Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference, held in Stanford, CA, to discuss how SAP is looking to further the IT leaders of tomorrow. (*Disclosure below.)

IT success takes more than great technical skills

While everyone recognizes that a very strong technical skill set is important in a career in IT, more and more companies are seeking employees who also have lesser-known skills, such as empathy and critical thinking.

“It’s great to be a great data scientist, but it takes more than that,” said Rosenberg.

She went on to say the SAP recruiting process makes an effort to look for a great balance between men and women when they hire. SAP sponsors conferences around the world that are specifically designed to inspire women to get into data science.

Many times SAP’s female employees are the speakers, serving as an example of successful women in STEM careers to other women who are considering a career in IT.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of the Stanford Global Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference. (*Disclosure: TheCUBE is a media partner at the conference. Neither Stanford nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo by SiliconANGLE