SWAN Academy: “Sustainably promoting and challenging”

Project House for SAP Logistics Offers Diverse Training and Development Program for SWAN Employees
Augsburg, October 28, 2021 – Employee training and development is a top priority at SWAN GmbH. Whether for apprentices, dual students, beginners, or experienced professionals, qualified training and development are fundamental components of the company’s philosophy. Therefore, the logistics expert has established the SWAN Academy as a new forward-looking educational area. Internal training programs convey industry-relevant basics and SAP logistics expertise while providing targeted insights into all business areas and individual project solutions.
The SWAN Academy provides qualified expertise and is aimed at apprentices, dual students, beginners, and experienced professionals.
SWAN not only brings high consulting competence and technical expertise to customer projects. The SAP logistics expert also invests in the training and development of its employees and runs an independent training academy, the SWAN Academy. “Given the increasingly dynamic and complex requirements, knowledge is a decisive competitive factor. By investing heavily in internal and external training, we make a sustainable contribution to the company’s success,” says Alexander Bernhard, Managing Director of SWAN GmbH.
The SWAN Academy is targeted at career and lateral entrants, dual students, and all colleagues who want to develop their skills and knowledge and need specific professional training. With its training initiative, SWAN responds to the increasing shortage of skilled workers. By imparting the required know-how internally, it builds qualified personnel for SAP-EWM and TM projects. “At the same time, we aim for everyone to recognize, utilize, and fully exploit their potential. We focus on each individual and do not treat everyone the same. Our training program follows a balanced approach of encouragement and challenge,” says Günter Eckert, Head of the SWAN Academy.
Three Training Phases for Apprentices and Dual Students
Training participants go through several modules over three years.
- Over a period of one to two months, the initial content includes the basics of SAP development and the ABAP programming language predominantly used at SWAN. This phase aims to create a uniform foundation and discover personal strengths, weaknesses, and preferred areas for further training. This phase runs parallel to work or university for beginners. Given SWAN Academy’s emphasis on practical training, the learning content is immediately deepened in a subsequent practical phase.
- In the second year, the practical application of the learned skills continues in project execution. As part of a project team, juniors gain insights into specific customer projects according to their preferences and abilities. They accompany the project from start to finish, supported by a mentor, and receive courses and training in parallel. The excitement of successfully implementing a project as a team, experiencing customer needs firsthand (both domestically and internationally), and discovering new regions and cultures are highlights of this training phase.
- The third and final year of training is dedicated to specialization. The aspiring professionals gain deeper insights into areas of greatest interest and align with their individual strengths. This phase helps determine early on whether someone is more suited for programming, consulting, or project coordination. This process is very helpful for setting the right course from the start.
Training on Equal Terms
SWAN emphasizes Blended Learning, a didactic concept that combines online and in-person components. Through online offerings, each training participant can complete their courses and training in self-study at any time and place, according to their own learning pace. Classroom sessions and meetings provide opportunities for discussion, exchange, and deepening of content. SAP trainees usually complete training as application developers, study (business) informatics, or write their bachelor’s or master’s thesis at SWAN. “We do not differentiate in the quality and scope of training between apprentices and students. Career changers or candidates who have already completed their first training or studies are also always welcome. Motivation, commitment, and initiative are the key factors that applicants should bring,” says Günter Eckert. SWAN is always looking for new team members. Interested parties can find an overview of available training positions on the careers page (www.swan.de/career).
The SWAN Academy is not only a training initiative for future talents. It also offers a development program for all employees who want to deepen their expertise in specific areas. The SWAN Academy provides a solid professional education in logistics, SAP EWM, SAP TM, ABAP, and SAPUI5 web development. In addition, the training program includes formats in project methodology, communication techniques, escalation management, and “Soft & Human Skills.” In collaboration with the Human Resources department, we also bundle training measures for managers and team leaders under the SWAN Academy and offer young leadership programs and language training.