Ihr habt gerade euer Studium beendet? Oder habt ihr mehrjährige Berufserfahrung in einem Bereich, aus dem ihr in die IT-Beratung wechseln könnt, wisst aber nicht genau wie? Vielleicht wollt ihr auch einfach nur die IT-Branche aus einem anderen Blickwinkel kennen lernen?
If you are still unsure whether a trainee programme is right for you, then my blog post, in which I report on my completed adesso business consulting SAP trainee programme, is definitely something for you.
For SAP enthusiasts, the trainee programme at adesso business consulting takes place three times a year, on 1 March, 1 July and 1 November. Depending on the cycle, the programme lasts five to six months.
The Beginning: Onboarding and first Impressions
Welcome Days
I started on 1 July 2023. As is typical for a consultant’s life, the first week of July began with a trip to Cologne. There, we were welcomed for two days of onboarding at the NH Hotel am Rhein. When I arrived, I got to know many colleagues (adessi), some from adesso SE, others from subsidiaries such as adesso orange or adesso mobile solutions. It was even more exciting to meet adessi from a wide variety of areas: from HR to web development. Of course, I was particularly pleased to meet adessi from the SAP area.
During these two days, we had the opportunity to get to know adesso better through events and the corporate culture. The Welcome Days, which I attended in Cologne, also took place simultaneously at the Dortmund, Berlin and Munich locations. After learning more about adesso, there was a quiz about the company, in which we from the Cologne location competed against the other locations. Everyone was very motivated. Unfortunately, we in Cologne lost to Munich, but we took it in good spirits.
Onboarding and Setup
On the third day, there was an online onboarding session specifically for adesso orange, where the new colleagues who started this month had the opportunity to introduce themselves. Olaf Reiter, a member of the Executive Board of adesso business consulting, was also present and gave us a warm welcome. On the fourth day, we set up the hardware and software we need for our future work with SAP and Eclipse.
Teambuilding
Before the trainee programme really got underway, we had a departmental meeting where colleagues from all over Germany came together in Essen to spend time with each other. This included a joint breakfast and a bike tour through Essen. It was a great opportunity to chat with colleagues from other departments. We had a lot of fun chatting and laughed a lot. I really appreciate being part of my team and of adesso.
Overview of the Trainee Programme
The programme is divided into five main sections:
Part 1: Project management methodology
This module consists of several practical exercises. In BPMN, the theoretical basics of process modelling were reinforced through exercises, although the complexity of the notation posed a challenge at first. The Scrum Master and Product Owner training taught agile project methods and concluded with certifications that enhance CVs. In requirements engineering, the focus was on the precise definition of requirements, which requires a lot of practice. In rhetoric training, presentation techniques were improved through feedback and video analysis, which was unfamiliar to many. Professional Consulting Basics provided practical insights into the everyday life of a consultant, while PRINCE2 training taught a structured project management method that is helpful for complex projects.
Parts 2 and 3: SAP R/3 – ABAP Programming
The second and third parts dealt with SAP R/3 – ABAP programming and provided in-depth technical knowledge. The section on ABAP platform architecture and programming basics taught the fundamentals of ABAP programming, with a step-by-step introduction making it easy to get started, even if the ABAP syntax was unfamiliar at first. The training section on ABAP dictionary and database access taught the database structures in SAP, with practical exercises helping to internalise the complex concepts.
In the training section on ABAP Objects, we learned about object-oriented programming, which opened up new programming possibilities for us, even though the switch from procedural to object-oriented programming was a challenge. The ABAP Advanced and Extensibility section showed us how to extend existing SAP programmes.
Part 4: SAP S/4HANA – Fiori, SAP UI5, oData, CDS etc.
The training courses on web technologies for ABAP developers and SAP UI5 introduced modern web development in the SAP context, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SAP technologies such as Fiori and UI5. The opportunity to develop modern user interfaces was motivating, although the switch from ABAP to JavaScript meant a change for many.
Core Data Services (CDS) offered new possibilities for efficient data modelling at database level, but its complex concepts presented a challenge and required intensive training.
Part 5: Industry-specific training courses
The public sector training provided comprehensive insight into public sector administration and SAP modules. Understanding the specific administrative processes was particularly valuable. The basics of the energy industry were fascinating due to the relevance of energy generation, transmission and distribution for everyday life. In the training course on the basics of SAP IS-U, we learned how SAP is used in the utilities industry. The practical exercises in particular provided a realistic insight, even if the multitude of specific processes was confusing at first.
final project
At the end of the programme, we carried out a complex project for a fictional customer in the field of sports data analysis. The task was to expand an existing S/4HANA on-premise system for external use by customers. We presented our solutions to experienced colleagues, team leaders and board members. Although we were all very nervous, we could be proud of our performance in the end.
Conclusion
The trainee programme was generally demanding, as we were travelling a lot and also had to attend 29 training courses in a short period of time. Nevertheless, I would like to mention three aspects that stood out for me:
- 1. Intensive: adesso invests heavily in the development of its junior staff and promotes a mindset that looks beyond the horizon and leads out of the comfort zone. The programme lays the foundation for a successful entry into the world of SAP consulting and strengthens essential knowledge and skills.
- 2. Unique: None of the previous training sessions were comparable to the future ones. We always had the opportunity to provide feedback after each training session, which was then taken into account for future training sessions in order to continuously improve them.
- 3. Structured: The programme was very well structured. We were constantly informed about changes, which is a testament to the team’s meticulous work.
Overall, I am satisfied with the trainee programme in terms of my expectations. Personally, the training courses and interim projects have given me valuable experience that has boosted my confidence and shown me how to deal with stressful situations better. In terms of specialist knowledge, I have already completed the basic induction phase. But I still have a long way to go before I can answer the question ‘What do you do for a living?’ with ‘I work as an SAP consultant’.
I hope that this report has helped to dispel some of your concerns. I have now successfully completed my first project in the field of energy supply and am currently working on my second project. It is fascinating to see how the knowledge I acquired during the trainee programme is proving its worth in practice and being further developed. I will report on my latest experiences and insights in another blog article. So stay tuned for more exciting developments.
