Blog // United VARs

Many organizations find it challenging to attract and retain skilled employees. This is especially true for smaller businesses, which tend to lack the budgets and training resources available to their big corporate competitors. Four years ago, United VARs created an Academy to tackle this issue.

The United VARs Academy is an in-person training program for consultants and project managers who have at least two years' experience and who work at a United VARs member company. Over the course of a week, the Academy gives them the skills and confidence to excel in international SAP projects.

What is the ‘War for Talent’?

This blog is the first in our ‘War for Talent’ blog series where we talk to our members about their challenges and triumphs in attracting and retaining talent, and how the United VARs Academy helps them do this.

The ‘war for talent’ is a phrase coined by Mary Meaney and Scott Keller, from McKinsey's global management consulting firm, in their book ‘Leading Organizations’. The book examines how companies can better find and retain skilled people by prioritizing talent management and improving the employee experience.

How the United VARs Academy Helps Member Gain and Retain Top Talent

"We started the United VARs in response to the difficulty that our members have in finding and hiring good consultants and project managers. We want to help our members gain and retain top talent by giving them a unique learning and cultural experience that smaller companies wouldn't usually be able to provide to their employees due to limited budgets.” explains Emily Rebmann, Business Development Manager for United VARs.

"The Academy’s week-long program focuses on cultural awareness, international project management, and collaboration within the United VARs network," Emily continues. "It gives our participants a better understanding of the United VARs alliance and how to work with other members. They walk away with new contacts, a greater insight into managing cultural differences, and new and better ways of doing things."

“I Highly Recommend the Academy"

Tine Popelier, SAP Financial Consultant at SOA People, attended the April 2024 Academy in Barcelona, Spain. She says, "Before attending the Academy, I didn’t fully understand the power of United VARs or how the alliance could benefit our projects and our clients.

I came away from the Academy with a deeper understanding of how to collaborate effectively on international projects, and a wealth of practical insights that I’ve since shared with my colleagues. The Academy was interesting and interactive. We had a mix of presentations, discussions, and group activities. It wasn’t just listening to lectures; we actively engaged with the material and each other. I would highly recommend the academy to others."

Emily Rebmann adds, "We always include cool cultural experiences relevant to the city we host each Academy in. We've done scavenger hunts and murder mysteries where teams work together to solve the topic, made sushi in Japan, and had a Thai cookery lesson in Thailand. These activities bring the group closer together and help everyone make lasting connections."

Participants gain a unique, 360-degree perspective on the United VARs ecosystem, hearing directly from key stakeholders. Each Academy features engaging, tailored sessions led by SAP experts, who share their latest strategies, personal experiences, and practical insights. AWS provides a clear view of its role as a hyperscaler, demonstrating how it actively supports international SAP rollouts. The host member CEO presents inspiring stories of their journey and how they faced and overcame challenges.

New Skills, Confidence, and Collaborations

United VARs makes an effort to keep the Academy affordable so it’s accessible to all its members; the price is only 1,900 Euros for each participant (and a still-reasonable 2,600 Euros if including accommodation which United VARs arranges).

Mike Green, the SAP Business Applications Practice Lead at Answerthink, a North American United VARs member, offers a unique dual perspective of the Academy. As a facilitator, he leads sessions on international project management. As a trainer, he witnesses firsthand how participants flourish throughout the week. He also selects and sends his Answerthink colleagues to the Academy.

Mike understands the hesitation that United VARs member companies businesses might feel about ‘losing’ a team member or two for a week, but he's convinced that the long-term gains in skills and experience far outweigh the brief absence.

Mike has seen his colleagues return to work with greater confidence, self-awareness, and new skills that enhance how they manage projects and resolve issues. They also create valuable connections across the United VARs network which often lead to new collaborations, such as providing cross-border support for customer projects.

The War for Talent is Very Real: the Academy Helps Retain and Motivate Talent

Mike says, "The 'war for talent' is very real. Even the big firms don’t invest as much as they used to in training their consultants. Also, the whole model has changed. Consulting today requires more than technical skills. It's about being a business consultant who can engage effectively at all levels and often across cultures, as most of our clients have a global reach.

“The United VARs Academy demonstrates our investment in our people, which helps retain and motivate them. It’s worth the time commitment and pays dividends in the long run."

Customers, in turn, benefit from working with consultants who have gained an enriched understanding of cultural expectations and collaborative approaches. With these improved skills, consultants deliver projects faster, with fewer misunderstandings, and create innovative solutions by working closely with other United VARs members.

We invite you to watch this video for more insights on the benefits of sending people to the United VARs Academy. It features Mike Green from Answerthink and Tine Popelier from SOA People talking to United VAR’s Emily Rebmann.

This Years’ Academy Dates and Booking Details

The first Academy of 2025 is in Bangkok, hosted by Netizen. If your company missed out on booking this, there are a few more chances to send your talent to an Academy this year:

Bangkok Academy March 31–April 4: Hosted by our Thai member, Netizen.
Budapest Academy July 7–11: Hosted by our Hungarian member, BCS.
Americas Academy October 6–10: Location TBD, hoster by our member for Canada, Syntax.
Cairo Academy November 9-13: Hosted by our Egyptian member, Edraky.

For more information, and to book places, go to the Academy landing page on the members-only United VARs Hub.

Visit United VARs Hub