The Bulgarian branch of Sopra Steria is a critical Center of Competence - a place where Bulgarian developers work directly on enterprise systems for international clients, not behind the scenes, but as consultants who understand the full picture. But for a university graduate, the path to becoming a high-level consultant can seem distant and out of reach.
At Sopra Steria, we provide a forum, a platform through a specialized, six-month curriculum to transform "young programmers" into "true consultants." Two years since it launched, a third cohort is starting this April, and we are grateful to say that our graduates are now becoming a valuable part of the projects at high-profile clients.
Unlike traditional internships, our program is built on a structured three-phase methodology:
Phase 1: Integration. Participants are first introduced to Sopra Steria as a global company to understand the international business ecosystem.
Phase 2: Technical Immersion. For six months, students dive deep into the technical core of enterprise software. This is led by SAP experts from Germany who travel to Sofia specifically to mentor the next generation of Bulgarian talent.
Phase 3: Real-World Application. After the training, graduates transition to working on diverse projects for international clients, applying their knowledge to real business scenarios.
Mastering the Tech Stack
The curriculum is rigorous, covering the most relevant SAP technologies required for modern business intelligence and data warehousing:
Backend & Logic: ABAP and BW (Business Warehouse).
Cloud & Analytics: Exploring SAC (SAP Analytics Cloud).
Frontend & UX: Developing with UI5 to ensure a seamless user experience.
As Yoana, a program graduate, explains: "You learn how data moves from one system to another—how it is harmonized and consolidated through the backend, the frontend, and the interfaces". This holistic view allows a junior specialist to see the "big picture" of a business process.
The "Consultant Mindset"
Our developers must also become great communicators.
Our curriculum places a heavy emphasis on soft skills, including:
Client Communication: Learning to interface directly with international partners.
Requirement Engineering: Defining specifications and understanding business needs.
Project Lifecycle Management: Understanding what data means and how it impacts the life of a project.
International clients, live projects, actual stakes. Some graduates step into project work immediately after training. All of them are working on projects today. By investing in local students and watching them become high calibre experts, it gives us a significance for the whole program operation and confidence for the new SAP Development generation.
Learn more about the program