CMU a primary university contact for employment at General Motors Corp.

Central Michigan University students are the first choice to fill many jobs at General Motors Co.

CMU is the primary university contact for employment at GM, and Brian Partie Jr., associate director of career services at CMU, said it’s because CMU offers business students an aspect of training that many other universities don’t.

“The relationship started in 2012,” Partie said. “(General Motors) is recruiting our Information Systems and Computer Science students, especially those with the SAP TERP10 ERP-Integrated Business Processes Certification.”

TERP10 Certification Academy is a program offered at CMU that trains participants in Solution, Application and Performance software. It is an intensive two-week, 80-hour program with an exam on the last day.

Frank Andera, director of the SAP University Alliance Program and a business information systems professor, said SAP extends the availability of software across deployments, mobile devices and on-premise installations. It is the world’s leading business enterprise software, and CMU is a nationally recognized leader in SAP education.

“Someone has to set up this software,” Andera said. “It’s business students who do it.”

CMU offers more than 16 business courses that incorporate SAP business training. More than 9,000 students have taken a SAP-supported course at CMU.

“Everyone teaches accounting,” Andera said. “Not everyone teaches accounting with a concentration in this program.”

Partie said GM is looking to recruit for Information Technology-related businesses and jobs. In return, CMU hosts events and opportunities for students to learn about various careers.

Troy senior Shiva Ganganithi recently took a job at GM, partially because of SAP expertise taught through the College of Business.

“CMU really helped me get the job,” Ganganithi said. “Before going on interviews, I spoke with a lot of professors, and they enlightened me on certain questions I might be asked and how to respond to them.”

Partie said CMU has a centralized office and program called Career Central where students can find out about career options.

“The program is free and students can log in and find out about career options,” he said. “On the site, there is an account for GM that shows current jobs available, as well as contacts for the company.”