The global economy runs on transactions, and 70% of transactions by value run through an IBM Z® mainframe. Many of the world’s largest enterprises rely on IBM Z to support their core business, and by a process of continued innovation, IBM Z brings industry-first technologies to our clients with each new generation. Modern mainframe skills are critical as businesses implement AI, modernize their applications, integrate across the enterprise and continue digital transformation.
These skills are essential to the future of the platform, whether we are training new talent, deepening the skills of our existing community or introducing new technology and capabilities to the platform.
IBM®, Broadcom and 21CS recently commissioned The Futurum Group to survey businesses, university leaders and students on trends across the mainframe landscape. The survey covered several topics, including but not limited to talent acquisition, curriculum and development skills offerings, as well as priority areas of focus for students studying mainframe.
The Futurum Group found that 60% of organizations surveyed indicated they work closely with industry vendors that offer bootcamps, trainings or apprenticeship programs to connect with skilled applicants. They also found a healthy pipeline of demand for talent, with 91% of the organizations surveyed indicating they anticipate hiring mainframe system administrators or mainframe application developers over the next 1 to 2 years. The full report, 2024 Global Mainframe Skills Report: Insights from Industry and Educational Experts will be released on 6 May 2024.
To bring the broader global community together to continue to build skills, IBM announced the launch of the Mainframe Skills Council. This council will provide a forum where global organizations work together, creating an exciting opportunity to unite the community, share experiences and collaboratively implement solutions to build a strong global workforce for the mainframe platform.
Members include representatives from IBM clients, IBM partners, academia, user groups, nonprofits and open communities.
The council framework will include working groups that are focused on career awareness, role-based competency frameworks, learning paths and ongoing talent growth. This council builds upon the many IBM mainframe skills programs already in place.
In addition to traditional academic curriculum, IBM also turned to nontraditional paths beyond the classic classroom to inspire, connect, train and grow new mainframe talent. These programs include:
Today, addressing mainframe skills extends beyond education and training. IBM also introduced new strategies and technologies to address the number of specialized skills required:
IBM’s mainframe skills programs are intended to provide an opportunity for everyone—from beginners to experts. Whether you are looking to expand your capabilities or share your knowledge with others, IBM skills programs can help our community connect and succeed.
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