- New data from Futurum1 suggests that the
mainframe skills pool is growing, with 65 percent of university
leaders surveyed reporting more skilled mainframe talent available
today as compared to the last 5 years
- According to Futurum research, 91 percent of employer
respondents said they are planning to hire talent for new mainframe
positions in the next 1-2 years, investing in and growing their
mainframe IT team
- 66 percent of organizations use third-party learning
programs or platforms to support mainframe learning and talent
development, according to new findings from Futurum
ORLANDO,
Fla., March 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:
IBM) introduced the Mainframe Skills Council during this
week's SHARE conference in Orlando, to provide a forum where global
organizations will foster a skilled, diverse, sustainable workforce
for the mainframe platform. In addition to IBM, the council
includes organizations spanning IBM clients, IBM partners,
academia, user groups, non-profits, and open communities that will
collaborate to implement mainframe skills development solutions.
Initial members include Academic Mainframe Consortium, Albany State University, Broadcom, DNB Bank,
HOGENT, M&T Bank, Northern Illinois University, Rocket
Software, SHARE, and 21CS.
To learn more about mainframe skills, visit:
http://ibm.biz/ztalent
"As the SHARE Premier Education and Technology Platform Provider
in 2024, IBM is well-positioned to address today's technology
skills challenges, something that every organization is grappling
with as new innovation is unveiled," said Meredith Stowell, Vice President, IBM Z
Ecosystem. "The mainframe community has been working to close the
mainframe generational skills gap and we've seen substantial
progress. The Mainframe Skills Council represents an exciting
opportunity to build on these advancements and ignite the community
to share experiences and create mainframe talent solutions that can
grow with the platform."
New research affirms industry efforts to increase mainframe
skills
As today's businesses adapt to economic shifts in the market and
new advances in technology, skills are a key part of success for
every organization. According to a 2022 IBM Transformation Index:
State of Cloud survey, 56 percent of companies surveyed have
embraced a hybrid cloud operating model2. IBM Z, as
a key part of many clients' hybrid cloud environments, provides a
resilient, and agile IT platform to help drive clients' digital
transformations. Mainframe skills will be particularly critical for
the success of many businesses as they implement AI, modernize
their applications, and focus on digital transformation.
New research from the Futurum Group, 2024 Global Mainframe
Skills Report: Insights from Industry and Educational Experts,
commissioned by IBM, Broadcom, and 21CS shows continued demand in
mainframe talent as well as progress in growing the mainframe
workforce as the mainframe community works together to build
skills3.
The survey highlighted a generational gap in mainframe skilling
with an influx of early career talent, while calling attention to
the existing demand for experienced mainframe professionals with 79
percent of respondents recruiting for mid-career mainframe
positions and 51 percent recruiting for entry-level positions. In
fact, in 2023, 32 percent of mainframe employers responding to the
global survey hired 11-20 mainframe related roles and 35 percent
hired more than 20 mainframe roles. In addition, 91 percent of
employer respondents said they are planning to hire talent for new
mainframe positions in the next 1-2 years, investing in and growing
their mainframe IT teams.
The survey results also underscored increased opportunities for
mainframe job-seekers to learn and grow their skills regardless of
where they are in their careers with 75 percent of responding
university leaders indicating that their institution offers course
curricula for students to learn mainframe skills and 83 percent of
student respondents indicating they are learning mainframe skills
through their university.
Companies are also taking advantage of the community resources
available in the market to find, train and develop mainframe
talent. Sixty percent of mainframe employers surveyed report that
they rely on non-traditional skills resources as a mainframe hiring
or recruitment strategy, such as working with industry vendors on
bootcamp, training, or apprenticeship programs. And mainframe
employers who invest resources in the platform indicated they have
less trouble finding skills, with 71 percent of companies, who
invest at least $10 million in their
mainframe environment, surveyed saying they sufficiently or fully
met their hiring goals for mainframe system administrator roles in
2023.
To help encourage growth in the mainframe industry and improve
access to skills, IBM and many other industry vendors are working
with universities, mainframe employers, online learning platforms,
training providers, and workforce as well as community
organizations to offer additional learning opportunities to help
clients support their mainframe platform with a vibrant technical
community.
Mainframe Skills Council to inspire, connect, train, and grow
mainframe talent
"There is a significant and growing demand for skills training,
apprenticeships, and networking opportunities in the tech space,"
says Kate Holterhoff, a senior analyst with RedMonk who
specializes in IT and developer upskilling. "IBM's Mainframe Skills
Council expands the range of options for individuals looking to
reskill into a career as a mainframe professional."
In addition to IBM offering training, industry-recognized
digital badging4, academic community support, and
non-traditional pathway programs, the broader IBM Z global
community of universities, clients, user groups, and partners also
provide mainframe skills solutions and insights. The Mainframe
Skills Council brings together organizations to share experiences
and collaboratively implement solutions to build a strong global
workforce for the mainframe platform. The council will include
working groups focused on career awareness, competency frameworks,
learning paths, as well as professional development. Council goals
include:
- Showcase a vibrant mainframe talent pool
- Align on common industry competency frameworks
- Share ideas and practices to enhance professional
development
- Share education, training tools, and related resources to
optimize overall mainframe career experience for professionals and
leaders
- Increase mainframe employer adoption of proven skill
initiatives and practices
"We had a business challenge of a tenured mainframe workforce,"
said Gary Fusco, Engineering
Director, M&T Bank. "We partnered with IBM and Franklin
Apprenticeships to develop a mainframe skills education program at
M&T. By about six months into the program, our apprentices were
coding on COBOL and installing new products on the IBM Z
platform."
IBM Z Skills Programs and Resources
New today, IBM is introducing the IBM Z Mainframe Skills Depot,
a comprehensive platform for accessing mainframe skills training.
Learners can choose from specialized tracks tailored to roles such
as System Administrator, Application Developer, or Modernization
Architect and access over a thousand of hours of self-paced,
no-charge, hands-on learning to earn industry-recognized digital
badges.
IBM offers additional non-traditional skills programs and
resources beyond the classroom including the IBM Z Global Skills
Accelerator and Apprenticeship program. With over 300 hours of
learning, success coaching, on the job training, and mentorship,
this program has enabled 83 global employers to skill up over 440
mainframe system administrators and application developers across
13 countries. In addition, the IBM Z Student Ambassador program
provides leadership opportunities for students and supports
mainframe student clubs on campuses at more than 95 universities
worldwide.
To connect mainframe talent to employers, IBM sponsors IBM Z
Virtual Career Fairs around the world to bring together IBM
clients, partners, and badged mainframe talent. To participate in
the career fair as a job candidate or organization, please register
here.
Media Contact:
Ashley Peterson
IBM Communications
ashley.peterson@ibm.com
Chase Skinner
IBM Communications
chase.skinner@ibm.com
1 Source: The Futurum Group global research
conducted in 2024 commissioned by IBM, Broadcom, and 21CS. Those
surveyed included mainframe professionals who are investing in the
platform, mainframe students and university leaders. The report
based on these findings is not currently available and will be
published on The Futurum Group's website when available.
2 Source: IBM Transformation Index: State of Cloud, pg
7
3 This 2024 global study surveyed mainframe
professionals in companies with more than $400 million in annual revenue, IT students who
are interested in mainframe careers, and university leaders from
universities that offer mainframe learning opportunities in some
form, to understand the mainframe skills landscape as it exists
today.
4 Digital badges are offered by IBM through online
programs at no charge to the learner. Badges are earned by
completing the program and represent a skill achievement
acknowledged by the industry. IBM leverages the services of Credly,
a 3rd party data processor authorized by IBM and located in
the United States, to assist in
the administration of the IBM Digital Badge program. All mainframe
badges can be found here:
https://www.credly.com/skills/ibm-z/related_badges
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SOURCE IBM