Finding Mainframe Talent Cited as One of the Top Business Challenges from the IBM Systems Magazine, Mainframe Edition Readership Survey

Posted by Rick Fowler, TCC Director of Mainframe Services

IBM Systems Magazine, Mainframe Edition, recently posted the results of their 2017 Readership Survey. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2017, from http://www.ibmsystemsmagmainframedigital.com/nxtbooks/ibmsystemsmag/mainframe_20170910/#/28

147 readers responded to a recent reader survey and they cited a variety of business challenges that were top of mind. These included managing security, holding down costs and finding talent as some of those top challenges.

The mainframe skills gap has been of concern for quite some time. An article on the CIO website looks at how CIO’s are planning for the skills shortage created as IT professionals with mainframe skills are aging out of the workforce. Florentine, S. (2015, August 10). How legacy technology is creating the next skills gap. Retrieved July 28, 2017, from http://www.cio.com/article/2960639/leadership-management/how-legacy-technology-is-creating-the-next-skills-gap.html.

The article notes that improvement in education and training are necessary to train incoming graduates with the skills necessary to fill the jobs in the field. It also notes that companies need to create a culture that is attractive to developers by stressing how the current, hot technologies are dependent on older foundational infrastructure. This may make it easier for companies to attract new talent interested in gaining experience on legacy enterprise computing.

I am also a member of the IBM Academic Initiative program created to help address the skills gap https://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/education/academic/. IBM works with students, professors and businesses around the world to ensure that the next generation of mainframe experts will be ready to leverage the superior security, availability, scalability, and efficiency of the mainframe.

To learn more about TCC’s Mainframe Managed Services, please visit our website https://www.e-tcc.com/managed-services. For information on TCC’s staff augmentation services, please visit our Talent Acquisition page: https://www.e-tcc.com/talent-acquisition.