Mainframe Trainee Program taking a vital industry into future

21 March 2019: A collaboration between the University of Canberra and Column 72, the Mainframe Trainee Program is creating a new generation of mainframe experts for the platform crucial to the world's transactions, and rejuvenating the whole industry.

"Fresh blood and new ideas are always beneficial to any organisation, and are crucial to driving the industry," said Scott Thomson, Senior Director Data Centre Services at the Northern Territory Government's Department of Corporate & Information Services (DCIS).

DCIS is one of the partner employers of the Mainframe Trainee Program, which sees successful trainees graduate with a Bachelor of Information and Mainframe Technology.

The three-year program helps trainees to learn both the technical and programming aspects of IBM Z®, the world's most advanced and entrenched mainframe platform system.

In recognition of the initiative, Column 72 directors Paul Matthews and Dr Murray Woods were recently named on the IBM Champions 2019 list, joining an exclusive list of only 40 IBM Champions for Z globally.

Because of mainframes' speed, security capabilities and ability to scale, everyday transactions around the world, from government to the banking industry happen seamlessly.

"I'd say about 95% of the world's transactions go through a mainframe," Mr Thomson said.

In spite of this, a vacuum has opened up in the industry, as IT professionals skilled in working with mainframes becoming part of an ageing population.

"Mainframes have been around for over 50 years, and they're only going to be increasingly used," Mr Thomson said. "So it is vital that we grow our specialised mainframe skills resources, especially internally."

The paid program embeds trainees in workplaces from the very start. They learn about the platform and technology, and integrate with company philosophy and core values as well.

"We are better able to build relationships with them – the work force in our industry is very mobile nowadays, so this is particularly important in terms of retention," Mr Thomson said.

Wazid Ali Khan Pathan is an MTP trainee systems programmer and mainframer with DCIS, and he's finding the experience invaluable.

"I get to work with experts in so many areas, which gives me a great overview of the big picture and allows me to develop multiple skills," he said.

For fellow trainee and colleague Elina Woolley, the program has helped to build her confidence in an industry still dominated by men – and allowed her to tap into a niche in a highly specialised area.

"The more I've learned about mainframes, the more I have realised how relevant they are to our everyday lives," she said. "If mainframes stopped working, the world as we know it would also cease to function."

The industry is constantly evolving, Mr Pathan says. IBM has consistently worked on compatibility, pervasive encryption, cloud computing and data analytics, among others.

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