Communications of the ACM
IT's Most Wanted: Mainframe Programmers
Credit: IBM
Although mainframes have remained a key component of enterprises and the global economy for decades, many mainframe personnel are getting ready to retire and there are not enough students interested in learning how these systems work, which could lead to a skills shortage for managing and maintaining them. "The mainframe is turning into a giant data server to be able to provide cloud applications with information they need," says Compuware's Paul Vallely. However, Compuware predicts that 40 percent of today's 2 million COBOL programmers will retire in the next few years.
"The pioneers of the mainframe are the Baby Boomers," says CA Technologies' Dayton Semerjian. "Starting this year, the Baby Boomers are going into retirement."
A recent Compuware survey of 520 CIOs found that 71 percent are concerned that this looming skills shortage will hurt their businesses, with applications and productivity at risk. Programming skills, in addition to system skills, are vital to the mainframe's continued use. CA Technologies, Compuware, and IBM are all seeking to address the skills gap with educational programs and new tools.
From InfoWorld
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