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Opportunities for All: New webinar asks diverse applicants to consider mainframe industry

By | October 2, 2023October 6th, 2023

Are you looking for internships, hiring, and career programs in technology? If so, have you considered positions in the mainframe industry, which quietly but reliably powers over 70% of Fortune 500 companies?

To that end, program leaders from IBM, Broadcom, BMC, and the Open Mainframe Project are hosting a free webinar on October 16, 2023 at 9 am Pacific/ 12:00 pm Eastern titled, “Closing the Knowledge Gap: How to Attract and Retain Next-Gen Mainframe Talent.Registration is required and the webinar is open to all applicants from all backgrounds. This one hour event hopes to bring awareness to why inclusive hiring is important and highlight the many internship and hiring programs offered by leading mainframe companies.

“While everybody has the opportunity to apply, not everyone knows these programs exist,” said Mari Adamson-Bray, Publishing Director of TechChannel and an executive sponsor and a program committee member of the Making our Strong Community Stronger Initiative. “This free webinar hopes to change that, while encouraging more applicants to consider the ever growing mainframe industry.”

In addition to a presentation of programs by four panelists from leading companies, the webinar will include a Q&A session to answer any attendee questions about the many mainframe job opportunities. This session will cover the following:

Jen Corio

BMC. BMC Next Gen Program is designed for candidates who are recent graduates or early in their careers. Candidates learn a product line and utilize these skills by rotating through Professional Services for a specific period, starting with 3 weeks of BMC onboarding and foundation, followed by 18 weeks of mainframe foundation training and a 58 week consulting services rotation, and ending with a 12 week education rotation. Please reach out to jen_corio@bmc.com if interested.

Led by: Jen Corio, Director – Talent Acquisition, BMC

 

 

 

 

 

Earl Dixon

Broadcom. The Broadcom Mainframe Vitality Program is an online, instructor-led opportunity to grow and retain skills for a long-term career in Mainframe. The residency journey is a 12 month program during which time, residences are placed onsite with Broadcom customers to gain field experience. Upon program completion, residents and Broadcom customers have the opportunity to evaluate each other for permanent employment with the customer. The Vitality program accepts candidates of all majors and backgrounds, looking for candidates with strong motivation and a desire for hands-on experience. To learn more and apply for this program email mainframe.vitality@broadcom.com.

Led by: Earl Dixon Jr, Principle Client Services, Vitality Program Tech Lead, Broadcom Mainframe Software

 

 

Shelly Meierarend

IBM. IBM offers a wide range of education for students, recent graduates and jobseekers who are looking for career opportunities.  Our IBM Z Global Skills Accelerator program is a proven successful model to get the skills needed to thrive in this industry. Learners in the US have the opportunity to apply to an Apprenticeship program where the program has an assigned success coach, is provided with a detailed technical learning plan, and earns digital badges.  You will learn more about this program during the session. You can also check out additional events and programs IBM has available for you to take advantage of: IBM Z Day (open to everyone) is scheduled for October 18.  Information and registration links are available on the IBM Z Day page. There is a Virtual Career Fair, scheduled for October 25. Go here to find out more and register: US Enterprise Computing Virtual Career Fair (careereco.com)  Interested jobseekers must complete parts of  IBM Z Xplore, an online opportunity to earn no-cost digital badges, in order to attend the career fair.  Register to join the IBM Z Community and visit the  zSkills and Resources page for No Cost Z training options available to anyone.

Led by: Shelly Meierarend, IBM Z Global Skills Leader, IBM

 

John Mertic

Open Mainframe Project. . The Open Mainframe Project Mentorship Program expands mentee knowledge of mainframe technology, hosts opportunities for program participants to contribute to open source projects, and be exposed to potential employers. It has helped more than 100 students and mentees find roles in the mainframe ecosystem and surrounding communities. Often times, these mentee continue to engage with the open source project community and even become mentors.

Those interested in mentorship programs, can apply on the Linux Foundation Mentorship site. Open Mainframe Project and other projects will begin accepting applications for the Spring 2024 (March 1-May 31) session. Applications will open in mid-January. Interested students should subscribe to the Open Mainframe Project blog to learn more about the mentorships once they’re available.

Led by: John Mertic, Executive Director of Open Mainframe Project

If you’re looking for a job right now in a growing industry, come be a part of this ecosystem. The mainframe industry needs and wants you. We hope to see you there.

Register here.