IBM today announced it’s expanded the IBM Z skills initiative for cultivating talent by including a new nationwide IT Infrastructure apprenticeship accelerator program.
Delivered in collaboration with Franklin Apprenticeships and the Urban Institute, the free program will target IBM Z Ecosystem clients looking to hire new collar talent across system administrators, system programmers and application developer roles.
“In keeping with IBM's commitment to make the digital era an inclusive one by expanding opportunity for people from all backgrounds and communities to build skills for in-demand careers, this new collar IBM Z skills training program will recruit and develop candidates from across the United States with no previous technology experience required,” IBM said.
“As part of the pre-apprenticeship program that IBM will provide in support of each client's IBM Z apprenticeship initiative, each candidate will receive an introduction to computer science, complete ‘Master the Mainframe’ levels one and two, and complete a curriculum of Z series operating system (z/OS) practitioner training – all remotely.”
Apprentices will receive over 300 hours of virtual training and have access to subject matter expertise and mentorship from IBM. According to IBM, the learning paths will adhere to competency standards defined by the joint client.
Following the pre-apprenticeship program, candidates will continue on a one-year earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship with additional technical and employer-led on-the-job training. Upon successful completion, apprentices can earn a credential recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor.
IBM also revealed M&T Bank as an early adopter of its new program. Through this apprenticeship, which M&T rebranded as its Z Development Program (ZDP) Mainframe Apprenticeship, M&T plans to grow its existing talent pool in the Buffalo, New York area and accelerate the bank's digital transformation strategy by hiring 10 apprentices. The trainees are anticipated to start in January 2021.
"In Buffalo, our regional tech ecosystem has continued to gain momentum, even as we've navigated the challenges of the pandemic. Working collaboratively, business, government and nonprofit leaders are focused on developing, retaining and attracting tech talent to buildout our city's innovation corridor and strengthen our regional economy," said Mike Wisler, chief information officer at M&T Bank.
"Our goal for the ZDP initiative is to ensure M&T Bank has the depth of talent necessary to efficiently operate our IBM Z systems, which are essential to banking functions our customers rely on, and it can contribute to the wider, regional efforts underway in Western New York to build an inclusive workforce equipped with the skills necessary to compete in the global economy. In a historically blue-collar city, IBM's new-collar apprenticeship program serves as another mechanism to help build a resilient, skilled workforce and foster a more inclusive economic recovery."
-
Apple’s Siri overhaul is a ‘watershed moment’ in its long-awaited AI pushNews The revamped Siri AI could put to rest questions over its lackluster approach to AI, providing it nails the roll-out
-
AMD chief exec Lisa Su touts UK’s AI potential as firm eyes £2bn investmentNews The deal will see a new AI supercomputer built in Cambridge and partnerships with Imperial College London and Oriole Networks
-
How AI code is changing software developmentITPro Podcast At firms like OpenAI the majority of code is now generated with AI tools
-
Managing tech costs in a volatile marketITPro Podcast Rising energy prices and sprawling cloud environments make the jobs of CIOs and CFOs harder than ever
-
Global demand for this one AI role has skyrocketed 283% in the last year aloneNews AI trainers are now among the most sought-after specialists around the world
-
Most executives have no idea how many employees are actually using AINews A concerning number of business leaders think their staff are using AI across most of their of tasks – the reality is quite different
-
UK firms are dragging their heels on AI training – shadow AI means they need to move fast to avoid unauthorized useNews With shadow AI rife, access to approved tools, clear guardrails, and training are needed to use the technology responsibly
-
Lloyds Banking Group wants to train every employee in AI by the end of this year – here's how it plans to do itNews The new AI Academy from Lloyds Banking Group looks to upskill staff, drive AI use, and improve customer service
-
IBM’s Confluent acquisition will give it a ‘competitive edge’ and supercharge its AI credentialsAnalysis IBM described Confluent as a “natural fit” for its hybrid cloud and AI strategy, enabling “end-to-end integration of applications, analytics, data systems and AI agents”.
-
Want to keep your job in the AI era? Start retraining nowNews Workers face critical decisions over the best way to upskill and retrain in the age of AI
