CA Technologies says it is working to help IT organizations and employees meet workforce needs and address sustainability challenges with core programming skills training offered through its Mainframe Academy and Mainframe Associate Software Engineering Program (MASEP).
The training is necessary to support customers who rely on the mainframe as a critical component of their data centers, according to CA. The goal of the Mainframe Academy and MASEP is to certify graduates in the mastery of mainframe skills across hardware, applications and environments.
"The success of IBM's zEnterprise, is further proof that our customers view the mainframe as an essential part of their IT environments, as a cornerstone of their corporate IT strategies, and as a reliable and secure enabler of cloud service delivery," says Dayton Semerjian, general manager of CA's Mainframe division. "Our goal is to help businesses use the mainframe to maximum advantage by arming IT workers with the knowledge needed to effectively manage this platform."
All of the students completing the first CA Technologies at Mainframe Academy met course certification criteria, CA says. The vendor-agnostic program is designed to help cross-train existing staff or quickly bring new hires up-to-speed in an accelerated hybrid classroom environment that combines instructor-led, web-based and self-paced learning.
In addition, CA says it is working closely with many companies on private courses, with the goal of providing customized learning to address their existing in-house training requirements.
The vendor also says MASEP-an internal program for new hires which is entering its third year-has helped CA Technologies' Mainframe IT team meet current demands by empowering new programmers to hit the ground running and plan for future needs as current experts retire. The success of MASEP, which also includes mentoring graduates, prompted the creation of the Mainframe Academy program to extend the same benefits to customers.
To further support its mainframe workforce education efforts, CA recently announced at SHARE Anaheim a $1 Million Mainframe Academy scholarship program to be awarded to individuals who demonstrate a desire to master mainframe programming skills. Applications are now being accepted on the Mainframe Scholarship program website. The first recipient will be announced at SHARE Orlando in August. Scholarships will be awarded in the amount of $35,000 per winner and are payable solely as a credit for publicly scheduled Mainframe Academy with CA Technologies education courses. More information is available.