The News: Broadcom has long been investing in skills with its Mainframe Education and Expert Programs. The Mainframe Skills council was announced recently at SHARE. To find out more, click here.
Challenging the Negative Narrative of the Mainframe Skills Landscape
Analyst Take: Recent research from The Futurum Group paints a new picture that challenges the longstanding narrative and concern around the state of current and future mainframe skills gap. The new data now reveals a growing pool of mainframe talent, with 65% of university leaders reporting an increase in skilled mainframe professionals. This finding is further corroborated by 91% of employers planning to hire even more new mainframe talent in the next 1-2 years, highlighting a concerted effort across the industry to rejuvenate and expand the mainframe workforce.
Broadcom’s Pioneering Approach to Mainframe Education and Skills Development
I had the opportunity to dive deep with the Broadcom team at SHARE recently and get further insights into how they approach mainframe skills and how the company’s programs resonate with clients. Broadcom has long recognized the importance of investing in mainframe skills and education. Broadcom is at the forefront of addressing the mainframe skills gap through its Mainframe Education and Expert Programs, offering comprehensive training and development opportunities designed to foster the next generation of mainframe professionals.
Mainframe Education Programs
Broadcom’s Mainframe Education initiative offers a wide range of resources and learning paths to cater to individuals at all stages of their mainframe careers. From virtual instructor-led training sessions covering critical mainframe topics to no-cost self-paced web-based training offering hundreds of courses across various skill levels, Broadcom ensures learners have the tools they need to succeed. These programs facilitate knowledge acquisition and provide digital badging opportunities, allowing individuals to showcase their competencies in a tangible and recognized format.
Mainframe Workforce Resiliency Programs
At the heart of Broadcom’s skill development efforts are the Mainframe Workforce Resiliency Programs, which include the Vitality Residency Program and the Expert Program. These programs are designed to address organizations’ immediate and long-term mainframe skills directly needs.
The Vitality Residency Program is meticulously designed to nurture the next generation of mainframe experts, providing an extensive curriculum that spans up to a year and is dedicated to instilling a thorough understanding of mainframe fundamentals and specific Broadcom products. The program meticulously integrates a distinctive residency phase, wherein participants gain invaluable, hands-on experience by working directly on-site with customers. This immersive learning environment allows them to familiarize themselves with each client’s unique technological landscapes and application suites under the direct guidance and wisdom of highly experienced professionals. This dual-pronged approach of theoretical knowledge and practical application meticulously prepares the residents to proficiently address and navigate the complexities of real-world mainframe challenges with confidence and expertise.
In parallel, the Expert Program emerges as a strategic remedy for organizations grappling with immediate gaps in mainframe expertise. This innovative program strategically places highly skilled professionals who possess profound knowledge of mainframe technologies and Broadcom’s suite of products directly into the operational ecosystems of clients. Through their deep-rooted understanding and experience, these experts offer a broad spectrum of critical services ranging from fine-tuning solutions to one-on-one mentoring. This direct intervention facilitates a swifter adoption of new technologies, significantly mitigates potential risks, and enhances the overall efficiency of operations. The presence of such specialized experts accelerates problem-solving processes, ensures smoother implementations, and strengthens the technological foundation of the client’s organization, thereby promoting a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. Through these concerted efforts, the Expert Program is pivotal in bridging the expertise divide, fostering an environment where advanced mainframe solutions are seamlessly integrated and maximized for the benefit of the organization.
A Comprehensive and Synergistic Approach
Broadcom’s holistic strategy addresses both near-term expertise requirements and long-term workforce resilience. The synergy between the Expert and Vitality Residency Programs is particularly noteworthy, as it offers customers a dual solution that fills immediate talent needs while simultaneously building a pipeline of future mainframe talent. This comprehensive approach underscores Broadcom’s commitment to not only its customers’ success but also the vitality of the mainframe ecosystem as a whole.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Mainframe Talent Development
The mainframe skills landscape is evolving, driven by industry-wide recognition of the need to invest in and grow a diverse, skilled mainframe workforce. Broadcom’s Mainframe Education and Residency Programs exemplify this shift, offering robust pathways for individuals to enter and excel in the mainframe domain. As we look to the future, it’s clear that the success of the mainframe will depend on our collective ability to nurture and harness the potential of new talent. With organizations like Broadcom leading the way, the future of mainframe skills development is bright, promising a resilient, dynamic, and innovative mainframe ecosystem for years to come.
When you look more broadly, Broadcom’s acquisition of CA Technologies and its sustained investments in the Mainframe Software Division, alongside comprehensive skills offerings, underscore the company’s deep commitment to software excellence and client success. This strategic approach, focusing on enriching mainframe capabilities and fostering talent development, showcases Broadcom’s dedication to advancing software solutions, regardless of industry narratives surrounding VMware. Through these initiatives, Broadcom is reinforcing its position as a leader who is willing to invest in the future of technology and its user community.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
Other Insights from The Futurum Group:
The Main Scoop, Episode 20: Riding the Waves of Continuous Innovation
Changing Observability in the Mainframe Ecosystem with OpenTelemetry
Author Information
Regarded as a luminary at the intersection of technology and business transformation, Steven Dickens is the Vice President and Practice Leader for Hybrid Cloud, Infrastructure, and Operations at The Futurum Group. With a distinguished track record as a Forbes contributor and a ranking among the Top 10 Analysts by ARInsights, Steven's unique vantage point enables him to chart the nexus between emergent technologies and disruptive innovation, offering unparalleled insights for global enterprises.
Steven's expertise spans a broad spectrum of technologies that drive modern enterprises. Notable among these are open source, hybrid cloud, mission-critical infrastructure, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and FinTech innovation. His work is foundational in aligning the strategic imperatives of C-suite executives with the practical needs of end users and technology practitioners, serving as a catalyst for optimizing the return on technology investments.
Over the years, Steven has been an integral part of industry behemoths including Broadcom, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and IBM. His exceptional ability to pioneer multi-hundred-million-dollar products and to lead global sales teams with revenues in the same echelon has consistently demonstrated his capability for high-impact leadership.
Steven serves as a thought leader in various technology consortiums. He was a founding board member and former Chairperson of the Open Mainframe Project, under the aegis of the Linux Foundation. His role as a Board Advisor continues to shape the advocacy for open source implementations of mainframe technologies.
