IBM’s System i Academic Initiative, announced in 2006 with the key intention of bringing new blood to the platform through forging partnerships with educational institutions and local businesses, is going from strength to strength.

Cally Beck, System i Academic Initiative Programme Manager, Europe, says: “The focus of my programme strategy for Europe is to link skills generation to sector growth, productivity, and above all to respond to our customers’ business needs.”

The strength of the programme continues to lie in the strong relationships that have been built with qualification awarding bodies, like the Scottish Qualifications authority, Edexcel and the sector skills council for IT, e-skills. Beck says: “They are really key to this programme, in that they have the influence to reach colleges and generate a higher volume of the core System i skills that are in heavy demand by IBM’s customers and partners.  

“My plan for 2008 is to increase our collaboration with regional enterprise organisations and to make our course material available to more people through e-learning modules, including the post-25 age group, where e-learning is the preferred learning method. It’s important to note that while we target mainstream education, we also appeal to those who are already in employment, and who want to add to their skill set and open up a new channel of employment.

“While enabling young people to become System i business and technology solution experts, one of my key goals for 2008 is to work closely with our customers to position their own company training modules and fit them with our System i course content. The value in this is that the student acquires a deeper level of knowledge of how System i solutions add value to our customers’ business, and the industry in which they operate. This is highly motivating to educators and students and can give students the leading edge and a head start as potential new employees. This, for me, is an integral part of the System i academic programme.”

A System i operator course has now been completed, to be fully deployed early 2008 by Suffolk New College and Barnfield College in Bedfordshire. The second phase, an administrator course, is currently being written, ready for deployment later in 2008, followed by a developer course.   

"To speed up the process of supplying much-needed skills to our customers, I have already started compiling a database of individuals who are already working, but looking to acquire System i skills, because they know that there are jobs out there," says Beck.

"For instance, I have a large System i customer who in January 2008 will have over 25 full time jobs available. This is a great opportunity for our Business Partners to deliver the skills needed, as well as some of our colleges where we've provided the trainer courses; they have their own System i machines installed and are geared up to deliver the type of education.”

"To be able to deliver the skills to our customers that they need to continue to grow their businesses is truly a fantastic opportunity for me," says Beck. "This isn't just my job, it's my passion."

 
There are some exciting developments to generate an increase in the number of System i solution skills in the UK and throughout Europe, but obviously being based in the UK means that the strategy Beck has developed for the System i academic programme is tried and tested before being rolled out throughout the rest of Europe. Indeed, it is established as best practice.

An example is the way Beck has developed a new partnership with the prestigious Warwick Business School. It is working to incorporate accredited System i solution modules that directly address industry sector technology issues in a number of high growth sectors. There is a growing trend for non-technical students to become more technical, so that they acquire an understanding of just how important System i technology is, whether to an SMB or large corporate enterprise, and, importantly, to know their differing technology needs. The delivery is scheduled for January 2008 as part of the information systems MSc and undergraduate programmes.

“There is a growing demand for universities and business schools to become industry-linked technology academies,” says Beck. “Furthermore, there is a significant opportunity to increase System i solution skills, through collaboration between academia and business. My plan for 2008 is to deliver a number of academies, in partnership with our customers in several key sectors including healthcare, energy markets, e-commerce, entertainment, travel and tourism, financial services and process industries. This is a hugely exciting period for our programme and a powerful example of how universities can deliver real value to our customers.”

“My plan is to replicate this model across Europe, the Middle East countries and South Africa,” she says. “Of course, we already have a well-established academic programme which continues to grow at a healthy rate, particularly in Germany, Poland and the Nordic countries, and now I’m looking to increase the focus on System i skills development in Russia and the Eastern European countries, the UAE and South Africa, where investment fuels economic growth and emerging markets.

Frank Booty