The Academic Initiative is a broad program throughout IBM aimed at supplying college and university students with the skills necessary to compete in the ever-changing IT job market. Although the name has changed a bit over the years (a strategy later copied by the System i family), the program and its goals are still the same. By partnering, IBM and the colleges are able to develop new courses and curriculum as technology changes. A current example is a partnership between IBM and the University of Arizona that aims to provide skills for creating online communities. The Academic Initiative also works to provide education in more mature technology, such as within the System i family.
IBM selected the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to serve as a hub for the System i portion of the Academic Initiative. Colleges and universities from around the world can connect to a System i5 Model 570 to receive course materials for their own programs. The program works to incorporate System i technology into the business and technical theory that is currently available in courses today. Although the universities and schools are key members in this initiative, System i customers and business partners also play a critical role in this effort. As partners in the community, all of the groups involved can work toward modifying the curriculum that is currently being taught. This process will help to ensure that industry needs continue to be met.
Theory Meets Real Life
After the first few weeks of every semester, it is a requirement for students to openly complain to their friends that they're "never going to get to use this in real life." The System i Academic Initiative hopes to eliminate such statements by providing skills that are marketable. Historically, universities have tended to focus a great deal on theory. The idea is that that once you understand the theory, you will be able to apply those principles to any new changes in business. On the opposite side, technical schools tend to focus on providing knowledge in a single area that will allow students to immediately gain employment but perhaps will require more schooling in the future. In essence, the goal is to provide a "best of both worlds" approach, combining sound theory with real-life examples and demonstrations focusing on System i technology.
The System i skilled workforce is aging, and the community has clearly recognized that young people are not moving into the business to replace them. This is one of the main issues facing the System i, and the Academic Initiative is looking to resolve it. It's easy to point fingers at who is to blame, but IBM is not alone.
The Knowledge Void
When I started my IBM internship project, I was told that my team would be working under the System i5. I stared blankly. Perhaps you heard about the iSeries? No response. AS/400? Oh, OK. I don't mean to start a rant about name changes or their timing. However, my prior lack of awareness is an indication that there is a general void of knowledge among young people when it comes to this platform. If a company is trying to recruit individuals to the System i, it is infinitely easier when they have heard of such a thing. From an Academic Initiative perspective, this problem is easily solved by providing students with a minimum level of knowledge relating to the System i, which will help to enable them to make decisions on whether or not to expand their knowledge and skills in the area.
Even in my limited experience, I have heard a great deal about the fact that the universities aren't teaching the skills needed by System i customers. While this may be true, you have to ask yourself whether they should be. While attending a university-sponsored career fair, I browsed the rows of booths. Companies were lined up looking for individuals with C++, Java, and .NET experience. I didn't see any mention of RPG on the applications that I was filling out. Some of the companies were looking for administrators for servers, but I didn't see them listing System i experience as a requirement for their jobs. As a student, I hear that employers are looking for these skills, but I'm still waiting to see them in action. As part of the System i community, these companies must send a message that there is a place in the market for these skills. IBM will be able to use its name to draw students to classes initially. But if the internships and entry-level positions are not clearly available to students, this draw will only last for so long before they begin considering alternative options.
Find Out More
For those who are interested, you can find more detail at the System i Academic Initiative Web site. This will provide insight into the colleges and universities that offer System i programs, available course materials, and other resources. And if the Web site doesn't answer your questions, send email to
John McCarthy is an MBA student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the J.D. Edwards Honors Program. He has worked on software development projects with Microsoft, PayPal, and other small companies. He can be reached at
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