Veilleux, Jon L wrote:
Have you looked into the IBM Scholars program? They are working with
Universities to generate interest in the mainframe. There does seem to
be a good deal of interest from the schools and from the students, they
just need to know that we are here and aren't going away. Once students
have the opportuinity to play on a mainframe they like it.
There are several Colleges and Universities that are offering mainframe
courses.
Jon L. Veilleux
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(860) 636-2683
But, as I pointed out on an earlier thread:
10 April, 2006:
Joel Ewing posted a pointer to IBM's academic initiative page
for iSeries:
https://www-304.ibm.com/jct09002c/university/scholars/products/iseries/connect/participatinguniversities.html
There are over 250 schools there.
But on the left had side of the page is a link
to the zSeries program, which is:
https://www-304.ibm.com/jct09002c/us/en/university/scholars/products/zseries/
Here there are only 20 schools (check the "Participating
universities" tab).
------------------------------------
then, later the same day:
Most of these schools are 2nd or 3rd tier schools,
including a number of community colleges. [Not that there
is anything wrong with community colleges, but my point
is there are no top-of-the-line US universities on the
list.]
Follow the links to the schools sites and do a Search
on "mainframe" and you either turn up no hits (is there
really a program here, or is the university just slow
to put it on their website), or you get Linux on zSeries,
or you find an instructor bio that says he has seen the
"rise and fall of mainframes", or you get some actual
courses (e.g., Columbus State University) that are "OS/390"
or even "MVS" or "the Hitachi AS/EX 80 mainframe" [which,
we are assured, runs "MVS/XA"]; I haven't found a z/OS hit yet.
So, let's train them on out of date technology and
count our good deeds for the day. This doesn't help
IBM's image of commitment to the z/OS platform, nor
does it help the students attending.
One more sign that perhaps IBM doesn't really consider
z/OS "strategic".
--------------------------------
Finally, again the same day:
OK, I found a z/OS hit in this program.
Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology
in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada offers a free
mainframe course, non-credit, on Friday
afternoons at 3:00! I'm sure that is a perfect
time for college students to focus on mainframes.
But at least it's z/OS!
---
Our favorite, Marist College, that hosts the mvs-oe
list, of course, lists z/OS, and that's cool. The program
looks very strong.
---
I love this quote, from Northeastern Illinois University,
which is listed as participating in the program:
"Unfortunately we have lost our mainframe. Therefore simulating the
mainframe using Microfocus JCL which is located in CLS 2108 and
hopefully also in our classroom FA104."
---
Sao Paulo State Univirsity at Campinas, Brazil,
mentions they run z/OS 1.5
---
Looks like University of Tuebingen in Germany
runs and teaches some z/OS (my German is not that
strong, though, and I could be mis-reading).
---
University of Latvia offers some mainframe training,
can't be sure of z/OS-ness.
---
Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden
turns up 4 references to z/OS; 2 are Tivoli manuals,
2 are pages of links to IBM docs on the web.
---
Technical University of Denmark looks to have a real
z/OS series to offer.
===========================================
I wouldn't be too quick to praise the IBM program
until it shows signs of being a serious effort.
Kind regards,
-Steve Comstock
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