Is your industry ready to face a growing IT skills gap?

There have long been concerns in the IT industry over the potential impact of the growing skills gap in the IT sector. This is particularly relevant in the world of Mainframe where 43% of the workforce are in the 50-64 age category.

There are many initiatives across the globe promoting Mainframe as an exciting and challenging work environment for IT students to consider. IBM in particular has put a lot of work into their Master the Mainframe initiative.

However, there are more concerns coming to the fore when it comes to the IT skills shortage for the UK. Brexit is looming and with it comes a recruitment landscape which will see organisations finding it more and more difficult to bring workers in from EU countries.  This will limit an already diminishing resource pool. According to research by recruitment firm HIRED 70% of the UK’s technology workers are considering a move to other EU cities.

Executives need to be putting plans into place to ensure that they have their critical IT systems covered for the long-term. Triton Consulting provide a range of services for DB2 on the Mainframe.

So what are the options for CIOs who are looking to plug this mainframe skills gap?

Outsourcing

The decision to outsource an organisations’ Mainframe is huge and would never be undertaken lightly. Although outsourcing providers may be highly skilled, they don’t have the intimate knowledge of the organisation which is built up over many years. This coupled with the natural doubts about handing one of your businesses’ most important assets over to a third party to manage can mean that outsourcing Mainframe services is a daunting prospect.

Training

This is certainly a good option for organisations who want to keep Mainframe services in-house. It is a great way to broaden the skills of existing staff. Those staff members who are committed to the company and have ingrained knowledge of who the business works can be a huge asset when given a broader range of skills. Triton provide a range of training for individuals or teams looking to learn more about the Mainframe.

Access to skilled Mainframe resource

Mainframe skills are in demand, according to recent BMC research 91% of respondents view the mainframe as a long-term viable platform.  With this in mind it is worth considering bringing in those expertise from a third party.

Triton Consulting provide flexible resourcing options to organisations who need to supplement their Mainframe skills. With the option to purchase a block of hours, our Consultancy on Demand solution allows organisations to access key skills as and when they are required. These consultancy hours can be used for training and skills transfer; to provide specific skills where they are lacking in the team or for specific project work. Working alongside the in-house team our highly experienced consultants can enable large Mainframe users to manage their resource requirements in a highly cost effective and flexible manner.