Job Board For IBM i Talent Powers Up

January 14, 2013 Dan Burger

Finally, the day has come: IBM i shops on the search for young talent have a dedicated job board to turn to. We have been hearing for years how companies have a difficult time locating people with the specific skills to take on entry-level jobs. There have been fears that the talent pool was drying up. At the same time, colleges teaching IBM i skills as part of their computer science curriculum have not always been successful in placing graduates with companies that had job openings. It has been a frustrating disconnect.

A job board has been on the IBM Academic Initiative’s wish list for several years. Getting it under way is a major accomplishment.

The job board, which was activated December 19, can be found at powersystemsjobs.com. In its current iteration, the job board will be listing entry-level positions and internships for students who have graduated or are on track to graduate with a computer science or information management degree, whether it is from a two-year or four-year program. Job listings for experienced professionals will be added in the future. No specific date for that is available at this time.

So the call is going out to IBM i shops. Make your wishes known. These listings will not cost a penny. To make a listing request, email powerskills@us.ibm.com

Until the participation from companies involved in job searches gets ramped up, the Academic Initiative project coordinator Darlene Rose is harvesting job listings from multiple sources that include Internet searches and feedback from some IBM customers and business partners who have learned about the job board. These listings are not necessarily IBM i specific, but they are entry level and valuable to just-graduating students.

A quick glance at the job board revealed 12 positions with several that were IBM i specific. One of those was a company hiring multiple RPG programmers.

Peter Glass, program manager for the Power Systems Academic Initiative, explained the job board was in phase one of a multiple phase project. He says the number of listings will increase as companies contact the Academic Initiative and that in the future there are plans for an IBM i-specific board. Jobs for experienced individuals will also be added and the website will become more sophisticated.

The Academic Initiative will send emails January 14 to more than 50 technical schools, colleges, and universities in North America that include Power Systems and IBM i-specific content in their programs. The message will encourage faculty and students to monitor the job board. That interaction between the Academic Initiative and the schools will be ongoing.

Glass expects the number of listings to spike as the project is introduced to the IBM sales force and the business partner network.

Based on the IBM i shops that have been vocal about maintaining a pipeline of talent, those companies, and the reps who call on them, should be happy that IBM is doing more in response to customer requests to bring more IBM i skills to the workforce.