The contest is sponsored by the IBM Z Academic Initiative, which has provided mainframe training and resources to students at more than 1,000 schools in 70 countries. By participating in the contest you learn, prepare for a career and you may win prizes.
The contest and Learning System provide a graded, turnkey, hands-on project easily incorporated into curriculums. The IBM Z Academic Initiative provides additional educator resources including curriculum, access to systems, e-learning, and more.
Many of the worlds largest and most respected companies rely on mainframes for their speed, reliability and security and are actively seeking mainframe developers.
Jeff Gill, Senior Director, Switching Systems, Visa Inc
Due to the contests success, the challenges and systems from the contest are now available to anyone, year-round, through the Learning System.
Students who compete in the contest gain unique skills needed by Fortune 500 companies and gain exposure to a wide variety of enterprise systems, software, and products. Open Badges can be earned and employment opportunities can be found through the contest and job board.
IBMs Master the Mainframe contest enabled Visa to recruit students with mainframe computing skills – a critical success factor in extending the reach and capabilities of our network while at the same time enhancing the security of payments and maintaining high volume / high availability.
Developing enterprise computing and coding skills around the world
Starting salaries for mainframe developers average $113,000, more than double the average salary for electrical engineering.
This contest connects employers to thousands of talented people with computing and coding skills. Employers can use the job board to find talent for internships and jobs or use the Learning System to introduce new employees to the mainframe.