Build Skills

Explore the learning paths and skills programs to build your skills or the skills in your organization.

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Overview

Whether you are new to the platform, an experienced practitioner wanting to upskill, or a manager looking for new talent, we have programs and resources to help you.  The platform has embraced open standards and tooling to make it easier to on board new talent and integrate with common tooling standards across the enterprise for simplified management. 

IBM continues to partner with academic institutions around the world to ignite awareness and interest in the field of enterprise IT.  In addition, non-traditional programs such as apprenticeships have been designed and implemented to open the opportunities to an even broader talent pool.    Explore the resources and best practices to help attract, train, and retain talent to accelerate modernization and hybrid cloud.

Spotlight resources

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Cultivating Talent

A library of IBM Z skills programs and resources.
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Get hands-on system access

IBM Z Xplore provides system access and learning challenges to explore the tech behind today’s mainframes and begin developing and administering the systems.
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z/OS Foundational Courses

A collection of no-cost learning content and hands-on labs with industry recognized badges and certifications. Includes CICS, IMS, COBOL, and more.

Explore featured journeys

Employer Resources

Leverage these programs and resources to attract, train, and retain talent.
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Employer Resource Center

Comprehensive guidance, best practices, and step-by-step advice to attract, train, and grow mainframe talent.
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Hear from your Peers

Black Knight and Western & Southern share how they are building a sustainable workforce
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Global Academic Initiative Schools

View list of global schools actively engaging with the IBM Z Academic Initiative program.
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US Apprenticeship Accelerator

Program provides recruiting, 320 hours of training, and success coaches with a focus on diverse and under represented populations.
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System Admin/Prog Competency Framework

Documented standards details competencies and recommended learning to become a certified Sys Admin on IBM Z.
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App Developer Competency Framework

Documented standards details competencies and recommended learning to become a certified App Developer on IBM Z.

Introductory Learning Paths

New to the platform? Begin with the essentials and build your journey as you explore and experience the various technical paths.
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What is a mainframe?

Find out what a mainframe is and how they power mobile banking, credit card transactions, digital retail and more behind the scenes with enterprise IT.
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Is this a career for me?

See how enterprise computing compares to other IT careers in salary,  work-life balance, making a difference, new tech, and job security.
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Get hands-on system access

IBM Z Xplore provides system access and learning challenges to explore the tech behind today’s mainframes and begin developing and administering the systems.
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Join the Student Hub

Events, special training offers, career events, mentoring, and more for students interested in enterprise computing.
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App Developer Learning Path

No cost education to get started and earn badges on the path to be an Application Developer on IBM Z.
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System Administrator Learning Path

Get started on the path to be a System Administrator on IBM Z. No-cost courses and badges.
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z/OS Foundational Courses

A collection of no-cost learning content and hands-on labs with industry recognized badges and certifications. Includes CICS, IMS, COBOL, and more.

Upskill

Experienced with the platform but want to deepen your skills or explore new areas? Get started here.
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Join New to IBM Z User Group

Community for professionals new to IBM Z.  Network with peers, access special training events and webinars, build personal eminence, and stay connected.
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Earn Badges: Learning Journey for Application Developers

During this learning journey, you will be learning how to apply modernization in your hybrid cloud environment including IBM Z.We will look at lifecycle enablement by using...
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Earn Badges: Learning Journey for Architects

Self-paced, no-charge course to learn hands-on how to architect IBM Z applications for hybrid cloud.