Rebuilding the Mainframe Talent Pipeline

How apprenticeships and skills-based hiring are solving one of technology’s most overlooked workforce challenges.

There’s been a quiet crisis building in the IT world around mainframe systems. While cloud computing and AI have grabbed headlines, mainframe systems have had surprising staying power within industries such as financial services, healthcare, and logistics.

These systems require regular updates and knowledge of legacy programming languages such as COBOL, a language developed in 1959. While there have been calls to update these systems, many organizations have kept them up and running for reasons related to cost, reliability, and uptime. But the expertise for running these languages is aging and past or nearing retirement age.

In fact, the GAO’s flagship legacy IT report warns that a “dwindling number of people available with the skills needed to support” these systems is creating an operational risk for agencies that still depend on them. In other words, the organizations that depend heavily on mainframe systems are having trouble filling this critical pipeline of talent.

So how did we get here? One reason is that the pipeline for talent has not been invested in. Colleges and universities moved away from teaching mainframe programming or operations, instead shifting focus to cloud computing, app development, and AI. Another reason is that there has been a cultural shift, with a generation of talent growing up on cloud-based apps instead of terminals and data centers. Worsening the problem, many organizations turned toward offshoring and outsourcing projects, choosing to fix problems in the short term rather than cultivating internal talent.

The good news is that there are pathways forward. They include cultivating talent through nontraditional sources, leveraging the existing knowledge base in mainframe systems, and creating an upskilling apprenticeship pathway for talent to move quickly from learning to leadership.

Broaden the Talent Lens

While colleges and universities haven’t cultivated mainframe talent, that doesn’t mean talent isn’t out there. Many candidates for this type of work may not have direct experience, but they do have the aptitude for learning legacy languages, solving problems, and building a career in technology. IT leaders looking to fill roles in mainframe tech are unlikely to find the perfect candidate; they need to start building them through skills-based hiring.

Skills-based hiring opens the door to a more diverse and resilient workforce. In other words, it brings in people who demonstrate persistence, adaptability, and problem-solving ability over pedigree, which is a perfect fit for the next generation of mainframe operators.

Leveraging the Knowledge You Have

One of the silver linings in the mainframe talent crisis is the knowledge contained within the current workforce. Seasoned experts possess the skills needed to maintain and troubleshoot systems that are decades old. Their knowledge and expertise, built over the long haul, can be used to train skills-first talent. Learning from experts on the job and upskilling often leads to greater work satisfaction and retention in any field, turning a mainframe challenge into an advantage. 

Apprenticeships Redefined

Apprenticeships are emerging as a strong solution to the mainframe talent problem, giving early-career talent the opportunity to learn on the job from experts with decades of experience.

However, implementing and managing an apprenticeship program can be complex and a burden on already strained HR departments. That’s why YUPRO Placement partnered with Franklin Skills to launch an integrated, skills-based hiring and training workforce solution for mainframe talent. This model combines full-service training and program management, nationwide recruiting, and retention strategies to deliver measurable workforce results, all managed by YUPRO Placement as the contract-to-hire employer of record.

This turnkey delivery is essential to solving complex workforce challenges like the mainframe talent gap. It gives organizations access to an untapped source of talent and provides a way to cultivate and upskill that talent all through a service that doesn’t burden existing HR personnel or hiring managers with additional work.

A Challenge and an Opportunity

No one imagined that programming languages and systems developed in the middle of the 20th century would still be used today. Yet the fact that they are presents an opportunity for talented young people seeking long-term careers and for organizations building the leadership of tomorrow.

After all, these systems tend to exist in large organizations within stable industries, where job security and a clear trajectory for advancement are common. That stability can be appealing for many young tech professionals who are weary of startups and tech-centric companies that seem more associated with layoffs than opportunity. This may be the moment for organizations in healthcare, finance, and logistics to build a new generation of tech leaders who can learn from the past and create a solid foundation for the future.