IBM Scrambles to Find or Train More COBOL Programmers to Help States
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Bytram:
IBM scrambles to find or train more COBOL programmers to help states:
The economic stresses of the coronavirus pandemic have created a surge in demand for COBOL programmers. Last week, for example, the governor of New Jersey put out a call for COBOL programmers to help fix problems with the software that runs the state's unemployment insurance system.
A new initiative from IBM seeks to connect states with experienced COBOL programmers-and to train a new generation of them.
"In the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic, our clients are facing unprecedented circumstances," an IBM press release says. Some states "are in need of additional programming skills to make changes to COBOL-a language that has been widely reported to have an estimated 220 billion lines of code being actively used today."
A new online forum, co-sponsored by the Open Mainframe Project, aims to connect COBOL programmers to people wanting to hire them.
At least this time they're offering to pay.
Previously:
COBOL-Coding Volunteers Sought as Creaking Mainframes Slow New Jersey's Coronavirus Response
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