Category Archives: enterprise systems

Ford Motor Company – Mainframe Positions

Leave a reply

Ford Motor Company is seeking recent graduates who have completed mainframe courses for their special “Mainframe Operations Hiring Program” in Dearborn, MI.

Position Description: This is an entry level technical position where you will complete a two-year mainframe program that includes training, hands on experience and placement into one of the 10 mainframe groups (e.g. Automation, MF Software, CICS, IMS, DB2). You will learn how to support the mainframe (zSeries) infrastructure. Here are the specific job titles:

  • Mainframe Software Engineer: Support IBM Operating Systems (e.g. z/OS, z/VM, z/VSE) and related ISV software. Also provide support for Mainframe performance and Host Communications (e.g. TCPIP, SNA). Both JES2 and JES3 are supported. Support Automation Software and in-house developed tools. Support tools that are used for Source Code Management.
  • Database Engineer: Support CICS, IMS, DB2, WebSphere, Focus and MQ and related ISV software.
  • Security Engineer: Support the RACF environment, assuring that mainframe access is properly controlled. Work with Application groups to develop proper rules to secure their resources.

Skills Required:

  • Strong analytical skills
  • Ability to quickly adapt to new technologies
  • Willingness to learn
  • Self-motivated
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  • Good organization and time-management skills
  • Understanding of MS Office or equivalent software
  • 0-3 years of experience in information technology or related field

Experience Preferred:

  • Information Technology training with or without mainframe courses or experience. Mainframes are at thousands of large companies that need the power, reliability and scalability to process millions of transactions quickly. The mainframe is just a very large computer. Examples of the types of companies that have mainframes are automotive, banks, manufacturing, insurance, mobile computing, etc. not applicable

Education Required:

  • Bachelor of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineer or related field (must be completed no later than December 2015)

Ford would like to have all candidates identified by November 1st. The Mainframe Training Program will begin on January 4, 2016 in Dearborn, MI.

Please contact Whitney Willis if interested in this job. Her telephone number is 248-728-5089 and email address is wwillis@TEKsystems.com.

IBM’s Master the Mainframe 2015 Contest Starts Soon!

Leave a reply

IBM, a worldwide leader in worldwide computing and technology, is hosting its 11th annual Master the Mainframe Contest.

What is it? Master the Mainframe is a contest that has been held every year for the past ten years. According to the FAQ section on IBM’s webpage, “no experience with mainframes is necessary. In fact, the contest is designed for students with little or no mainframe experience, increasing with difficulty as the contest progresses. Students just need to bring drive and competitive spirit and be ready to compete!”

Why should I participate? If you are even remotely interested in mainframe technology, you should consider signing up! Over the next decade, it is predicted that over 150,000+ mainframe professions will open up as current workers retire. Careers focused on mainframe technology start out at roughly double the average salary of other college majors. As was mentioned earlier, even if you have little to no mainframe experience, it wouldn’t hurt to register for the competition to see if you truly enjoy the material and possibly even win some prizes!

How do I sign up? Registration began on September 1st. The contest begins on October 1st and runs until December  31st. Registration can take place any time before the December 31st cutoff date!  Here is the link:

http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/education/academic/masterthemainframe/contest/usca.html

One of the most important outcomes that can be attained through the contest is experience. As IBM states on their website, “Today’s mainframes are growing in popularity and require a new generation of mainframe experts. This contest is designed to equip students with basic skills to make them more competitive for jobs in the enterprise computing industry. Participation in the Master the Mainframe Contest could give you the edge you need.”

Good luck!

RMU Professor John Turchek Wins IBM Faculty Award

Leave a reply

turchekibmFor the second year in a row, John Turchek, head of the Department of Computer and Information Systems (CIS), was awarded the IBM Faculty Award, a distinguished honor given to one full-time professor at an accredited university that offers degree programs in the nominee’s field.

IBM professionals nominated Turchek, professor of computer and information systems, because of his exceptional collaboration in research and teaching using IBM mainframes. The $40,000 award reflects the advancement and reputation of the Robert Morris CIS program in addition to Turchek’s numerous activities in the field, and must be used to enhance mainframe enterprise systems in some fashion. Turchek wants to use this year’s award for educational activities that will help meet the immediate demand for IBM mainframe enterprise systems professionals in the field.

(Excerpt from RMU News)  See the full article here:
http://www.rmu.edu/news_highlights.aspx?id=1108

Congratulations, Professor Turchek!

 

BNY Mellon Presentation on March 30

Leave a reply

Monday, March 30, 2015
Wheatley Center Critique Space

Schedule:
4:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Registration
4:15 pm – Pizza will arrive
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm –  BNY Mellon Presentation
5:30 pm – 5:45 pm –  Question and Answer period

At BNY Mellon, Client Technology Solutions (CTS) powers the tools that their employees use every day, secures their clients’ sensitive data, keeps the “lights on” when disaster strikes, and makes it possible to process more than $1.7 trillion per day. To provide institutions, corporations and high net worth individuals with their secure services, technology must be at the forefront of everything they do. At BNY Mellon, technology is more than a way to facilitate business – for them, it is their business.

Come out on Monday, March 30th, 2015 to learn about the infrastructure that keeps one of the world’s largest financial institutions running, and meet the expert professionals who create the innovative solutions to keep them at the forefront of this technology.  You’ll hear about their internships and full-time position available in the Enterprise Infrastructure Program, which is geared toward university students and recent graduates.

If you register at the registration table, you will be able to receive SET credit for attending BNY Mellon’s event.

Summer 2015 Internship Opportunities for Students with Mainframe Experience

Leave a reply
ZSkills Corp is a partnership with the IBM Academic Initiative System and IBM Master the Mainframe Program. ZSkills Corp connects students from these programs to the largest and most successful mainframe users in the world.
ZSkills Corp is currently looking for students with mainframe skills to fill summer internship positions for 2015.
More information is available here:
http://zskillscorp.com/services-for-students/
Interested students should contact Ron Fresquez directly at 952-922-6734 or ron@zskillscorp.com.

2014 Master the Mainframe Contest – Wall of Fame

Leave a reply

IBM’s Master the Mainframe Contest is a rigorous academic contest that involves learning mainframe technologies.  The contest takes place in three parts – with each part getting significantly more difficult.  It is difficult to finish Part 2 of the contest and extremely difficult to finish Part 3.

During last year’s contest, RMU had 18 students complete both Parts 1 and 2, which is a tremendous accomplishment!  Three of those students went on to complete Part 3, the most rigorous part of the contest.  To put this amazing accomplishment into perspective, only 50 students received Part 3 Honorable Mentions for completing Part 3, out of 4,900 participants.

Out of 4,900 competitors in the U.S. and Canada, RMU had the following results (see here for complete contest results):

  • Part 3 Honorable Mentions:  3 of 50 Part 3 Honorable Mentions
  • Part 2 Finishers: 18 of 313 Part 2 Finishers

We are proud to announce the following RMU winners for 2014:

RMU Part 3 Honorable Mentions

  • David Conley
  • Torrie McLaughlin
  • Daniel Owiti

RMU Part 2 Finishers 

  • Ahmad Aljuryyed
  • Timothy Brown
  • Ashley Cain
  • David Conley
  • John Dummer
  • David Harouse
  • Kevin Kalan
  • Monica Kodali
  • Kory Kozlowski
  • Anthony Kupchick
  • Joan Lewis
  • John Marcavage
  • Torrie McLaughlin
  • Daniel Owiti
  • Samantha Reitz
  • Melissa Roman
  • Trapp Thompson
  • Brandon Zink

David Conley, one of the Part 3 Honorable Mention winners, described the experience as a positive one, saying, “Part 3 of the contest involved sorting files by use of JCL commands, access to a DB2 database, and the creation of reports using data contained in that database.  All are skills that will compliment what is learned in class , look good on a resume, and provide confidence in your new abilities.”  David is a graduate student in the MS Information Systems Management program.

Torrie McLaughlin, another of the Part 3 Honorable Mention winners, had the following advice for other students, “I entered the contest because I thought it would be fun, and I enjoy games that test my intelligence. I would definitely recommend the contest for CIS majors of any type, not just Mainframe specific. It was lots of fun and a great experience.” Torrie is a student in the Integrated Bachelor/Masters program working toward an BS in Information Sciences and an MS in Competitive Intelligence Systems.

Daniel Owiti, the final of the Part 3 Honorable Mention winners, had much to share about his positive experience with the contest.  He says, “When I joined Robert Morris University in 2012, a couple of my professors, in particular Dr. Kovacs, evangelized the growth and potential of IBM Mainframes and the increasing demand for Mainframe professionals. Despite having a misplaced notion of Mainframe being an old technology, my curiosity got the better of me and I enrolled in two enterprise classes in the Spring of 2014.”

He continues, “When asked to enter the IBM Master The Mainframe Contest, my first reaction was, ‘Will I have the time and energy to go through the rigors while working full time, attending classes and spare time for my family?’  But the constant encouragement of one Professor, Packy [Dr. Packy Laverty], led me to enter the ring and see what this contest was made of. My biggest motivation was just gaining knowledge rather than completing the contest. But once started all I said was ‘Aha!.. This is doable’ with each and every step I completed.  Dr. Zeanchock’s very structured and easy to follow class helped a lot.  I am very glad I took the contest and went on to be a Part 2 Finisher and a Part 3 Wall of Famer. Part 3 was most challenging but also the most practical and interesting to work on a real world business application.  I would highly encourage students and anybody with a tech-curiosity to take part.  I look forward to pursuing a career in IBM zEnterprise.”  Daniel is a graduate student pursuing an MS in Internet Information Systems.

We are extremely proud of all of our students for their achievements in this contest and hope that even more CIS students will be interested in the contest in 2015.  Great work, everyone!

Systems Analyst (Intermediate) Position at UPMC Presbyterian

Leave a reply

UPMC Corporate Services is hiring a full-time Systems Analyst – Intermediate to help support the Enterprise Radiology Imaging Department for its UPMC Baum location.  The Systems Analyst – Intermediate provides experienced analytical and/or programming capabilities, defines requirements, develops and/or maintains computer applications/systems, and provides services to meet client IT and business needs.

Responsibilities:

  • Develops and maintains project work plans for small to medium projects.
  • Maintains and supports production systems.
  • Interviews personnel from client area to learn system requirements and identify methods of resolving problems and/or meeting client needs. Handles multiple/concurrent project assignments.
  • Prepares and maintains documentation for new and existing systems, ensuring compliance with departmental procedures.
  • Maintains and increases knowledge of health care industry and information system technology.
  • Utilizes project tailoring tools, codes, and tests ad hoc reports.
  • Develops and/or assists project leader in developing detailed specifications including record layouts, functional specifications, screen designs, and report layouts.
  • Designs and executes test data; works closely with user during testing; trains users on applications as appropriate.

Requirements:

  • Associate Degree or equivalent education / job experience required; BA/BS Degree in Computer Science or equivalent degree preferred.
  • Periodic review of work in progress and at project completion. Supervisor contact is biweekly. Regular contact with users, vendors, and other outside contact. Regular exercise of judgment and initiative required to review/analyze issues. Flexibility to use problem solving alternatives that may not be governed by established procedures.
  • Minimum 1 year experience in systems analysis and programming required. Requires analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Preferred Experience:

  • Ideally seeking candidates with Epic experience that would include implementation and support of EpicCare Ambulatory and Inpatient applications, Beacon, Radiant, Cupid, Beaker. MyChart, Haiku, Canto, Phoenix.
  • Candidates that have other clinical system experience (Cerner, Siemens, Allscripts, etc.) are preferred.

Apply here.

IBM Master the Mainframe Contest 2014

Leave a reply

This fall semester of 2014, IBM is encouraging all students from universities, and high schools to come join in their Master the Mainframe Contest. You might be thinking, well why would I sign up for that when I have no mainframe experience?  No experience is exactly what IBM is looking for; all they want driven students who want to learn and have a good time.  Registration opens on September 23 to December 31. The contest begins on October 6, and will continue to December 31 of 2014. There is still time to participate! If you’re not a computer geek looking to gain some experience and a possible career opportunity, there are also these prizes IBM is offering to its contestants:

Prizes

  • Master the Mainframe Custom T-Shirts
  • IBM Swag Prize Packs
  • Google Nexus Tablets
  • All Expenses Paid Trip To Poughkeepsie, NY
  • And More!!!!

There are three parts to this contest. First is Breaking the Ice, then Practical Experience, and Finally Real-life Case-based Experience. If there are some more questions you have about this contest; details can be found here:
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/education/academic/masterthemainframe/index.html.

Remember NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED. Come have fun with other students from around the world, learn about mainframes, and WIN PRIZES!

Register at: http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/education/academic/masterthemainframe/index.html