The mainframe is the godparent of enterprise computing. As it turns 60 this month, the mainframe continues to handle mission-critical workloads in nearly every industry, ranging from financial services to healthcare and telecommunications to manufacturing.

But there is a pressing concern — namely, the COBOL and legacy skills gap that is widening as many experienced mainframe programmers reach retirement age. To help allay that concern, Kyndryl’s roughly 7,500 mainframe experts continue to help run many of the enterprise heavy hitters that keep the global economy going. And it’s their passion for the mainframe — and the global community that has evolved around it — that is attracting the next generation of diverse mainframers to this legendary platform.

Here, five Kyndryl mainframe experts, at various stages of their careers, share perspectives on the importance of the platform to customers and on the people behind the scenes who help keep businesses running.

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As a senior lead in mainframe development, Riya works primarily in the financial services and supply chain domain. She is a “Triple-E,” with a university degree in electrical and electronic engineering.

It’s about community

“The mainframe community is essential to transferring knowledge to the next generation,” Riya said. “There is a big need for technical documentation since this hasn’t always been created in agile processes. This is critical for modernizing mainframes and enabling them to work with cloud platforms.”

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Lúcia has been involved in running two Mainframe Academies in Portugal. Together, the sessions have trained about 70 students eager to learn mainframe skills — that training supports Kyndryl in efforts to modernize on the mainframe, integrate with cloud, or move off the platform depending on customer needs. Lúcia works primarily with the REXX mainframe programming language, which she said, “is powerful, integrates with COBOL and JCL, and is great for automation.”

It’s about community

As a product owner and squad leader for a major banking customer, Lúcia is an evangelist for the “mind-blowing capabilities” of the mainframe. “It’s a highly secure platform, so when interconnected with cloud, you need to ensure the same level of reliability. The mainframe is constantly being reinvented so it’s better integrated with the cloud world,” she said. Lúcia notes that the platform’s capabilities have spurred word-of-mouth interest among early-career professionals because “once you get in, you fall in love with the mainframe.”

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Shannon began her mainframe career more than 30 years ago after studying business and computer science in college. She earned a Master of Science degree in systems management and has incorporated her love for project management into her skills portfolio. Working on the mainframe has given Shannon opportunities to add value to customer engagements. She especially enjoys developing statements of work to help customers map their mainframe journeys.

It’s about community

Shannon’s project management expertise — on top of her mainframe skills — has led customers to request that she work on their accounts. “Kyndryl has given me more opportunities to add value by using all aspects of my skillset,” she said. “I’m able to work on different types of projects for many different companies, and I really like to build a network and trusted relationships with our customers.”

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Priyanka joined Kyndryl right after earning her university degree in electronics and communications. Just a few years into her career, and with a background in Java, Priyanka learned COBOL and REXX, earning certifications for them through Kyndryl’s ‘Master the Mainframe’ classes. Her work supporting financial services, airlines and automotive customers has garnered Priyanka professional recognition and a promotion.

It’s about community

“I like the sense of community around the mainframe. Whenever any of us runs into a challenge, we know that we can always count on others for insights and assistance.”

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Claudia, who received her education at a technical high school, has worked with mainframes at companies such as EDS, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and General Motors before joining Kyndryl. She is an expert in a variety of mainframe programming languages including COBOL, RPG and PL/1. She knows the platform well and likes to teach young people about the technology.

It’s about community

Claudia said she has enjoyed being part of the global mainframe community throughout her career. “I learned English through my work, and always have enjoyed the diversity of global teams. It’s that sense of community that plays a big role in attracting the next generation to the mainframe.”