After signing an agreement with IBM, Strathmore University will from January 2016 offer an undergraduate course in IBM z Systems. Initial training of faculty will run during the first week of October. This agreement, through Strathmore University’s @iLabAfrica will expand their partnership into skills training for IBM mainframe servers, making Strathmore University the first African university with the capacity for training on IBM z Systems technology.
IBM z Systems enables enterprise-wide infrastructure for cloud delivery, integration of operational data with analytics and mobile optimization, thereby driving new levels of performance and cost efficiency in businesses around the world. They seek to provide computing infrastructure to companies and governments around big trends such as Big Data, Cloud, Social, Mobile and Security trends. The computing infrastructure provided for the new apps economy will enable organizations to transact at the scale and speed of mobile, add on-time analytics to every transaction and at the same time ensure the highest levels of security and trust in the cloud.
Training will be delivered via cloud at @iLabAfrica and impact transferable skills on the technology to 20 senior lecturers at Strathmore’s Faculty of Information Technology. After the training of the faculty, the course will be offered to undergraduate students from January next year. Certified students will be able to work for IBM, relevant business partners and vendors in Kenya and globally.
This initiative advances IBM’s commitment to closing the skills gaps that exists between higher education curricula and industry needs and is one of the many ways in which IBM is investing in Africa.
In addition to this, the partnership will help Strathmore’s faculty in strengthening their educational programs so that their students can compete in the job market.