SPONSORED CONTENT

Training the Next Generation of IBM i and RPG ILE Developers

Finding qualified talent is a big challenge facing today’s IBM i community, and imPower Technologies is helping to solve it. We enable companies to effectively train their developers on IBM i, RPG and modern tools with accessible online training. Students can enroll at any time to meet your hiring needs and courses are self-paced with maximum accountability. Hire from within, seek new talent or upskill existing developers with our expertly designed courses and workshops.

What Makes imPower Technologies’ Courses Different?
Online workshops allow your current developers to modernize their skills to create efficiency and bring your systems into the 21st century. imPower Technologies offers RDi and modular programming, SQL queries and RPG ILE courses to get your developers up to speed fast on the latest IBM i tools and code.
Online Course: IBM i Concepts & Operations
This comprehensive course is tailored for entry-level and cross-platform developers, offering in-depth training on IBM i. Covering IBM i OS, Db2 and modern development tools, it combines videos, quizzes, labs, and weekly meetings for effective learning. Over a maximum of 8 weeks, the course adapts to student progress.
Online Course: Programming in ILE RPG
Get developers up to speed on ILE RPG in under 10 weeks. Covering the latest RPG techniques from "Programming in ILE RPG," the 5th edition textbook co-authored by Jim Buck, this course combines lectures, quizzes, programming exercises and assignments. Live Webex meetups provide weekly Q&A sessions for students.
Workshops: RDi & Modular Programming and SQL
imPower provides self-paced workshops for developers seeking to enhance their expertise. Led by Jim Buck, the 18-hour RDi workshop covers RDi and modernization essentials. Birgitta Hauser teaches SQL queries, focusing on SQL SELECT statements. More workshops are in the pipeline, offering valuable skill-building opportunities for developers.
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SPONSORED CONTENT

Training the Next Generation of IBM i and RPG ILE Developers

Are You Struggling to Find RPG Developers?

Pave the way for new talent with imPower Technologies’ self-paced online courses and workshops

In recent years, the realm of IBM i and RPG development has faced a challenge that many industries are confronting: the retirement of seasoned professionals. With their extensive knowledge and experience, these experts have been the backbone of IBM i ecosystems for decades. As they step into retirement, organizations are faced with a significant talent shortage, leaving them to wonder how they will fill these critical roles and sustain the vitality of their IBM i systems. Additionally, retiring developers possess a deep knowledge of how systems are built, including customized code and programs and how the business functions on IBM i. 

 

Though some companies might consider leaving the platform, most realize the investment does not pay off. As one of our past students, Jason Poersch, RPGLE programmer at F&A Foods, so eloquently stated, “It’s easier to train one or two people in IBM i and RPG than to train an entire company on a new system.”

 

Fortunately, we’ve seen innovative hiring solutions emerge by thinking outside of the box. Here are some examples:

Internal Hires

Identify individuals within other departments who exhibit an interest in IT. Your existing employees possess a deep understanding of your business operations and are likely familiar with your computer systems, providing valuable insights into essential business processes. Equipping these employees with the skills necessary for IBM i development not only addresses the talent shortage but also underscores your dedication to nurturing internal talent and cultivating an environment that encourages ongoing learning and personal growth.

Recent College Graduates

Recent IT graduates are enthusiastic about launching their careers and possess proficiency in various programming languages. These young developers can introduce fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to your existing systems. Leveraging their contemporary programming skills, they can collaborate with your current development team to become acquainted with your business applications. Additionally, they can undergo formal training to become proficient in the IBM i platform, contributing to the modernization and evolution of your IT infrastructure.

Professionals Looking for a Career Change

Recruiting and training professionals transitioning from different careers to enter the field of IT is another effective strategy. Such candidates often bring a diverse set of skills and experiences to the table. With online training from imPower Technologies and mentorship, these career changers can quickly become proficient in IBM i development, leveraging their unique perspectives to drive innovation and adaptability within the organization.

Online Courses Expertly Designed with Your Needs in Mind

imPower Technologies supports these strategic hiring practices through self-paced online courses. Whether your new hire or internal recruit has some programming experience or none, our courses serve as an effective way to educate and inspire your team. 


Designed by Jim Buck with over 35 years of IT experience, imPower’s courses maximize proficiency and emphasize accountability through videos, quizzes, lab assignments and progress reports. Both employers and past students rave about imPower’s courses:

​Employer
Matt Rhodes, IT manager at Sierra Pacific Industries:
It is challenging to recruit and hire qualified programmers with RPG experience on the IBM i platform. At Sierra Pacific Industries, we have been successful at hiring programmers with a solid background in application development and training them to be RPG programmers. The classes provided by imPower Technologies and taught by Jim have been instrumental in the training process.
Student
Brian Dean, software engineer at AgVantage Software:

My manager found imPOWER Technologies because our company needed an asynchronous learning platform that would offer the opportunity to learn ILE RPG when it fit into our schedule. I come from a web development background, and RPG could have been intimidating, but after Jim’s nine-week course, I feel confident I am able to take on an RPG project at my company and make sense of the legacy, fixed-format code my company still has on the system.

Read more testimonials on our website from both employers and employees.Opens in a new window.

imPower’s Online Programming Courses

imPower Technologies developed four self-paced, instructor-led courses to get new and seasoned developers up to speed in no time.

From the foundations…
…to modern skills

Case Studies

Case Study #1: Manhattan Life

ManhattanLife, a longstanding insurance company, faced a challenge as newer generations of IT professionals lacked familiarity with IBM systems. To bridge this gap, they devised a strategy to train and mentor their staff in IBM systems and business practices. imPower Technologies provided comprehensive training in RPG and RDi, enabling both new and seasoned programmers to acquire crucial skills. The digital course included video instruction, quizzes and lab exercises, resulting in a 100% training completion rate. This approach not only increased employee productivity but also fostered teamwork and communication. ManhattanLife plans to continue this training model as they expand, ensuring their competitiveness in the marketplace.

“Our employees perform all kinds of things they couldn’t do before. Previously, they didn’t even know what an IBM i was; now they’re able to be very productive coders on the system,” Parsons said.

Case Study #2: Burgers’ Smokehouse

Burgers’ Smokehouse, a meat product manufacturing company, faced challenges in hiring and training IBM i RPG developers due to the rural location of their business. They turned to imPower Technologies for a solution, enrolling their new developers in comprehensive IBM i and RPG programming courses. The hands-on approach, structured curriculum and accountability measures proved effective, with both developers completing the course and gaining proficiency in RPG and IBM i. The training not only prepared them for RPG development but also enhanced their skills beyond what was expected. Allan Mortenson, VP of information technology, found imPower's training invaluable and highly recommends it for new RPG developers."

“It is difficult to put an ROI on the training classes, but I can tell from the results that there is a definite positive result that could not be achieved without the imPower training,” Allan shared. “imPower has made [my new recruits] viable, productive RPGLE developers that have the ability to do just about anything on the IBM i.”