Building a Culture of Learning: How to Make Mainframe Training Part of Daily Operations

 Mainframes remain the backbone of global enterprise IT, powering banking transactions, insurance systems, healthcare records, government services, and countless mission-critical operations. Yet while the platform continues to evolve with new integrations, automation, and hybrid cloud capabilities, the biggest risk to its future is not technological, it’s human.

The challenge is well known: an aging workforce, a competitive market for new hires, and a rapidly changing skills landscape. For executives responsible for the resilience and performance of mainframe operations, ensuring a skilled and future-ready workforce is now as critical as system uptime.

The question is no longer if we train, but how we integrate training into the very fabric of daily operations.

Why a “Culture of Learning” Matters

Too often, training is treated as an event: a course once a year, a workshop when a new technology rolls out, or a quick response to an audit finding. While these initiatives provide value, they fall short of what today’s environment demands.

A culture of learning reframes training as a continuous, ongoing part of work life, just as essential as system monitoring, code deployment, or security compliance. It ensures teams are not only prepared for today’s tasks but also positioned for tomorrow’s innovations.

Organizations that embed learning into operations see:

• Higher Workforce Agility – Employees adapt quickly to new technologies, methodologies, and business demands.
• Reduced Operational Risk – Continuous training closes skills gaps before they translate into errors, downtime, or vulnerabilities.
• Greater Employee Engagement – Professionals who see growth opportunities feel valued, leading to stronger retention.

Making Training Part of Daily Operations

Building a culture of learning does not mean pulling teams offline for weeks at a time. Instead, it requires integrating training into the natural flow of work. Executives can lead this shift by focusing on three core strategies:

1. Adopt Multimodal Training Approaches – Modern mainframe training offers flexibility: self-paced eLearning, expert videos, skills assessments, hands-on labs, and mentoring. By providing multiple formats, employees can engage with training in ways that best fit their schedules and learning styles.
2. Align Training with Business Objectives – Training must be more than a checkbox exercise. Skills development should map directly to enterprise goals, whether that’s improving cybersecurity, modernizing applications, or adopting DevOps practices. When employees see the connection between training and business outcomes, engagement rises.
3. Institutionalize Time for Learning – IBM’s Think40 initiative, requiring all employees to dedicate 40 hours annually to learning, is a model worth following. By formalizing time for professional development, leaders send a clear signal: learning is not optional, it is strategic.

The Executive Role: From Supporter to Champion

Mainframe executives hold the key to cultural transformation. A culture of learning thrives when leaders move beyond supporting training budgets and begin actively championing professional development.

That means:

• Setting expectations for ongoing learning.
• Using skills assessments to track workforce readiness.
• Recognizing and rewarding employees who achieve certifications or demonstrate new competencies.
• Communicating that training is not a cost center, but a business enabler.

A Sustainable Future for the Mainframe

The future of the mainframe depends on the people who maintain, secure, and innovate on it. Building a culture of learning ensures that expertise is not just preserved, but continuously strengthened.

For executives, the imperative is clear: training cannot be treated as an occasional activity. It must become part of the operating rhythm of the enterprise. Organizations that embrace this will not only safeguard their mission-critical systems, but also empower a workforce capable of driving innovation well into the future.

Conclusion

A mainframe culture of learning is not built overnight. It is cultivated daily, through leadership commitment, structural support, and the integration of training into everyday operations. In doing so, executives create the foundation for a resilient, skilled, and future-ready workforce.