A discussion is provided of the need for mainframe programmers in a business environment in which about 70% of all business data is still on mainframes, but where many skilled programmers who can program and maintain mainframe systems are reaching retirement age. A spokesman for Share, a mainframe user organization with approximately 20,000 members, says there is a brain drain occurring and that for each two mainframe workers reaching retirement age and leaving their jobs, only one new mainframe worker is being added. Other factors making the situation complex include attempts to reduce costs through outsourcing of mainframe jobs to independent service organizations or offshore, a growing, but still insufficient infrastructure in universities for teaching of mainframe abilities, and what some describe as lack of respect for mainframe talent that is putting their remuneration and opportunities below their value to companies. A spokesman for Micro Focus points out, however, that there are thousands of new Cobol programmers in India, China, and the Philippines. IBM is trying to help put 20,000 new mainframe-educated students into the workplace by the year 2010 and invested millions of dollars in an academic initiative to support mainframe strategies, says Mike Bliss of IBM. A mainframe programmer trained under the IBM zScholars program, which consists of two courses, says he was laid off from his first job, but was able to be employed as a mainframe programmer and will probably stay in the mainframe field because he does not see mainframes evaporating any time soon and he is getting valuable experience if he stays in his present position or goes somewhere else.