NTT DATA (Thailand) Partners with 3 Top Universities to Develop COBOL Skills to Feed into the High-Demand Job Market with High Compensation and a Bright Future

Bangkok – 22nd May 2023, NTT DATA (Thailand) a subsidiary of NTT DATA Corporation and a global digital business and IT service leader, is leading the “NTT DATA Critical Resource Preparation” project to develop the IT workforce’s COBOL skills, in collaboration with three leading institutions: Silpakorn University, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi and Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology. The project aims to address the shortage of skilled personnel in the current job market by creating opportunities for students to acquire COBOL skills, which are in high demand in various industries, such as banking, social insurance, mutual funds, hotels and even top hospitals worldwide in the long run.

Ms. Wanrapa Phankrut, Director of Human Resources Department of NTT DATA (Thailand) Co., Ltd., revealed that the company has launched the “NTT DATA Critical Resource Preparation” project, in collaboration with three leading educational institutions in Thailand: Silpakorn University, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi and Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology. The project aims to promote academic cooperation in developing COBOL personnel, knowledge and skills in preparation for efficient entry into the workforce. Currently, globally including in Thailand, there is a shortage of COBOL programmers due to the language’s stability and high efficiency in processing data on mainframe computers. Notably, many of the world’s leading banks still use COBOL to process transaction data. According to Tech channel, 70% of large organizations, including 45 out of 50 leading banks worldwide, still use COBOL, along with major industries, such as social security funds, mutual funds, hotels and hospitals, which use COBOL as a back-end system for processing.

“The importance of IT personnel with COBOL language skills in development has decreased, while currently only 30% of universities worldwide still offer courses in this field. In Thailand, there are no courses offered or some universities only offer it as an elective. As COBOL experts worldwide have an average age of 55 years old, it reflects that there is a shortage of COBOL programmers globally. The “NTT DATA Critical Resource Preparation” project aims to develop Thai personnel to meet the demands of the job market and have the opportunity for good compensation. The company will support the training of professors in technical aspects, provide knowledge and consultation on COBOL language, and develop students’ potential in the field, and there is an opportunity to intern at NTT DATA (Thailand). In the mentioned field offers high compensation with entry-level salaries, ranging from 23,000 to 35,000 baht for 0-2 years of experience, 35,000 to 60,000 baht for 3-5 years of experience, 60,000 to 90,000 baht for 5-10 years of experience, and 90,000 to 150,000 baht for managerial positions. Other important factors in job promotion and salary adjustment include: leadership skills, communication skills, analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities,” Wanrapa said in conclusion.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Narong Chimpalee, the Dean of Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, revealed that in today’s world, educational institutions must constantly develop their curricula to meet the demands of the labor market. This includes studying market trends, such as job requirements and the skills needed for those jobs. This information is used to develop and improve short- and long-term curricula to meet the needs of both public and private sector organizations. The aim is to provide students with the skills and knowledge that are in demand in the labor market, and to participate in projects that allow students to gain real-world work experience and prepare them for the job market upon graduation. This collaboration provides an opportunity for students to enhance their skills, including COBOL, which is a skill that is in demand in the market, and to increase their chances of working in this field globally.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nipat Jongsawat, Dean of Science and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi revealed that this collaboration not only supports students to acquire COBOL language skills, which is in demand globally, but also increases job opportunities for students in the market. In addition, COBOL is a high-level programming language that humans can easily understand and provides a foundation for logical thinking or programming thinking, enabling them to become professional programmers in developing modern programs or applications. The university recognizes the importance of developing COBOL personnel who have high knowledge and skills, can work and solve real problems, and meet the demands of the global job market. In addition to the opportunity to gain knowledge from NTT DATA, a world-class leader in digital business and IT services who possess professional knowledge and skills, to train trainers and create a COBOL Community for staff at the university to expand to the programming development community. Additionally, IT skills that are important in the labor market include IT skills that support the changing technology of the digital era, such as AI, IoT, Machine Learning, Big Data, Data Science, Cloud Computing, Blockchain and Cyber Security Analytics.

Mr. Adisak Sueasaming, Dean of Information Technology, Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology, revealed that COBOL skills are a niche market that can increase students’ opportunities to enter the global job market. It is also a profession that offers high returns and continuous growth opportunities. The university has two courses related to this project: the Information Technology (IT) course focuses on important skills in software development and networking, and Digital Business Information Technology (BI) while Data, Business Intelligent and Business Integration course are developed based on the survey of IT job market demands and also help to reinforce important soft skills for teamwork, which the institute emphasizes.