Examination board Edexcel has signed a deal with IBM to offer an i operator course as part of its BTEC National for IT Practitioners qualification.

From September, around 600 colleges of further education and universities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can teach the 60 hour module. Official accreditation of the course is another feather in the cap for Big Blue's Academic Initiative Programme in the UK which already has a similar agreement in place with the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

The incentive for colleges to take up the module will be that IBM's customers need the i-oriented manpower, according to Cally Beck, Power Systems Academic Initiative Programme manager. Through the programme, potential employers are encouraged to link up with their local education providers.

"The Scottish Qualifications Authority told me when they decided to implement the qualification -- and they also start teaching in September -- that the unique differentiator for IBM was the opportunity that we offered for our customers and our colleges to collaborate together," she says.

Suffolk New College and Barnfield College in Bedfordshire already teach similar System i courses. Beck says both she and Edexcel have had enquiries from more colleges in the run up to the new accreditation. IBM will provide teacher training where needed before the start of the new term. Beck thinks that eventually there could be well over 50 colleges offering the i operator module and says AIX and Linux modules will follow.

Asked whether this is an optimistic aim given the i's invisibility to all but its most ardent admirers, Beck says: "Two years ago, there was nothing at all in the UK. Colleges hadn’t even heard of it, customers didn’t know about the programme and in eighteen months we’ve covered a lot of ground. We’ve made a lot of progress on making customers and partners aware of this programme and, more importantly, getting colleges excited enough about teaching about the IBM i platform because they realise there are jobs out there to be had and that’s good for them.

"The greatest strength to the programme is in promoting to colleges that there is a great opportunity for them to partner with industry. And when that happens, then all sorts of opportunities open up -- sponsorships start opening up, donation of kit starts opening up, placements start opening up for students and sponsoring prizes for student competitions start opening up as well. I’m really thrilled with the development that has been made. It’s been quite a long slog, but I think the results show that it’s been worth it and it will prove to be worth it to our customers too."

Edexcel may eventually benefit from its new BTEC IT module. The exam board is itself a large System i user.