IBM is set to provide free programmes, training courses and resources for IT professionals and educators in a bid to narrow the skills gap.
With the mission of preparing students for real-world business challenges, IBM will be offering training resources on IT security, big data and analytics, commerce and mobile computing.
For example, the supplier is offering no-charge access to security software, that will enable teachers to show students test applications for bugs and checking network and virtualised servers for vulnerabilities.
Both educators and students will be able to remotely access a zEnterprise mainframe for hands-on training.
As part of the pre-packaged curriculum, resources such as software licences, e-books and learning modules on Hadoop geared for business and computer science students will be offered in the big data and analytics portion.
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IBM's move comes as it unveiled its global 2012 Tech Trends Report, which found that only one in 10 businesses have the skills needed to apply advanced technologies such as business analytics, mobile computing, cloud computing and social business.
Conducted by the IBM Center for Applied Insights, the report questioned 1,200 IT managers, business professionals and IT practitioners from 16 different industries and 13 countries.
"Having a highly skilled workforce is critical to an organisation's ability to innovate, meet client demands and grow," said Jim Corgel, general manager academic and developer relations at IBM.
"In response to the growing IT skills gap, IBM is expanding its skills development programmes in key areas such as cyber security, mobile computing and commerce," he said.
IBM has also unveiled an online resource for educators around the world to share and collaborate on ideas and best practices.
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Called the Knowledge Exchange, it launches featuring a curriculum from the IBM Smarter Planet faculty members.
