We have had a similar issue getting good talent in regards to RPG (RPGLE) on the iSeries. One issue is the language has progressed a lot and that leads to having to bring otherwise qualified candidates up to speed. Throw on that having to adjust to our standards and idiosyncrasies. We do maintain a decent amount of COBOL on the z at the same time.

Take both languages and their similar platforms and throw web interfacing, transformation, and such, and you can end up training even those who know the basics. With RPG the advantage it has and disadvantage is that there is no standard; its all IBM and their developers who determine its course. Modern RPG can look at lot like C/Pascal with no fixed columns and the like.

Schools tend to focus on whats cool or strictly PC centric languages but there are many sources of skill, all over seas. Some are contracted out and some come across and take positions that could have gone to local talent if they had received exposure. Large machines will never truly die out and business logic that has a great deal of investment behind it is not easy to part with.

One area of COBOL and RPG; and similar older languages; is their well developed handling of business math. You know exactly what to expect.