Professionalizing the Profession
Graham Jones (Surrey, BC - IT Professional and President of VANTUG)
The Opportunity to Spread the Word
Last week Stephen Ibaraki (blogger extraordinaire – congrats on being named one of the top 10 in Canada) and I attended the "Global" MVP Summit and a "World" UG Management Summit in Redmond. Most of you may have heard of the MVP Summit but the UG Management Summit was a new event organized by Microsoft. Representatives from Microsoft (Redmond), INETA, Culminis, PASS and the UG Community from most geographic regions of the world were in attendance. The significance as it pertains to “Professionalizing the Profession” is that both events provided an excellent opportunity for Stephen to communicate the culmination of several years of work by a dedicated expert group of people around the world with respect to Professional Status in the ICT sector.
Stephen facilitated an Open Space discussion and made formal presentations to MVP’s and those attending the UG Management Summit. Stephen is not only an extraordinary blogger but an equally impressive and effective presenter. His message went across loud and clear and generated a huge amount of interest. So much so that he was inundated with requests to pretty much speak to the “world”. So what is this all about? As someone who has spent a large part of their career as a Professional Engineer and fervently believes in the importance of Professional Status, I feel a responsibility to show my support. My purpose here is not to steal Stephen’s thunder but to explain the significance of the outcome.
The Need for Change
The ICT sector contribution to our existence is now totally pervasive and yet the public view of its workers has not materially changed (computer geeks, etc.). If we contrast this with other well recognized professions, such as medicine, accounting or engineering, the public may not know exactly what it takes to “get there” or exactly how it is done but there is an “image” of higher standing in society. It is time that the contribution of the ICT sector is recognized in the same manner. To do that, and stand alongside the already recognized professions with the influence that they have on society, the “IT professional” must become the “IT Professional” via some recognized accrediting body.
A New Range of International Qualifications
It is not my intention here to describe how this has all “magically” came together or how it is to be physically implemented but to highlight that in 2009 a new range of professional qualifications starting with the IITP (International IT Professional) as the IFIP global standard will come into being. This has all come together via the IP3 (International Professional Practice Partnership) and IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing) [a UNESCO body]. More information can be found at https://www.cips.ca/about/i3p/. To aid in gaining a “picture” of how this is to be structured and managed I have included a couple of graphics:
Over the next few years these events will have a profound effect upon the ICT Profession. We are at an historic moment in time. Every single person in the industry should become familiar with the goals and requirements of the new professional qualifications because it is likely that they will affect you in some way in the future. Before I finish I would like to take the opportunity to thank and congratulate Roger Hart for the part that he has played in bringing this together both on behalf of Canadian professionals and also on the international stage. Canada has always been a leader in these matters and it is appropriate that this year CIPS celebrates its 50th Anniversary of great service to the ICT Community.
Comments
Anonymous
April 23, 2008
Wow--I shared this with my group and we couldn't help but feel pride in being a computing professional. Is this message getting out to the schools? Graham, thankyou for taking the time to write this one up. There are a lot of smiles in my department.Anonymous
April 23, 2008
PingBack from http://engineer.bobtheblog.info/?p=9035Anonymous
April 23, 2008
I'm not convinced. The whole "professional body" model is a Victorian era construct which is hierarchical in ways that the IT industry is not. I am wary that going down the accredited professional path - or heaven forbid the model of the Engineer's, would lead to a stifling of innovation throughout the industry. The ICT industry is very much a meritocracy. In the main, you are respected, gain employment, maintain employment and improve your position by demonstrating skill. I can see absolutely nothing that can be gained by adopting credentials which were useful during the industrial error. Today, in any "profession" what does registration really mean? That you're skilled? Absolutely not. That you're ethical? Not really. Plenty of unethical behaviour exists in all registered professions Look at what it takes to get someone de-registered in these "professions". A prison term might just about do it - maybe. I don't know about Canada - but in NZ I'm pretty sure that can be checked during the employment process. Registration is simply another overhead and a way to stifle the rabble who haven't gone to the right school. No sir - that is NOT a direction that I want my industry and my profession to progress.Anonymous
April 24, 2008
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April 24, 2008
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April 24, 2008
Tim, thank you for your very positive comment. It is the sort of things that makes the efort to communicate worthwhile and putting a smile on some faces puts a smile on mine :). Professional pride is a great feeling and can of itself make people perform better because they want to aspire to higher standards and be recognized for it.Anonymous
April 25, 2008
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April 25, 2008
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April 26, 2008
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April 26, 2008
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April 26, 2008
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April 26, 2008
Graham, I appreciate your kind words and thank you for writing such an important blog on an initiative that produces cultural, social, business, and organizational transformation in all areas of the work and for all IT practitioners, no matter what their roles. For the first time there is global, industry, business, governmental, and academia support and represents an inflection point in history for IT as a profession. It is a milestone where there is a coming together from every sector for a common cause. In a matter of a few weeks, with six recent keynotes/presentations on this topic, the response is uniformly positive from the audience since it is about elevating the profession but also the value of the IT practitioner. Remarkable time! Cheers, StephenAnonymous
April 26, 2008
Excellent article Graham. It is all upside for us. I can't wait.Anonymous
May 05, 2008
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May 11, 2008
What a revelation! A well written piece Graham that I sent to my colleagues in all divisions so count us all in. It is all so upside and it is about time. I speak in the schools and this makes a difference.Anonymous
May 15, 2008
Hello P. Lang, It's the same kind of response that I'm hearing repeatedly from the field. Students wants something to grab hold of, to ignite their imaginations, and this program speaks to Careers. Thank you for your thoughtful comments. Cheers, StephenAnonymous
May 15, 2008
Hello Moira, An international standard which allows mobility and recognition for all. Truly, the time has come for information technology. What strikes me is that, this program does what the other professions have been unable to do -- again IT practitioners lead the way. Cheers, StephenAnonymous
May 15, 2008
David O'leary, As a former faculty member in the post-secondary system, I am very appreciative of your comments and to see this strong support from academic administration. There is so much in the news about IT, where it is going, and more. The IP3 program provides a unifying direction for students, faculty, schools, IT workers, industry, business, government, academia, society, and IT-related associations/groups. Best regards, StephenAnonymous
May 15, 2008
This letter from the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, says a lot: http://www.cips.ca/50anniversary/congratulatory/Prime_Minister_CIPS_2008.pdf Best regards, StephenAnonymous
March 31, 2009
This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with top-echelon and renowned professionals.