G063 - Professional Bodies

1. G063 - Professional Bodies

2. Learning objectives: By the end of this topic you should be able to: • describe the purpose and activities of professional bodies • explain the advantages and disadvantages of belonging to a professional body;

3. What are Professional Bodies? • a formal group that oversees an area of an industry • an organisation that serves the needs of ICT professionals • BCS - British Computing Society • IMIS - Institute for the Management of Information Systems • ACM - Association for Computing Machinery • IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers • put members in touch with each other • run examinations • accreditation of knowledge and skills • define standards for conduct for members

4. Purpose of a Professional Body • to keep members up to date with developments • produce publications/newsletters • produce glossary of terms • run conferences • to run training courses • put members in touch with each other • run examinations • accreditation of knowledge and skills • define standards for conduct for members • advise government

5. Benefits that membership brings: • ability to share expertise amongst fellow professionals • access to up-to-date information through periodicals • providing for standardised qualification framework • recognised qualification  trust in the qualification • legal protection in case of data loss/misconduct allegations • books on specific issues produced by people you can trust • training courses on new issues • regular briefings on specific interests • meetings with colleagues  lack of isolation • members directory  find other members

6. Drawbacks that membership brings: • cost of membership • can be expensive recurring annual cost • do benefits outweigh the cost? • code of conduct can restrict the way that members conduct themselves • competitors may behave unethically • may lose out on contracts • need to attend conferences & read new publications • strain on work-life balance