BCS signs deal with overseas counterparts to promote global IT professionalism standard

The British Computer Society will work alongside its Australian and Canadian counterparts to develop IT qualifications, products and services

The British Computer Society (BCS) has signed an agreement with its counterparts in Australia and Canada that will see the three bodies working together to promote an IT professional standard.

The BCS, the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) plan to collaborate on the development of IT qualifications, products and services, and to run joint training courses and staff exchange programmes.

According to Philip Argy, ACS president, the agreement is “a crucial step towards IT attaining its rightful status within the global community, alongside other high-impact professions and industries such as doctors, lawyers and accountants”.

The BCS is already part of a taskforce, sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing, aimed at creating an internationally-accredited IT Professional status.

The BCS has also boosted its own qualifications portfolio with the launch of a new Mainframe Technology Professional (MTP) certification.

The BCS said the qualification had been developed in response to growing industry demand for qualified mainframe technicians. Participants are offered three levels of exams – Assistant, Engineer and Consultant.