It has therefore set up a steering group, due to meet in June,
which will seek to identify and commission research into the
current problems with IT professionalism, and put forward solutions
that will take the Society towards its goal of building a truly
professional IT industry.
The group will be chaired by
BCS
fellow John
Leighfield OBE, one of the most highly respected figures in
UK
IT
, and will include leading
representatives from industry and government among its members.
John Higgins, Director General of Intellect, Bob Assirati,
Executive Director of the Office of Government Commerce, Katie
Davies of the Cabinet Office's
IT
team and
representation from major companies including IBM are all
participating.
"Following recent high profile IT project failures, there has
been a rapid understanding of the need to improve the quality of
product and service in
IT
if business and society is
to secure the real benefits which the technology has to offer,"
said BCS chief executive David Clarke.
"But the Society also recognises that we are still a long way
from a mature IT profession when professional qualifications are
seen as imperative rather than an optional extra," he added. "There
is still only a small minority of practitioners in membership of
any professional body and few, if any, employers require
professional qualifications as part of their recruitment
practice."
In order to embed professional standards and professional
qualifications – such as the Chartered
IT
Practitioner
accreditation offered by the
BCS
– in
IT
practice, says Clarke, the industry has to work with key
stakeholders.
"All the indications are that the
IT
world is now
ready for that move if given the right leadership," he
predicted.
Elsewhere, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced yesterday that
the new minister for e-commerce would be former First Secretary of
the National Assembly for Wales, Alun Michael.
The
MP
for Cardiff South and Penarth takes
responsibility for the sector as part of a portfolio of roles as
Minister of State for Industry and the Regions Responsible for
Supporting Successful Enterprise.
