As the ICT industry grows and matures, the Australian Computer Society (ACS) is moving to enhance the status of its professional members with the Computer Professional (CP) Program.

An industry-led, world class program of professional development and training set within the context of an individual’s work environment, the CP Program seeks to grow professionals into leaders and provide a key point of differentiation in the competitive ICT market.

Not only will the CP Program improve members’ employment and career prospects through increased recognition of their professional status, but it ensures that you continue to extend your knowledge and skills in areas relevant to your current role.

Professionalism mitigates risk
ACS President Philip Argy believes that professionalism is the best form of risk mitigation and says the ACS CP Program will help to raise professional standards of ICT practitioners.

“This is a relatively young industry and it needs to mature. Part of that is becoming more professional. It’s not about being elitist, but about recognising the enormous impact of technology on the workplace and on the wider community and ensuring that it always delivers the desired benefits without any negative effects..

“Employing committed ICT professionals is an insurance policy for organisations to help ensure their corporate objectives are met within a framework that also considers issues such as security, public safety, privacy and ethical implications,” he said.

“The ACS Computer Professional Program links an individual’s education with their current organisational needs, providing a structured way for them to apply and grow their knowledge within the workforce.”

Education with a difference
The CP Program has arisen out of extensive consultation with ACS members, industry stakeholders and academia over the past 12 months. It comprises three core subjects and one of two possible current specialisations, with others to be added over time:

Core
Technology Trends
Business, Legal and Ethical Issues
Business, Strategy and IT

Elective
Project Management
Managing Technology and Operations
Software Quality Improvement (coming in 2007)

The material is post graduate-level and world class, as evidenced by the delighted testimonies of members who have previously undertaken the ACS Certification Program from which it evolved.

According to ACS Chief Executive, Dennis Furini, the program’s vocational focus and application of theory to practical workplace situations set it apart from traditional university courses, as does its focus on considering and evaluating potential consequences.

“The program is delivered primarily online in a structured semester format which offers more opportunity for collaboration between students and cross-pollination of information and ideas. The ACS will use email, online discussion forums and online delivery of content.”

In addition, Mr Furini said the Professional Practice Report provides students with a valuable opportunity to record their experiences while enrolled in the program and reflect on how they acted and how they might have improved their performance.

The CP Program supports two membership classifications:

• Practising Computer Professional (PCP), those who undertake relevant professional development activities each year; and
• Certified Computer Professional (CCP), those who have completed the education component of the ACS CP Program and are registered under the Professional Standards Scheme.

PCP/CCP members can gain credit for their CP Program education as part of a masters or other post-graduate course of study. The ACS is taking steps to have its CP program recognised as a post graduate certificate in the Australian Quality Framework.

Practising Computer Professional
This part of the program recognises ACS professionals who are committed to on-going education and training and willing to be audited on their professional development activities.

All new ACS members (those who join after 1 June 2006) who want to achieve PCP status must first complete the CP Program’s education component. They then follow that with 30 hours of structured professional development each year afterwards. This must be detailed in an online activity statement, which may be subjected to periodic audits by the ACS.

Certified Computer Professional
The next step for all serious professionals, the Certified Computer Professional marks those members who already hold PCP status and who register under the Professional Standards Act, which grants limited liability to those who meet its requirements. The ACS application for registration under the Act is currently before the Professional Standards Council and is to be approved later this year.

The education component of the program builds on the previous ACS Certification Program, with enhanced and extended content delivered primarily via the Web, it is designed for ICT professionals who are self-motivated, disciplined and who want to become leaders. It is a program designed by practitioners for practitioners. The CP Program offers particular benefits for those with competing time commitments such as family and social responsibilities, business travel demands, or those who are located outside the capital cities or at a significant distance from major educational institutions.

One must be a full or provisional member of the ACS, competent in written communication and recognise the value of structured education delivered in an applied and collaborative environment.

The CP Program forms a critical part of the risk management plan required when the ACS applied last year for registration of a scheme under the Professional Standards Scheme, administered by the Professional Standards Council.

Taking the plunge
The CP Program will be delivered in three terms each year, beginning in March, July and November, with students grouped together in virtual classes for each subject. Current eligible CMACS students will be integrated into the CP Program, with the first round of education beginning in July with the core subject, Business, Legal and Ethical Issues. The cost is $625 per unit or $2,500 for the entire program. While non-ACS members can enrol in individual courses of the CP Program, they cannot be involved in the professional practice report

For more information or to enrol in the CP Program, click here, or contact Pam Barnes on 1800 671 003.

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