The British Computer Society What’s in it for you? Colin Thompson Deputy Chief Executive.

The British Computer Society

What’s in it for you?

Colin Thompson

Deputy Chief Executive

Agenda

1. BCS Mission and Vision

• The profession of the 21st Century

• Changes to Governance and membership structure

• Making membership count

• Increasing professionalism in our own business

2. Service to Members

• Proposed Member/Customer Service Department

3. Service to members outside the UK

• International Policy

The British Computer Society in the 21st Century

What Is The Role For The British Computer Society ?

Leading the drive to make the ICT profession, THE profession of the 21st Century, by driving the programmes, professionalism and market understanding.

What Is The Mission of The British Computer Society ?

Change the perception of ICT and the individuals who work in it, from one where government, business and the public in general feel that ICT has not delivered on its promises, to one where the ICT profession is considered THE model of high quality professional people delivering important,consistent, high quality products and services at the time and price they are needed.

Defining “Professionalism” in ICT

• Practitioners required to adhere to codes of practice• High levels of competence demonstrated by qualifications• Standards for education, training and accreditation.• Commitment to continuing professional development• The right skills available and applied at the right time.

Resulting in:-

• Delivery of the required outcomes, on time and to budget

BCS Leadership

• Becoming the voice of the ICT profession

• Influencing government and employers on ICT professionalism

• Improving the public perception of ICT

• Promoting professional qualifications

• Driving the nations computer literacy programme

• Driving continuous career development of ICT professionals

• Accrediting ICT University courses

• Enabling knowledge sharing and professional networking

How Do We Change These Perceptions

• Make being qualified to do the job critically important to everyone involved in the industry: practitioners, government, employers , everybody

• Make sure we have the programmes, exams, training, and accreditations to make this goal into a reality.

• Celebrate the great work done by many people in the industry.

• Reinforce the importance of the industry to the success of all business and to the country’s overall future .

BCS – The Strengths

• We have nearly 40,000 members• We accredit over 1,000 current University courses in the UK.• Over 500,000 UK computer users have registered for our

ECDL qualification, through more than 2000 accredited test centres

• 49% holding in company delivering ICDL to Asia Pacific• 15,000 candidates took our Information Systems

Examinations in FY 2001/2,with over 80 training providers accredited in the UK and overseas

• 3,000 candidates took our Professional Development examinations in FY 2001/2, mainly outside the UK

• Over 1000 copies of our latest ISM3 product sold• Revenue in FY 2001/2 was over £13m

BCS – The Strengths

• Substantial investment in Web capability– £1 invested already– Further funding earmarked

• Strategy to put the Web at the centre of our relationship with members and customers.– Service delivery– Networking and engagement

The BCS Role

• Someone needs to lead this charge - BCS can and should do it

– An independent voice– Bridge between academia, industry and government– The place for expert IT views

• BCS can take the lead in convincing companies, governments

and the market in general that quality is not an option.

• To do this, the BCS must be perceived as representing the ICT Profession in the UK and in overseas locations where it is active.

• Develop a world class internal Public Relations function

• Develop aggressive pro-active campaigns on key issues.– Campaigns, lobbying, speaking engagements, articles

• Developing fast, informative, authoritative response mechanisms.

- Having BCS policy positions on all key issues. (Probably in excess of 100) - Have the right people quickly available to speak on behalf of the Society on any topic. • Develop excellent market intelligence activity

BCS As the Voice of the ICT profession

Representing The Whole Industry- Membership Structure

Membership

Background

• No increase in professional membership in 7 Years• Annual intake approximately 60% of 10 years ago• Only an estimated 5% of UK eligible professionals in

membership • Substantial fall-out during application process• Massive wastage of students at graduation• Average age of new professional members - 37

Membership

Reasons for poor membership performance include:

• Membership structure and process not understood• Lack of sufficient benefit to attract people or to sustain

interest through a long and onerous process• Failure to engage with new entrants and young

professionals• BCS ‘Body language’ remains uninviting - geared to

keeping out the unworthy

Membership

Reasons for poor membership performance include:

– Membership structure and process not understood– Lack of sufficient benefit to attract people or to sustain

interest through a long and onerous process– Failure to engage with new entrants and young professionals– BCS ‘Body language’ remains uninviting - geared to keeping

out the unworthy

What we need to do:

– Simplify the structure, requirements and process

– Make basic membership available instantly

– Speed up the process for Chartered status – target of 1 month rather than 5

– Work with major employers to develop partnership arrangements e.g.

– Bulk membership deals

– Accreditation of the source (the employers scheme) rather than individual applicants

– Improve benefits, particularly career related benefits.

Membership

Objectives

– Simplify the membership structure and make it more understandable to the IS community.

– Broaden the base of BCS membership and make it more inclusive

– Maintain the standards of our core qualification and links to the Engineering Council

– Take account of – but not necessarily follow – what other institutions are doing in the market-place

Membership Review

FIEE are senior members of profession. Must meet the requirements for MIEE and demonstrate ‘significant individual responsibility, sustained achievement and professionalism in areas

relevant to the interests of the IEE.

Engineering Council Chartered status Non-Chartered Grades

MEMBER (MIEE)

FELLOW (FIEE) CEng FIEE

CEng MIEE

STUDENT AFFILIATE

Entry based on standard CEng requirements

MIEE Requires ‘Relevant educational qualification to degree level’ or relevant experience and engaged in activity relevant to IEE

NEW IEE GRADING STRUCTURENEW IEE GRADING STRUCTURE

FELLOW FInstP

Chartered Physicist (CPhys)

MEMBER MInstP

CEng

Entry criteria, a degree in physical science or engineering or NVQ level 4, plus 3 years relevant experience.

Senior class of membership requiring ‘a very high level of achievement in physics and outstanding contribution to the profession’.

ASSOCIATE MEMBER AMinstP

Entry criteria, a degree in physical science or engineering or NVQ level 4 or equivalent level via training and experience.

STUDENT AFFLILIATE

Open to those with an interest in physics, or who wish to support the Institute's objectives

Entry based on standard CEng requirements

NON-CHARTERED GRADES

CURRENT IOP GRADING STRUCTURE

CHARTERED PROFESSIONAL GRADES

AFFILIATE

MEMBER (MBCS)

ASSOCIATE MEMBER(AMBCS)

FELLOW (FBCS)

CHARTERED INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGIST

(Abbrev: CIT or CInfoTech)

Interest in computing, relevantqualification below degree level, orfollowing a course of study

Relevant academic qualification orexperience and engaged in an activityrelevant to the interests of the BCS

Relevant academic qualification plusexperience (e.g. 3 years)

Significant individual responsibility,sustained achievement and professionalismin relevant areas of activity

PROFESSIONALGRADES

CHARTEREDPROFESSIONAL STATUS

PROPOSED BCS GRADE RESTRUCTURING

IEng/CEng whereappropriate

Requirements for Chartered status remain broadly as now topreserve parity with IEng/CEng.

STUDENT

Other Chartered organisations

Making Membership Count

Making Membership Count

Membership of BCS must deliver real career benefit to IT professionals

• THE critical factor in the long-term survival of the BCS

• Other services and benefits cannot compensate

• Requires commitment to professional standards from customers, Government and, crucially, employers

• Others have done it – e.g. CIPD and CIM

• BCS must lead – and be seen to lead – working with other professional bodies, trade associations and commercial organisations wherever possible.

• Requires a bold, leap of faith, not a softly-softly incremental approach – Make the commitment and go for it!

Developing Professionalism in Our Own Business


• BCS is now a substantial business

• We have to build – there is no ‘stand-still’ option

• We have to be absolutely clear about our objectives

• And about the way in which we can best use, and manage, the available resources to achieve those objectives.

• New business processes required to support a professionally managed business


• Responsibility

– A new ‘Business Development and Planning’ Group will take the lead role in developing the required professionalism

Business Development and Planning Group

Business Development & Planning

Colin Thompson

Sales

Pete Bingham

Knowledge Services

Elaine Boyes

Business Development

Dr Carol Lewis

Project Office

Janet Korsak

• Service to Members

Services to members

A new Member/Customer service Department to manage the provision of services:

– professional and chartered membership delivering real career and business benefits

– Support for continuing professional development– World-class, on-line knowledge services– networking within a lively and active membership

community– Facilities to engage with BCS– An active voice

Continuing Professional Development

• Not just an on-line record

• Comprehensive support for professional and personal development, including:

– Professional examinations– Vocational Qualifications– Careers advice– Mentoring– Self-assessment tools– Access to the Industry Structure model– Links to training providers with discounts on courses– Job search service

• Service to Overseas Members

International policy

• Working party in 2001

• Led by John Ivinson

• Recommended policy based on 7 principles:

International policy

1. Wherever IS practitioners are used they should be professionally qualified

2. Actively promote the facilitation of international mobility for IS practitioners

3. Membership of BCS, at the appropriate grade, to be open to all (practitioners and non- practitioners alike), irrespective of geographical location

4. Support and encourage the development of other national professional and learned societies

5. Co-operate with national bodies in pursuing BCS's international objectives.

6. Encourage a single umbrella forum to support international collaboration

7. BCS to conduct its business in English



Colin Thompson

Sales

Pete Bingham

Knowledge Services

Elaine Boyes


Dr Carol Lewis

Project Office

Janet Korsak



Colin Thompson

Sales

Pete Bingham

Knowledge Services

Elaine Boyes


Dr Carol Lewis

Project Office

Janet Korsak

International Development

Sesh Sukhdeo

International Development Director

Key responsibility

• To achieve a significant and sustained, year on year increase in the net income of the BCS from sources outside the UK

Key Tasks

• Developing Market Opportunities• Improving support for BCS Products and Services• Building Relationships

Summary

• The new BCS

– Leading the drive to make the ICT profession, THE profession of the 21st Century

– Building membership through a more inclusive approach

– Building a professionally managed business

– Focussed on service delivery to the customer

– Delivering an expanding portfolio of products and services to the ICT community in the UK and internationally:

• Computer literacy programmes • Individual and professional qualifications • IT practitioner development• Supporting corporate capability• Knowledge-based services

Thank You for your attention

Comments/Questions?

The British Computer Society What’s in it for you? Colin Thompson Deputy Chief Executive.

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