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New initiatives

Kim Denham, Information Age

13/06/2008 14:38:04

The past few months since I took over the ACS as Chief Executive Officer have been extremely busy and rewarding with several major new initiatives and a comprehensive internal Administration Review currently underway.

Professional Year Program: On May 26, the ACS launched its new Professional Year (PYear) Program, a "work readiness" program of activities, work experience and course work for recent graduates of Australian ICT degree courses.

Established at the request of the Australian Government, the program has a strong focus on professional development and will be administered by the ACS with registered training organisations and universities partnering with the Society to provide the training.

The program has been very positively received and we are confident that interest will continue and grow. We have received many enquiries both from organisations interested in being potential partners and from students looking to enrol in the Program. The PYear Program serves the dual purpose of meeting the needs of both local and overseas graduates who want to gain employment in the Australia ICT industry, while helping to provide industry with a valuable source of future workers.

Computer Professional Status: Part of the role of a professional association is to provide ways for its members to develop their knowledge and raise their status within the industry. As part of that agenda, the ACS has been working on a range of pathways to enable members at all levels to articulate to Computer Professional (CP) status.

The ACS has agreed to consider the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) as the framework for the assessment of ACS Computer Professionals, with entry to CP status set at SFIA level 5.

The ACS CP education program (CPEP) is designed to help graduates and other practitioners focus their work experience on attaining CP status through a mentored mixture of self-education and experience. The ACS has established a Working Party comprising Bob Cross, Mark Lloyd, Stephen Kowal, Prof Shirley Gregor, Sam Burrell, Bob Hart, Simon Kwan and myself. This group is developing detailed recommendations for a preferred CP pathway which stipulates a definition of professional, Core Body of Knowledge and IP3 accreditation in 2008.

Awards: In any industry, it is important to recognise those who make an outstanding achievement or a significant contribution to their industry. The ICT industry currently has a range of disparate award programs recognising everything from individual successes to outstanding team projects and new technologies.

In a bid to raise awareness of the ICT industry and profession, the ACS has formed a Working Party, headed up by WA-based ACS Fellow and Honorary Life Member Jim Ellis, to develop a single, integrated system of state, national and international awards for the ICT sector. The goal is to bring together all existing awards programs under a single banner by 2010, with a goal to allow the National Awards to be presented at World Computer Congress 2010, which is being hosted by the ACS in Brisbane.

ACS Administration Review: The ACS Administration Review is now in its final stages after extensive work in assessing the roles, functions, processes and KPIs [Key performance indicators] for each of the ACS Branches and operational divisions.

The review identified the key activities of the ACS, which include Membership, Accreditation (and Certification), Skills Assessment, Professional Development, Voice of the ICT Profession, Guardian of Ethics and Governance, assessing each in terms of its processes and outcomes.

A full report with detailed recommendations for optimising each of these areas will be tabled in July with plans to consider and implement these strategies over the next 12 months. Our ultimate goal is to improve the way the ACS interacts with its members in terms of efficiency, service quality and value for money; to enhance the quality and delivery of our education and professional development services; to maximise the impact of our marketing and lobbying; and to increase our influence with industry stakeholders, government and the wider community.

As in any project of this nature, the input of our constituents is critical, and we welcome your feedback and suggestions about the changes we are making.