• Business Analyst - MIS & Reporting
• IT MANAGED SERVICES - BDM -...
• Business Analyst - Melbourne CBD...
• Senior Project Manager - Multi...
• Delivery Manager – Telco...

Rising membership adds strength, PCP adds recognition

Dennis Furini, Information Age

18/10/2006 22:06:10

Welcome to the latest issue of Information Age. As we approach the end of another year, it's encouraging to see that that ACS has made significant progress on a number of fronts during 2006. ACS membership has been steadily increasing in recent months and I'd like to thank each of you for your continued efforts in supporting the Society. The ACS recently launched its Member Get Member (MGM) program to encourage other professionals to join our ranks. As the recognised professional association for the ICT sector, our influence is measured by our size. The more members we have, the more representative and relevant we are perceived to be. By simply nominating someone who successfully becomes a non-student member of the ACS, your name will be entered into the draw for the grand prize of a trip for two to Europe valued at $13,000. The person you nominate also goes into the draw to win a travel voucher worth $1000. For more details, visit www.acs.org.au/mgm In order to gauge the opinions of our members on key issues affecting ICT, we've been holding regular polls on the ACS Web site. Clearly, many of you have concerns about the industry's future, with over half of respondents answering "no" to the questions: • Is the technology you use generally trustworthy and reliable? (50.2 per cent against vs 49.8 per cent in favour; and • Do you recommend people take up ICT as a career? (52.1 per cent against vs 47.9 per cent in favour) Although not a statistically valid sample, these results suggest potentially serious ramifications for the ICT sector, reinforcing the importance of our role and the need to promote professionalism and a standard of excellence. With the increasing use and convergence of technology, our industry must act to ensure the image of our industry is one of excellence and professionalism. Please do whatever you can to endorse this message as a way of improving the standing of the ACS and the wider ICT industry. Perhaps for some of you, that might involve taking a more active role within the ACS, as a Branch Executive Committee member or even a Board Director. Elections will be held in each branch over the coming months, with the ACS National Council elections taking place in November for all Board Director positions, one Vice President and the Treasurer. Please consider nominating as a candidate, either by e-mailing me at ceo@acs.org.au or downloading nomination forms from the ACS Web site. The deadline for nominations has been extended to Tuesday, October 31, 2006. The Technologists in the Public Interest (TIPI) initiative came to a very successful conclusion in August in Brisbane when TIPI Chairman Mark Lloyd presented the key recommendations and statements to the Deputy Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh. The event was attended by over 300 people, consisting of senior executives from the government, industry, education and business sectors. This has no doubt enhanced the visibility of the ACS with a number of opportunities created to discuss emerging issues in ICT with governments across Australia. I would like to thank and congratulate the TIPI team, and particularly Mark Lloyd and Kumar Parakala, for driving this initiative. Also during August, ACS President Philip Argy and I attended a board meeting with the AIIA to make its members more aware of the ACS and what it offers to members and the wider ICT industry. We took the opportunity to discuss the development of our new Computer Professional (CP) Program as well as our joint responsibility and leadership role in relation to the outcomes reached at the National Skills Summit. The meeting was a great success, strengthening our relations with the AIIA, with emphasis on working closer on policy development, particularly in the areas of skills and communications. The ACS CP Program is continuing its promotional drive with e-mails to members and advertisements in Information Age. The July - October study period has commenced with enrolments now open for the November 2006 - February 2007 study period. The time commitment is 8-10 hours per week, with the course structured over 13 sessions. With each subject costing only $625, including textbooks and assessment, this represents excellent value for postgraduate study. All members who were MACS, MACS(Snr) or FACS on 1 June 2006 have been automatically graded to PCP (Practising Computer Professional) status. To maintain PCP status, members will need to earn 30 PCP points during the coming year through professional development activities. All new members who join after June 1, 2006 will be required to complete successfully the CP Educational Program to attain PCP status. Provisional members can expedite their progress to full members by undertaking the CP Educational Program. Those who are admitted to membership through the Senior Manager Pathway or the Academic Pathway are exempt from the CP Educational Program. For more information about the CP Program, visit www.acs.org.au/cpprogram, or e-mail cpprogram@acs.org.au or contact Pam Barnes on 1800 671 003.

Until next issue, let's continue to keep the standard high.