Computer World Canada Magazine - September 28, 2007

By Shane Schick n IT ASSOCIATIONS IN CANAdA, Australia and the U.K. have gained Microsoft’s support in

their efforts to create an accreditation for technology professionals that would be recognized anywhere in the world.

The International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP), a United Nations-founded organization with more

than 85 member or affiliated IT associations, said Microsoft would share research and other resources as it tries to create

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the new accreditation. Under the plan, those who receive national certifications from organizations like the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) would immediately receive the new global accreditation, which is being called the International IT Professional (IITP). It would mean that employers hiring from outside the country would know a technology professional has gained a certain level of experience and expertise, and adheres to certain codes of conduct.

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CIPS is working with the British Computer Society (BCS) and the Australian Computer Society (ACS) to create the global accreditation, which will be governed by a non-profit organization called the International Professional Practice Programme (I3P). The cooperative effort got underway in January when delegates from all three organizations met in Cape Town, South Africa and again in London, England in August. The associations will make further presentations to IFIP during a meeting in Montreal next month.

Roger Hart, CIPS professional standards director, said the meeting will see delegates define the accreditation process. He said IT professionals will probably be able to receive the IITP accreditation sometime in early 2009.

“I was very pleasantly surprised to see that all four of the computer societies that were at Capetown were on the same page in terms of the challenges and the opportunities,” Hart said. “There was very much a meeting of minds.”

John Oxley, director of community evangelism at Microsoft Canada, said the quest for a global credential is a response to ongoing skills shortages, the complexity of the IT professional’s role in the business and the changing nature of the technology itself.