The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and IBM have joined forces to launch a professional development scheme to benchmark standards in the IT industry.
The scheme, the first of its kind for the IT industry, also aims to provide a guarantee to businesses of the professionalism and experience of IT staff.
It works by enabling professionals at IBM, who are already following an IBM professional development scheme, to fast track to the renowned and globally recognised status of Chartered Engineer.
David Heath, director of human resources, IBM UK, said: “IBM continually strives to improve standards of technical competence and professionalism within the IT industry.
“This scheme demonstrates that IBM is committed to establishing IT professional standards that are recognised globally and provides a hallmark of quality that businesses can trust and rely on.”
The new scheme will help to ensure that IT professionals are of the right calibre with proven competences within a specified discipline of working, equipping professionals with the correct business acumen and technical knowledge to meet their challenges. It will also help to improve success rates in terms of timing and value of a project, alongside ensuring a commitment to known standards of professional conduct and behaviour.
As well as the industry benefits, take up of the scheme will help IBM to further develop their employees in terms of skill levels and career paths as well as attracting and retaining the best people within the industry.
Dr Alf Roberts, chief executive of the IET, said: “With IT now taking a crucial role in every aspect of modern life, there is a greater concern about professionalism and ensuring standards within the industry.
“It is therefore imperative that the systems society and industry depends upon are engineered by competent professionals. IBM has a long-standing commitment to professionalism and the IET is delighted to be working with them to help ensure that organisations are getting the right people with the right skills to manage and implement major projects.”
The new scheme follows an agreement made between the IET and IBM last year which enabled employees who satisfied IBM’s rigorous internal assessment process to fast-track to IET membership with post-nominal MIET (Member).
With more than a quarter of its 150,000 members employed in the IT industry, membership of the Institution enables IT professionals to keep up with the latest developments in the industry and provides an opportunity to network and share information with other professionals around the world as well as professional development.
