ICT Professionalism

1. ICT Professionalism A European ICT Professionalism Framework Proposal Draft Work-in-progress document

The Innovation Value Institute (IVI) with the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS) were awarded a research contract from the European Commission Directorate General Enterprise and Industry. The objective of this research initiative is to support the development of :

A European Framework for ICT Professionalismwith the goal of enhancing ICT professionalism and mobility across Europe.

A European Training Programme for ICT managersto promote new competences with a view to better address the challenges of ICT driven innovation and the future internet.

IVI and CEPIS undertook extensive desktop research and conducted a number of surveys and interviews to get a broad understanding of the landscape. An interim report has been published and is available atHTTP://ICTProf.eu .

http://ictprof.eu/documents/EU_ICT_Prof-interim_report-PublishedVersion.pdf

The research team have been developing a framework proposal and testing the ideas with senior stakeholders. What follows is a work-in-progress view.

ICT Professionals

possess a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of a relevant body of knowledge 1 ,

demonstrate on-going commitment to professional development 2via an appropriate combination of qualifications, certifications, work experience, non-formal and/or informal education;

adhere to an agreed code of ethics/conduct 3and/or applicable regulatory practices and,

through competent practice 4deliver value for stakeholders.

The term relevant body of knowledge encompasses the requirement for a broad and deep knowledge base which is up-to-date, accommodating both a common ICT body of knowledge, and pertinent specialist knowledge and skills.

Professional development focuses on improving professional competence in a professional role, with the objective of enhancing personal performance and career progression opportunities. It can encompass both technical aspects (e.g. keeping abreast of latest technological trends) as well as non-technical aspects (e.g. developing better presentation skills).

Professionals are accountable to themselves, the ICT Profession and society, through an agreed code of ethics/conduct and/or applicable regulatory practices.

Competent practice communicates the concept of quality of products and services being delivered by practitioners.

Common ICT Body of Knowledge

Identify and win support for a common body of knowledge.

Education

Supports qualifications, certifications, formal and informal learning.

Ethics

ICT to be accepted by society as a profession must behave ethically.

Competences

Roles, jobs, CVs aligned to e-Competence Framework competences with required or attained proficiency levels

A common European framework for ICT Professionals in all industry sectors

The European e-Competence Framework (e-CF)is a reference framework of 36 ICT competences that can be used and understood by ICT user and supply companies, the public sector, educational and social partners across Europe. The framework provides an international tool for:

ICT practitioners and managers , with clear guidelines for their competence development

Human resources managers , enabling the anticipation and planningof competence requirements

Education and training , enabling effective planning and design of ICT curricula

Policy makers and market researchers , providing a clear and Europe-wide agreed reference for ICT skills and competences in a long-term perspective

Procurement managers , providinga common language for effective technical terms of reference in national and international bids.

Seehttp://www.ecompetences.eu/

The European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF) provides a common reference framework which assists in comparing the national qualifications systems, frameworks and their levels. It serves as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe, and thus promote lifelong and life-wide learning, and the mobility of European citizens whether for studying or working abroad.

http://ec.europa.eu/eqf/home_en.htm .

This project is attempting to identify the competences and required proficiency levels needed for a variety of ICT jobs.

The project has produced an interim report which is available athttp://www.ecompetences.eu/2038,CEN+ICT+Skills+Workshop.html

Competence based with competence proficiency levels

Associates enter via any learning path (level 1)

Broad ICT knowledge base must be in place prior to being recognised as a professional (level 2)

Competence level initially self-assessedagainst e-CF seehttp://www.ecompetences.eu/

Framework mappings need audit support

All frameworks must be maintained and kept relevant

ICT Professionalism is in need of further development and is seen as beneficial.

Agreement on the need for a broad education base.

Competence mapping benefits are recognised

Changing the mind-set to be competence based will take time

Motivating the various stakeholders to change will be difficult especially for early adapters

Reconciling cultural differences and perspectives is and will be challenging

The provision of granular market demand statistics (for example by CEDEFOP, Eurostat, OECD) offers to ICT professionals appropriate information on which to base important career decisions, with respect to the level of demand for specific competences and the location in which the demand is increasing/decreasing.

The provision of standardised career paths and ICT role profiles defined in terms of competences and proficiencies would offer support for worker mobility across companies and national boundaries. It would assist career planning in terms of identifying jobs to pursue sequentially for professional development, in identifying competence gaps and future competence requirements.

The alignment of certifications/qualifications by certification providers and academic institutions to a common competence framework would result in improved transparency of courses and would support the identification of relevant training and education programmes to develop required competences

Adhering to Codes of Ethics/Conduct helps build the individuals reputation within the profession. The alignment by Professional Associations of their Codes of Ethics/Conduct to a common set of criteria and procedures would result in a more uniform approach to ethical conduct across Europe, which is of particular relevance in cases of worker mobility.

An up-to-date portfolio of evidence, outlining all CPD initiatives, would provide the basis for advancement along career paths and would serve as the ICT professionals key marketing tool during recruitment initiatives.

Collaboration gives industry a voice and keeps training relevant.

The provision of granular market demand statistics (for example by CEDEFOP, Eurostat, OECD) offers employers with insights on the availability, location, and demand for specific competences, and could provide input for recruitment decisions and targeted recruitment drives.

Employers defining job roles in terms of a standardised set of ICT competences and proficiency levels (via, for example, the e-CF) are able to establish increased consistency within an organisation, including across national boundaries.

Alignment with a consistent set of role profiles (an optional step) would facilitate further consistency across an organisation, although it is likely that most organisations would require some customisation of job profiles internally.

An up-to-date portfolio of evidence provides the basis for selection of employees from the pool of job applicants, based on the degree of fit between their experience/qualifications and the requirements of the companys job role.

The ICT Professionals Register will help to validate an applicants Portfolio of Evidence. It will achieve this by storing details of the educational and professional

The alignment of education and training courses to a common competence framework would enable employers to support their employees Continuing Professional Development; more specifically, the improved transparency of courses would help highlight relevant training and education programmes employees should pursue in order to fill competence gaps in-house.

Europass CV extensions with ICT Competences and Proficiencies makes comparisons easier.

Statistics for current and future demands.

Collaboration between educators and industry ensures education and associated certificates and qualifications are kept relevant..

Non formal learning can be validated and used for exemptions.

The use of established bodies of knowledge and recognition of appropriate standards in certification/ qualification development improves the quality of courses.

The mapping of certifications/ qualifications (with appropriate audit mechanisms) to a common competence framework that serves as the basis for defining role profiles and career paths improves course transparency by highlighting the competences developed.

The mapping of certifications/qualifications (with appropriate audit mechanisms) to a national qualifications framework and thereby the EQF provides another mechanism for increasing course transparency.

ICT Professionalism

Business

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