The Canadian Information Processing Society recently launched “CIOs for Professionalism”, an extensive campaign to educate CIOs about the association’s plans to certify all qualified Information Technology professionals.
“We want to inform CIOs why certification – specifically the I.S.P. designation – is critical in achieving their bottom-line,” said CIPS President Rick Penton. “The IT industry today is demanding trustworthy, competent, and ethical IT professionals. We believe that the I.S.P. designation will be a visible indication to them of a person’s competence and commitment to a high standard of excellence.”
In surveys conducted by CIPS and other stakeholders, companies indicated that the IT sector is in need of certified professionals who possess the required education and experience to practice in the IT field. A recent Software Human Resource Council report states, “75% of employers found themselves hiring staff who lacked the expected required skills for their positions. This error [cost them] an average of $37,000 annually.”
“The business environment is changing. CIOs and their IT organizations are taking on formal accountability and responsibility to meet the emerging business demands in areas such as security, privacy, disaster recovery, business continuity, and risk management. All of these dictate an increased emphasis on process awareness and standards compliance,” said Penton.
The campaign focuses on encouraging CIOs to take a leadership role by participating in one or more initiatives such as:
– committing resources to get their IT staff certified;
– stating a preference for I.S.P.-certified candidates in all job postings, advertisements and qualification statements when hiring new IT staff; and
– encouraging their IT staff to join CIPS in order to stay current on the latest trends in the industry.
CIPS is approaching CIOs across the country through one-on-one meetings and local CIO summits. The association is delivering a customized presentation that speaks to the specific needs of CIOs and how professionalism and the I.S.P. designation can reduce risk, increase reliability, and lower costs.