IET becomes first institution to award new ICT qualification

[wagnerk]

IET becomes first institution to award new ICT qualification

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has become the first professional institution licensed to award the new ICTTech qualification.

ICTTech has been launched following industry demands for a competence-based professional qualification for the vast array of IT and communications technicians who support and maintain the systems on which nearly every business and organisation in the UK depends.

It will help employers to identify ICT practitioners who hold the soft skills they need while also recognising the underpinning technical experience. It will strengthen professionalism and ethical practice in an important sector of employment.

Read the whole article here. BCS is hot on it's trails, as they're currently being assessed to award this award.

-Ken

[GrumbleDook]

At last ...

The next thing to do is to ask those bidding for BSF contract whether they will be working towards this with their staff, and then ask Becta where it fits into the Technical Competencies.

[wagnerk]

Should be easy enough for them to show where it fits into the Technical Competencies as the Becta Technical Competencies were co-developed between themselves and e-skills UK. The ICTTech mark is based on, at least, level 3 of the SFIA or e-skills PROCOM.

-Ken

[john]

Glad the BCS is nearly there as well, as a BCS Member it would be easier for me to do this when they get it, rather than join the IET as well.

[wagnerk]

Glad the BCS is nearly there as well, as a BCS Member it would be easier for me to do this when they get it, rather than join the IET as well.

Me too, I was alittle disappointed when I asked them if they were going to offer the ICTTech when the ECUK first annouced it and was told that they had no plans as they saw it as more engineering than IT (funny considering that they offer the CEng & IEng).

However I'm glad that they decided to go for it, all we need now is an in-between (Engineering has the EngTech -> IEng -> CEng, IT now has ICTTech -> missing -> CITP).

-Ken

[john]

maybe you could stick MBCS in that gap as you've got to have some nouce and experience to get to that point?

[wagnerk]

maybe you could stick MBCS in that gap as you've got to have some nouce and experience to get to that point?

Maybe... However the MBCS membership level is not assessed against the SFIA that both the ICTTech & the CITP are both assessed against.

-Ken

[john]

True, maybe they will change the way that works then who knows.

[wagnerk]

I don't know, that would mean changing the whole membership structure, including the AMBCS, MBCS & the FBCS and I'd doubt that they'll do that.

The AMBCS, MBCS & FBCS are organisational specific, whereas the ICTTech & CITP are IT industry based, just like the IET has the oganisational post-nominals of TMIET, MIET & FIET and offer the EngTech, IEng & CEng for engineers (I know the BCS also offer the IEng & CEng).

-Ken

[listerdl]

Would the ICTTech qualification be recognised by many companies hiring?

[wagnerk]

Would the ICTTech qualification be recognised by many companies hiring?

It will be, but like the CITP (which is two levels higher), it has to filter into the real world and people have to be aware of it and what it stands for. Afer all it's a new credential. I don't see a problem with that as ECUK did a very good job of informing/advertising the CEng, IEng & the EngTech to the engineering community

-Ken