Computer Professional Program
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1. Computer Professional (CP) Program Professionals have an obligation to themselves and the ICT community to maintain their skills and knowledge through ongoing professional development. The CP Program enables ACS members to differentiate themselves from other members of the ICT community by showing that they have this continuing professional development. To achieve Practicing Computer Professional status (PCP post-nominals) a member must undertake a minimum of thirty (30) hours structured professional development in any twelve month period. 2. Eligible Members The CP Program is available to those financial members who constitute the Professional Division of the ACS (Fellows, Senior Members and Members (including certified members) who accumulate 30 hours of professional development in any membership year and complete a CP Activity Statement. The activities undertaken in the current membership year are credited towards the member's status for the following membership year. Members joining the ACS after 1 June 2006 are also required to satisfactorily complete the ACS Computer Professional Education Program to be eligible for CP status. Those members admitted through the Senior Manager Pathway or Academic Pathway are exempt from this requirement. The Computer Professional Education Program is education with a difference – workplace oriented and delivered by e-learning methods – it is real any time, any place learning. The CPE Program has been developed by IT professionals for IT professionals and fills the gap between university education and work experience – so you can advance to the next step of your career. The CPE Program will provide ACS Members an advantage in the marketplace and improves employment and career prospects. The CPE Program consists of four subjects, three core subjects and one elective subject. We offer three 13 week study periods per year: March - June; July - October and November - February. Fees are $750 per subject (or $3000 for the full program) for ACS Members. For more information visit www.acs.org.au/cpeprogram 3. Post-Nominal Recognition Members who meet the requirements of this policy are entitled to add PCP after their membership post nominal ( e.g. MACS PCP, CMACS PCP, FACS PCP). 4. Professional Development Activities Professional development activities should be structured such that they have a clear objective and a framework - they can include lectures, seminars, formal education, discussion groups and special interest groups, writing and delivering papers and conducting research. Members wishing to claim reading activity should have some method of proof of the activity. The activity should clearly serve to increase the professional capability of the member. Members should be prepared to justify each claimed activity to the auditor. 5. CP Activity Statement Members can claim PCP status by completing the CP Activity Statement through "My ACS". The Statement requires details of each activity, including the objectives and outcomes of each activity, dates and times, location, the provider details (if any) and the number of hours claimed. The maximum number of hours that can be claimed for any one activity is twenty-five (25) hours. Each activity can be entered as it occurs or all information can be added at one time. A member's professional development history is kept as an addendum to the member's record and (in a future release of the web interface) can be printed by the member as and when required. Following each and every update the member's PCP status is re-evaluated. 6. Referees Members are also required to provide the names (and phone number or email address) of two people who can attest to their professional activity during at least the previous year. These may be fellow employees, customers, contractors - anyone who has had dealings with the member as a professional. The referees are not required to attest to a member's professional development activities but rather support the member's professional approach. 7. Audit of Activity Statements CP activity is subject to audit on a periodic basis by the ACS. Members may be asked to substantiate that a particular activity has increased their capability as a computer professional. Any deliberate attempts to misrepresent activity will be regarded as a breach of the Society Code of Ethics and subject to disciplinary action. This should not however prevent members from entering all activities that they consider to have improved their capabilities. Disciplinary action will only be invoked for deliberate attempts to mislead the ACS. 8. ACS Professional Development Activities The ACS Professional Development Board will nominate the number of CP hours allocated to each of its activities. The CP hours will be clearly shown in all promotional materials, including website notification. 9. Register of Practicing Computer Professionals The ACS will, from July 2007, maintain and publish on its website a Register of all current Practicing Computer Professionals for the information of the community where approval has been provided by the member. The Register will be preceded by details of the requirements for CP status and may include any caveats or limitations as required by legal advice. For ACS members to update its CP activitiy statement, please login at www.acs.org.au/pcp For more information contact: General Manager, Professional Standards Accreditation and Certification |
