Consultant members of the BCS and other professional bodies are to
have their expertise promoted in the market by the new Joint
Consultants Forum, writes John Kavanagh.
"The Joint Consultants Forum will develop central and regional
communities to achieve wider awareness and shared benefits through
collaborative activities and events," says Rajan Anketell, chairman
of the BCS Consultancy Specialist Group, who is representing the
society in the forum with external relations manager Peta
Walmisley.
"Representatives of the professional institutions have agreed to
work together to promote the expertise of their independent
consultant members, both to each other and to the broader
market.
"The BCS Consultancy Specialist Group welcomes the formation of the
Joint Consultants Forum and fully supports its aims and
aspirations. Indeed, the specialist group hopes to play an active
role."
The BCS is already leading the way with its online Professional
Advice Register at
www.bcs.org/par, which
enables potential users of consultancy services to find the right
consultants in different areas. All those listed on the site have
been through BCS acceptance procedures.
"Internet directories are just one of the ways the last meeting
recognised for such resources to be tapped," Anketell says.
Members of the forum include the Institute of Management
Consultancy, the Institution of Electrical Engineers, the
Institution of Incorporated Engineers, the Institute of Quality
Assurance and the Operational Research Society. Others bodies are
also expected to join.
Consultancy has emerged as a favourite topic for IT specialists, as
shown by the huge response to the launch of the BCS Consultancy
Specialist Group and the BCS Information Systems Examinations
Board's (Iseb) Certificate in IS Consultancy Practice.
The specialist group's inaugural meeting was three times
oversubscribed, and another 200-plus people expressed an interest.
Early courses in the Iseb certificate were also
oversubscribed.
The course syllabus ranges from client relationships to managing
assignments, describing simple business analysis models and making
client recommendations. It is assessed by a two-hour written exam
and a 45-minute oral exam.
Mike Kearsley, who chairs the Iseb Consultancy Qualification Board,
says, "The response has been very good indeed. We have some major
training organisations approved and others interested - with some
already talking about overseas and Web-based training."
Details of the certificate are at
www.iseb.org.uk/conskills