The light at the end of the COVID tunnel appears to be getting brighter; there is hope in the air and a set of dates towards which we can look with eager anticipation.
Right now is a time for Gratitude.
There is so much to be grateful for: our health and that of our loved ones; the frontline, and backline, staff in the NHS; key workers and others; the scientists who have brought us this hope; and, yes, even the politicians - of any colour.
But there is one special recipient of our gratitude that I'd like you to focus on. In fact, that's exactly what you're doing at this very moment: the computer, the tablet, the mobile phone you are looking at right now. And, the communications link, the internet, servers etc. - all the various computer-based technologies that have helped us stay connected throughout the pandemic, with hardly a blip. Day in and day out, they have helped us keep in touch.
And this is our industry! In one way or another, we have all helped this industry grow to become a vital presence in this tragic landscape.
So, say 'Thank You' to your devices, and be grateful to each other and the wider IT community.
Be Grateful and Proud.
Garfield Southall
Chair Programme, Practice and Policy (PPP) Committee
PPP Working Groups Update
Member Groups Review
The working group has met again to review the specific issues raised at the “Shaping the Future” convention and these have now been cross referenced and integrated into the ‘map’ that was presented.
The committee has split into ‘twins’ with key topic areas allocated for further review, analysis and recommendations.
These committee ‘twins’ may well be in touch with individuals that have raised the specific concerns to gain a deeper understanding of these important issues.
The intention will then be to publish the ‘map’ for wider comment.
Once everything has been sense checked, work will continue on identifying common solutions to these issues. The committee is still happy to receive further comments and advice.
We’re currently organising a virtual hackathon for students which supports our mission of ‘making IT good for society’. The event will run from April 7th to 9th and we’re looking for volunteers to help as either a team mentor or a category judge.
It was a great pleasure to share the new positioning and campaign for membership with everyone who attended the convention. It’s taken a lot of planning to ensure this is pitched correctly and will resonate with different audiences and their needs from a professional body. Our aim is to bring a clearer focus to BCS membership and of course to grow our community. We’ll be sharing some useful assets as a next step with you such as a basic slide deck, video and virtual zoom/teams backgrounds, but in the meantime we would love you to share the campaign on social media. This is so much more powerful if it comes from you as members telling others what you get from BCS and urging them to get involved. We’ve even drafted some posts that you can adapt for your platform of choice with the relevant links to include along with the hashtags #WeAreBCS#shapethefuture.
The SPA SG would like your group to promote this event to your members:
Mini-SPA Conference 2021
Wednesday 24 March and Thursday 25 March 2021, Online
This year’s Mini-SPA, hosted entirely online for the first time, showcases 4 sessions over 24th and 25th March.
The event will benefit a broad audience - software practitioners, professionals working with them, clients/consumers of software practice, students and academics.
Over the last few months, BCS has been looking to engage further with our local Branches and have had some great conversations and engagements about how we work closely to grow our reach through organisations. Ashley Larkin is one of our Key Account Managers in the Corporate Engagement Team and would love the chance to speak with your Branch about organisational membership and how we can help grow membership within your Branch.
Ashley can be contacted at ashley.larkin@bcs.uk and would look forward to hearing from you.
SFIAplus upgrade – We need your help!
SFIAplus is the framework that underpins our membership grades, registrations and professional certifications. With the SFIA Foundation currently updating the high-level SFIA framework, we need your help to ensure SFIAplus continues to be the detailed and relevant standard for industry professionals.
We need authors (to write the detailed Skill and Task descriptions) and reviewers to upgrade the framework over the next few months. We expect this work to begin later this month as the SFIA Foundation partially or fully freeze a skill update.
The BCS New and Aspiring Consultants Programme is a series of short TED-style talks, where expert speakers discuss success factors with an audience that harnesses the wisdom of experienced consultants and the energy of newcomers. It is aimed at new entrants to the IT profession as well as experienced IT practitioners from all specialities who are considering a move into consultancy.
These talks will also be made available as a set of 21 videos to provide a permanent resource for people starting a consultancy career.
Please sign up to hear more, whether you are interested in learning more about consultancy or you are an experienced consultant with advice to share.
The first of the monthly sessions will be by Zoom on Wednesday 31st March 2021 from 6:30pm to 8pm. It will tackle: • What’s different if you’re a consultant • Using methods, tools & resources • Helping people to change
We’ve created a new page dedicated to sharing exclusive ITNOW content, engaging with members and commissioning new articles. New ideas and submissions are always welcome from BCS members, so we look forward to hearing from you!
Very shortly, BCS will has its own jobs board that will allow individuals to apply for jobs and allow organisations to post jobs absolutely for free. To ensure there is a healthy range of roles we have agreed an ongoing feed of at least 1,000 IT and digital roles from new to industry to leading industry so that there is something for everyone.
If you are interested to learn what roles are out there or are keen to post your vacancies, please keep a look out for follow up communications
Community Forum Basecamp
Come and join the Community on Basecamp. It's a great place to chat with like-minded individuals, share best practice and engage with the BCS Swindon Team.
We currently have 10% of the community represented. However, we want to see an increase in the community's representation, so please encourage at least one of your committee members to sign up.
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