New professional qualification acknowledges the importance of ICT technicians

A national regulatory authority has responded to industry demands for a competence-based professional qualification for the vast array of IT and communications technicians who support and maintain the IT and communications resources on which nearly every business and organisation in the UK depends.

The Engineering Council UK has created a new standard for technicians in the field of Information and Communications Technology.  Known as ICTTech, the standard will help employers and citizens to identify ICT practitioners who hold the technical skills they need.  It will strengthen professionalism and ethical practice in an important sector of employment.

A new national register for ICT Technicians has been created to encourage learning and development of technical competence.  This register and the associated standard are owned and regulated by the Engineering Council UK.

Chris Nott of IBM, who chaired the ICT Technician Registration Standard Group, welcomed the endorsement of the standard.  "Professional ICT practitioners will be assessed against the standard by experienced peers.  To attain ICTTech, practitioners demonstrate their competence in applying technical and practical skills, working responsibly and communicating clearly.  The ICTTech standard will help those requiring technical skills in ICT to identify qualified professionals more easily."

The ICTTech standard allows practitioners to work towards a recognised qualification, marked by post nominals.  It is designed to cover a range of jobs which involve facilitating or supporting the use of ICT equipment and applications by others.  ICT Technicians work in areas such as ICT hardware, software or system installation, operation, maintenance, change/problem management, administration, security, fault diagnosis and fixing.

The ICTTech standard will enable employers, large and small, to recruit those holding the ICT skills they seek.  Organisations and individuals will be able to recognise qualified practitioners.  The standard will also help businesses to identify skilled ICT support service providers.  Registered ICT Technicians are able to configure or maintain ICT systems to provide satisfactory performance, protection and quality of service allowing clients to exploit their investment in ICT.

Professional Institutions with a strong interest in ICT are now able to apply for a licence from the Engineering Council UK to be able to offer ICTTech registration to their members.  Such Institutions will provide development advice and assessment of those seeking registration.

In gauging the level at which technicians should apply, level 3 of SFIA (Skills Framework of the Information Age) will provide a useful reference.  Registration as an ICTTech provides career recognition for those who wish to progress towards other professional qualifications including Chartered IT Professional (CITP).

ECUK  has published the ICTTech standard and licensing information for Professional Institutions on its website at www.icttech.org.uk