Australian Computer Society
| Type | Professional Organization |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1966 |
| Key people | Nick Tate (Current President) |
| Area served | Australia |
| Focus | Computer and information processing science and technology |
| Method | Publications, Conferences, Technical councils, Industry standards, Certification and training, Scholarships |
| Website | http://www.acs.org.au |
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is an association for information and communications technology professionals with over 22,000 members Australia-wide. According to its Constitution, its objects are "to advance professional excellence in information technology" and "to promote the development of Australian information and communications technology resources".[1]
The ACS was formed on 1 January 1966 from five state based societies. It was formally incorporated in the Australian Capital Territory on 3 October 1967. Since 1983 there have been chapters in every state and territory.
The ACS is a member of the Australian Council of Professions, the peak body for professional associations in Australia.
The ACS is also a member organization of the Federation of Enterprise Architecture Professional Organizations (FEAPO ). FEAPO is a worldwide association of professional organizations which have come together to provide a forum to standardize, professionalize, and otherwise advance the discipline of Enterprise Architecture .
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Activities [edit]
The ACS operates various chapters, annual conferences, special interest groups, and a professional development program. Also, members are required to comply with a Code of Ethics and a Code of Professional Conduct.
Young IT [edit]
Young IT - One of the boards of the ACS is the Young IT (YIT) board which represents members of the ACS under the age of 35. Each state has a YIT board representing the YIT members in that state. Their major activity each year is the YIT Conference. At the 2012, Michael Hart, CIO of Commonwealth Bank, made headlines for his claim that Australia is not suffering a skills shortage crisis.[2]
Young IT Professionals Board of the Australian Computer Society provides a voice for young IT professionals and students, as well as a range of services and benefits for members. Currently Young IT organises and runs an annual YIT International Conference and other events such as local career days, soft skills and technical seminars, networking opportunities and social events (e.g. Young IT in the Pub) in each of the Australian States.
Publications [edit]
"Information Age" is the official publication of the ACS. Peer reviewed research publications of the ACS include:
- Journal of Research and Practice in Information Technology
- Conferences in Research and Practice in Information Technology
- Australasian Journal of Information Systems
The Digital Library contains free journal articles and conference papers.[3]
Related organisations [edit]
- Association for Computing Machinery
- British Computer Society
- Institution of Analysts and Programmers
- International Federation for Information Processing
- New Zealand Computer Society
- Computer Society of India
- Computer Society of Southern Africa
- Canadian Information Processing Society
- SEARCC
Special Interest Groups [edit]
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) of the ACS are connected to each state branch with some SIGs of the same or similar name occurring in a number of states, depending on local interest, and include: Architects, Software Quality Assurance, Women in Technology, Business Requirements Analysis, Enterprise Capacity Management, Enterprise Solution Development, Free Open Source Software, Information Security, IT Management, Project Management, Service Oriented Computing, Web Services, Consultants and Contractors, IT Security, PC Recycling, Curry SIG, Information Technology in Education, Robotics, E-Commerce, IT Governance and Software Engineering. A recent addition is the Green ICT Group on computers and telecommunications for environmental sustainability. In 2007 the Telecommunications Society of Australia was absorbed into the Australian Computer Society as the Telecommunications Special Interest Group
Education and Certification [edit]
The ACS runs the online Computer Professional Education Program (CPEP) for postgraduate education in subjects including: Green ICT Strategies; New Technology Alignment; Business, Strategy & IT; Adaptive Business Intelligence; Project Management; Managing Technology and Operations. CPEP uses the Australian developed Moodle course management system and is delivered via the web.
The Diploma of Information Technology (DIT) is equivalent to one academic year of a Bachelor of Information Technology at several universities. It has eight compulsory subjects: systems analysis, programming, computer organisation, data management, OO systems development, computer communications, professional practice and systems principles.
The ACS also certifies IT professionals at two levels, the Certified Professional and the Certified Technologist. Each certification level has a minimum level of experience and also required ongoing CPD (Certified Professional Development) hours of learning each year.
References [edit]
- "The Australian Computer Society", retrieved 16 May 2006.
- "ACS Historical Notes", retrieved 16 May 2006.
- ACS Code of Professional Conduct and Professional Practice
Other Australian computer associations: