ITCP In Detail
Ongoing Requirements
Certified Professionals must behave appropriately and professionally and maintain a continual level of professional development.
This includes Continued Professional Development, Service to the Community, Professional Conduct, Payment of Accreditation Fees, plus a Re-Accreditation Process.
Certified Professionals also assist with the accreditation of other applicants. Whilst not taking significant time, this is an important aspect of peer review.
It is essential that those applying for ITCP understand these ongoing requirements. ITCP may be suspended at any time if these are not adhered to, and annual renewal is not possible if these requirements are not met.
Certified Professionals must maintain a high standard of Professional Conduct and integrity at all times and in all aspects of their work. NZCS will produce and publish Codes of Ethics from time to time and the member must adhere to all provisions of these codes at all times.
Professional Conduct
CITP Certified Professionals must comply with the NZCS Code of Ethics and/or Professional Conduct at all times.
One principal ethical consideration is that of confidentiality of client information. ICT Professionals are entrusted with access to all kinds of sensitive information, from trade secrets and commercially sensitive data through to personal emails. A true professional does not abuse this trust.
The Certified Professional must notify NZCS immediately where any legal action is taken against them, whether criminal or civil, alleging professional misconduct, theft, fraud, or any other matter of dishonesty.
NZCS may, by order of the NZCS Executive, suspend the Certification of any member while a review is conducted to ascertain whether a breach of Professional Conduct has occurred.
Continued Professional Development
Certified Professionals are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of Continued Professional Development (CPD) per year, of a type as defined in the NZCS Bylaws.
This will be formally recorded on an annual basis, and all courses and training registered with a contactable referee (e.g. an individual who can confirm attendance if required, such as the person holding the course). More information on how CPD is to be recorded will be available shortly.
Service to the Professional Community
A requirement of all professionals, regardless of profession, is that they give back to both the professional community and the public, thereby improving the profession and contributing to a better world.
Certified Professionals must contribute at least 5 hours/year of “pro bono” or unpaid service to the professional community or public. This service needs to meet the following requirements:
- May be in any NZCS-approved activity. A list will be provided from time to time, however it will generally cover any bonafide activity genuinely completed at no charge to improve the professional community or public;
- May not be completed as part of paid employment or contracting, nor as a publicity or marketing exercise for any person or organisation;
- Must be for the good of the ICT professional community or public at large.
Enough options will be made available through NZCS and third parties to ensure there are suitable options for all professionals.
Assistance with Accreditation of Other Professionals
ITCP Professional Certification has a strong focus towards “Peer Assessment”, across both the academic and practicing professional routes. To ensure the quality of the programme it is an expectation that ITCP Professionals will assist in the assessment of future Applicants.
Certified Professionals will be expected to contribute to the assessment of 3-4 other Applicants per year, each involving approximately 30-45 minutes (including a phone interview in some cases). This CAN be used to count towards the “Service to the Professional Community” requirements.
Payment of Accreditation Fees
Annual ITCP Fees and NZCS Membership Dues must be paid on time to maintain NZCS Professional Certification.
Failure to pay these Fees and Dues by the due date may result in NZCS temporarily withdrawing Certification, or, if Fees remain unpaid, cancelling the member’s Certification.
Re-Accreditation
To ensure a high ongoing standard all Certified Professionals will require re-accreditation every three years.
Re-accreditation will involve submitting a re-accreditation application demonstrating that all entry and ongoing requirements of the Certification Programme are still met, followed by a teleconference interview by the NZCS Certification Team.
Certification shall lapse if 39 months has passed since the last full Accreditation process.