The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is an association for information and communications technology professionals with 40,000+ members Australia-wide. According to its Constitution, its objectives 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 also a member organisation of the Federation of Enterprise Architecture Professional Organizations (FEAPO), a worldwide association of professional organisations which have come together to provide a forum to standardise, professionalise, and otherwise advance the discipline of Enterprise Architecture.
Activities
The ACS operates various chapters, annual conferences,
Special Interest Groups, and a professional development program. Members are required to comply with a Code of Ethics and a Code of Professional Conduct.
Extent of representation
The ACS describes itself as "the professional association for Australia's technology sector"[3] and "Australia's primary representative body for the ICT workforce",[4] but industry analysts have questioned this based on the small percentage of IT professionals who are ACS members. The issue has been discussed in the press since at least 2004,[5] and in 2013 the Sydney Morning Herald wrote that "the ACS aggressively seeks to control the important software engineering profession in Australia, but ... less than 5 per cent of the professional IT workforce belongs to the ACS."[6] The ACS Foundation came up with a slightly higher figure: "Depending on the data used to calculate the number of ICT professionals in Australia, however, [ACS] membership represents approximately 6.5 per cent of the total."[7]
Presidents
The Australian Computer Society elects its National President every two years, who serves as the leader of the Society. Some of the most recent presidents include:
The 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 a bi-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.
The most recent Young IT Conference was held in Melbourne in 2014.
Publications
Information Age is the official publication of the ACS. In February 2015 Information Age became an online-only publication. Peer-reviewed research publications of the ACS include:
Australian Computer Journal
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.[17]
Australian Software Innovation Forum, encourages collaboration and co-operation in Java EE and associated technologies
Special Interest Groups
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, Software Engineering and Cloud Computing. 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
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. In 2017 the ACS launched a cybersecurity specialisation within the certification framework.[18]
Digital Disruptors Awards
ACS recognizes outstanding technical talent in the Australian industry with seven "ACS Digital Disruptors awards". They are:
Individual awards
ICT Professional of the Year
Emerging ICT Professional of the Year (Age under 30)
^Hayes, Simon (7 December 2004). "US body sets up here to rival ACS"(login required). The Australian. Retrieved 1 August 2014. Although the ACS claims about 15,000 members in Australia, about 240,000 people work in the industry.
