Training, career development and registration for safety critical software systems specialists

A career development program for information systems practitioners currently being used widely by employers in the UK and now becoming available in North America is described. The program, called the Professional Development Scheme (PDS), was developed by the British Computer Society to address the lack of structure and quality control generally present in the way computing professionals were being trained. The performance standards underpinning the program (The British Computer Society Industry Structure Model) have been thoroughly updated and now include material specific to the development, maintenance, and management of software for safety-critical applications. The use of the program for this purpose and potential developments in the field of training and registration for safety-critical software specialists are discussed.<>