Professional development from graduation to ´grave´: an alternative approach to training for software engineers

Many professional institutions are engaged in persuading, cajoling or mandating their members to carry out a certain amount of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) annually. Most of these professional institutions, in particular the engineering institutions which are nominated bodies of the Engineering Council, will not admit anyone to corporate membership unless he/she has demonstrated the appropriate commitment to professional development. This takes the form of a certain number of years in training (often four, reducing to two if the training is accredited by the relevant institution) and a number of years (normally two) of responsible experience. At least one professional institution (BCS) has, for the last ten years, been running a professional development scheme (PDS) in which the strands of pre- and postcorporate membership professional development run seamlessly into each other. This provides the potential for accredited, validated professional development from graduation to retirement, and the article reviews the achievements of the scheme.<>