Certification

Professional certification of software engineers is a contentious issue. Some see it as a tool to improve professional practice; "The only purpose of licensing software engineers is to protect the public".[17]

The ACM had a professional certification program in the early 1980s,[citation needed] which was discontinued due to lack of interest. The ACM examined the possibility of professional certification of software engineers in the late 1990s, but eventually decided that such certification was inappropriate for the professional industrial practice of software engineering.[18] As of 2006, the IEEE had certified over 575 software professionals.[19] In the U.K. the British Computer Society has developed a legally recognized professional certification called Chartered IT Professional (CITP), available to fully qualified Members (MBCS). In Canada the Canadian Information Processing Society has developed a legally recognized professional certification called Information Systems Professional (ISP)[20]. The Software Engineering Institute offers certification on specific topic such as Security, Process improvement and Software architecture[21].

Most certification programs in the IT industry are oriented toward specific technologies, and are managed by the vendors of these technologies.[22] These certification programs are tailored to the institutions that would employ people who use these technologies.

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