What is the British Computer Society: An Overview

British Computer Society (BCS), The Chartered Institute for IT, is a professional body and a UK-based learning society that aims to promote the advancement of Information Technology (IT) and Computer Science & foster the skilled growth of its members. The BCS, which has been around since 1957, has become one of the leading bodies in the IT industry. They endorse best practices in the IT industry for ethical and social concerns. Despite such a rich history and foothold in the industry, there are a number of young professionals who have the question What is the British Computer Society (BCS)?

According to the UK Professional Certification Market Research by BCS, 49% of employees say that skill qualifications in Business Analysis are very important, and 42% think it is quite important. Several membership tiers are available in the BCS, each with its qualifications and rewards. In this blog, we will explore What is British Computer Society, its history and mission, its membership options and the benefits of joining.

Table of Contents

1) What is the British Computer Society (BCS)?

2) British Computer Society Membership

    a) For Individuals

    b) For Organisations

3) BCS Qualifications and Certifications

    a) Certifications for IT Professionals

    b) Digital Literacy Qualifications

    c) BCS Essential Digital Skills

    d) Other Qualifications and Certifications

4) British Computer Society Jobs

5) Conclusion

What is British Computer Society (BCS)?

The British Computer Society, The Chartered Institute for IT, was established in 1957 as a professional body to ensure that IT industry standards remain high. Not only that, but BCS ensures that legal, ethical, and social issues are followed within the IT industry.

BCS boasts of having over 700,000+  members across 150 countries, which include a community of business leaders, educators, practitioners, and policymakers. BCS has a code of conduct that the members must follow to ensure they conduct themselves according to the rules and regulations. BCS offers a host of qualifications and certifications, including valuable resources for Business Analysis and they offer membership to individuals and organisations.

British Computer Society Membership​

Members form the core of the BCS. How to Become a British Computer Society Member is a common query for professionals looking to advance in the field. BCS Membership helps the members gain the expertise and skills needed to progress in their careers. BCS provides membership to individuals and organisations, which are slightly different.

1) For individuals

Joining BCS as a member certifies the member as a competent and accountable professional who can use tech ethically and in a way that serves society. BCS Membership also provides the training and help required, grants industry recognition, and helps members connect with the wider tech community.

BCS provides Membership even if you are a student, a fresher, or even an experienced IT professional. There are four membership grades for individuals:

a) Student: This is for an individual studying in any IT-related course or digital T-level.

b) Associate (AMBC): This is for someone just starting in IT or working as a trainee or on a Skills Bootcamp.

c) Professional (MBCS): This is for an individual working or teaching in IT (in computing or tech)

d) Fellow (FBCS): This is for experienced leaders in their respective fields.

Benefits of individual membership are as follows:

a) Access to the skills e-learning library

b) IT competency matrix career mentoring

c) Interaction with the global BCS tech community and contact with industry leaders

d) Employability tools

2) For Organisations

Just like individual memberships, organisation memberships accredit that the BCS member organisation is committed to providing genuine career progression and helping develop critical skills for working IT professionals.

Benefits of organisation membership are as follows:

a) Your team gets a trusted endorsement of their IT capability.

b) BCS Membership gives access to the qualifications and registrations to improve recognition.

c) Helps expand the network with similar organisations.

d) For those organisations who are driving the industry standards, BCS gives an approved organisation status. This status also acknowledges the professionalism of the IT team.

e) Employees in the organisation receive tools to develop their careers further and improve practical and soft skills.

f) Opens more options for career progression.

g) Gives access to the BCS career mentoring program.

BCS Qualifications and Certifications

BCS provides a host of qualifications and certifications at various levels, serving different purposes. Let's look at some of them:

1) Certifications for IT Professionals

With BCS qualifications, IT professionals can certify their skills and strengthen their career value. BCS offers 75+ qualifications from foundation to expert level, aligned with the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIAplus) framework. These certifications cover 10 key areas:

a) Agile

b) Artificial Intelligence (AI)

c) Business Analysis

d) DevOps

e) Governance

f) IT Architecture

g) Information Security and Data Protection

h) Software Testing

i) Solution Development

j) Transformation

Advance your Agile knowledge with the BCS Foundation Certificate in Agile Training and build practical project skills.

2) Digital Literacy Qualifications

Irrespective of your role and where you work, having the basic, essential IT skills is crucial. This course is for individuals who have little to no digital skills. This course will help individuals learn IT skills and build their confidence working in the IT industry.

The Digital Literacy qualifications include the following courses:

a) Essential Digital Skills Qualification for Work (EDSQ) - Entry Level 3 and Level 1: This is for those who are complete beginners in IT

b) ICDL Level 1 & 2 Awards and Certificates: This is for individuals in their early career or at an intermediate level

c) BCS Level 3 Certificate in IT User Skills (ICDL Advanced) (ITQ) - Funded, approved as part of the ‘Lifetime Skills Guarantee'

d) BCS Higher Education Qualifications (HEQ) (Levels 4, 5 & 6) - UK & International

3) BCS Essential Digital Skills

This qualification is for people with little to no Digital Skills experience, irrespective of their employment status. The course covers training on creating and editing documents, using digital devices, communicating online via emails or video calls, and online safety and responsibility.

BCS Essential Digital Skills has two qualification levels:

a) Entry Level: For those who have no experience in using digital devices or the internet

b) Level 1: For those who know a little about using digital devices but are not confident in using them at work

Strengthen your analytical expertise with the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis Training for professional growth.

4) Other Qualifications and Certifications

Apart from the ones explained above, there are qualifications for higher education, training, and scholarships for teaching and home education. The Higher Education Qualification (HEQ) offers three modular levels of study accredited by the UK government, Office of Qualification, and examination regulation. After finishing the BCS Diploma in IT, you can apply for a one-year top-up degree course with BCS-partnered universities. The three modular levels include:

a) BCS Level 4 Certificate in IT

b) BCS Level 5 Diploma in IT

c) BCS Level 6 Professional Graduate Diploma in IT

Certifications for the teaching community include the following:

a) BCS Computer Teacher Scholarship

b) BCS Subject Knowledge Enhancement Course

c) Teaching Teachers Tech: Computing with Python

BCS also provides a range of resources and certifications for home educators who want to give IT education to home-educated children.

British Computer Society Jobs

From Project Management to cybersecurity, BCS Certifications can help you get jobs in many domains. Moreover, their certifications are extremely popular and well-recognised by many global organisations. So, the demand for British Computer Society Jobs is extremely high. Since their certifications cover both soft skills and technical skills, acquiring them equips professionals with the knowledge and skillset required to succeed in any job.

Besides, these skills will come in extremely handy for improving your performance in your job interviews. So, the future looks extremely promising for professionals with BCS Certifications.

Conclusion

British Computer Society helps its members stay on top of developments in this ever-changing sector by offering a space for education and professional growth. BCS is a helpful resource for IT professionals at all stages of their careers that focuses on supporting the highest standards of excellence, professionalism, and ethical behaviour. Hopefully, through this blog we answered your questions on What is British Computer Society, its history and the benefits of its membership. Irrespective of your standing in the industry, joining the BCS can prove to be a valuable addition to your CV and assist you in reaching your objectives.

Acquire the skills to improve the User Experience (UX) for your customers with our BCS Foundation Certificate In User Experience Course.