British Computer Society facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
British Computer Society

Founded	1957
Founder	Sir Maurice Wilkes
Type	Professional Organisation
Focus	Information Technology
Location	London, United Kingdom
Origins	London Computer Group
Area served	Worldwide
Method	Chartered IT status, Industry standards, Conferences, Publications and regulation of ICT education
Members	60,000 in 150 countries
Key people	The Duke of Kent, KG (Patron) Alastair Revell, President Rashik Parmar, CEO

The British Computer Society (BCS), also known as BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, is a group for people who work with information technology (IT), computing, and software engineering. It helps IT professionals in the United Kingdom and around the world.

Founded in 1957, BCS has been important in teaching and supporting IT experts. It helps set standards for the IT world and connects people who work with computers globally.

What is the BCS?

The BCS is a charity with over 57,000 members worldwide. It was officially recognized by a special document called a Royal Charter in 1984.

The main goals of BCS are to:

• Help people learn about and use computer technology.
• Improve education in IT for both professionals and the public.

BCS works with other important groups like the Engineering Council. This means it helps set the rules for IT and computer science jobs in the UK. It also works with groups in Europe and other countries to make sure computer degrees are recognized everywhere.

The BCS has offices in London and Swindon, UK. It also has international offices in Sri Lanka and Mauritius. Members receive a magazine called ITNOW, which shares news and articles about IT.

A Brief History of BCS

The BCS started in 1956 as a group called the "London Computer Group." A year later, in October 1957, it officially became "The British Computer Society Ltd." The very first President of BCS was Sir Maurice Wilkes, a famous computer scientist.

In 1966, BCS became a charity. This meant it could focus on helping people and the IT field. In 1982-1983, The Duke of Kent became its patron, which means he supports the organization.

In 2009, the British Computer Society changed its name to "BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT." This change showed its role as a leading professional body for IT.

How BCS is Run

The BCS is managed by a group called the Trustee Board. This board includes the President, who leads the organization, and other important members. Sir Maurice Wilkes was the first President. Each President serves for two years.

There is also an Advisory Council. This group gives advice to the Trustee Board about how BCS should be run. It includes members chosen by the IT professionals themselves.

Becoming a Fellow of BCS (FBCS)

The title Fellow of the BCS (FBCS) is given to people who have done amazing things in Information Technology. This could be in engineering, managing products, or leading businesses.

Fellows are expected to help the IT profession grow. They share their knowledge and join discussions at conferences and meetings. To become a Fellow, a person usually needs to:

• Show strong leadership in the IT field.
• Be widely known for their IT skills.
• Help advance knowledge in computing.
• Be a respected and senior person, perhaps leading big projects.

Some well-known Fellows include:

• Dame Wendy Hall – a former President of BCS.
• Andy Harter – CEO of RealVNC.
• Tony Hey – a former Vice President at Microsoft Research.
• Hermann Hauser – who founded ARM Ltd.

The BCS also gives Honorary Fellowships to people who have made special contributions, like Dorothy Monekosso for her work on smart homes and promoting diversity in tech.

Chartered IT Professional

The BCS is the only group in the UK that can give IT professionals a special status called "chartered status." This means they are recognized as highly skilled and experienced.

People who achieve this status are called Chartered IT Professionals and can use the letters CITP after their name. The BCS keeps a list of all current Chartered Members and Fellows. Other professional groups can also ask BCS for permission to award CITP to their members.

Types of Membership

BCS offers different ways for people to join:

Special Honors

• Distinguished Fellow: A very rare award given to only a few people since 1971.
• Honorary Fellowship (Hon FBCS): Given to people for special achievements.

Professional Levels

• Fellow (FBCS): For those with outstanding contributions.
• Member (MBCS): For experienced IT professionals.

Other Levels

• Associate Member (AMBCS)
• Student Member
• Affiliate: For anyone interested in IT, even if they don't work in it yet.
• Group membership: Many companies encourage their IT staff to join BCS this way.
• Education affiliates: Schools and colleges can also be approved by BCS.

Other Professional Titles

BCS can also help members get other important professional titles, such as:

• Chartered Engineer (CEng)
• Incorporated Engineer (IEng)
• European Engineer (EUR ING)

When members have these titles, they can add special letters after their name, like FBCS CITP or CEng. This shows their professional achievements.

Awards from BCS

The BCS gives out several awards to celebrate great computer scientists, engineers, and IT professionals. These awards recognize people at different stages of their careers.

Some of the awards include:

• Lovelace Medal: A very important award in computing.
• Roger Needham Award
• Early Career Award: For young professionals starting out.
• John Perry Prize
• Distinguished Dissertation Award: For excellent research papers.
• UK Industry Award

Qualifications Offered by BCS

BCS provides many qualifications for people who use computers and for IT professionals.

BCS IT User Qualifications

These qualifications help people learn how to use computers for everyday tasks. They cover things like using spreadsheets, making presentations, editing videos, and staying safe on social media.

• European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL): BCS is the only group that offers ECDL in the UK. It teaches basic computer skills.
• Advanced ECDL: This is a higher level of ECDL. If you pass all four advanced parts, you become an "ECDL Expert."

BCS Higher Education Qualifications (HEQs)

These qualifications are like university degrees in IT. They help people get a strong education in computing.

• Certificate in IT: Like the first year of a university degree.
• Diploma in IT: Like the second year of a university degree.
• Professional Graduate Diploma in IT: Like a full university degree in the UK.

Digital Creator

Digital Creator qualifications teach digital media skills through fun projects. They are for students of all ages, from primary school to adults.

ITQ – The Flexible IT qualification

The BCS ITQ lets you choose different units to build a qualification that fits your needs. It covers many IT applications, like word processing, spreadsheets, and multimedia software.

Other Certifications

ISEB

BCS also offers professional qualifications through its Professional Certifications board, which used to be called ISEB. These cover important areas for IT professionals like management, development, and service quality.

Informatics Professional

BCS helps health and care IT professionals get registered at different levels, from Practitioner to Leading Practitioner. This is done through FEDIP, a group that supports IT professionals in health and social care.

How BCS is Organized

Like many professional groups, BCS has local branches and special interest groups. There are 45 branches in the UK, 16 international sections, and over 50 specialist groups.

UK Branches

International Sections

Specialist Groups

Publications

BCS publishes magazines and journals to share knowledge and research in computing.

Their main magazine is ITNOW, which comes out every three months. They also publish academic journals like:

• The Computer Journal: A monthly journal about computer science.
• Formal Aspects of Computing: A journal about formal methods in computing.
• Interacting with Computers: A journal about how humans and computers interact.

BCS also publishes Electronic Workshops in Computing (eWiC), which shares papers from conferences and workshops.

Images for kids

• 

  Sir Nigel Shadbolt was President of BCS from 2006 to 2007.

• 

  Dame Wendy Hall was President of BCS from 2003 to 2004.

• 

  Prince Edward, Duke of Kent was President of BCS from 1982 to 1983.

• 

  Louis Mountbatten was President of BCS from 1966 to 1967.

• 

  Sir Maurice Wilkes served as the first President of BCS in 1957.

See also

In Spanish: British Computer Society para niños