European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge: a first point ... · e-SKILLS : Promotion of ICT Professionalism in Europe European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge: a first point

e-SKILLS : Promotion of ICT Professionalism in Europe

European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge: a first point of reference for

anyone interested in working in ICT Final Report

February 2015

Prepared for the

European Commission

DG Internal Market, Industry,

Entrepreneurship and SMEs

An European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge: a first

point of reference for anyone interested in working in ICT

Page 2 of 129

Service Contract: e-Skills: Promotion of ICT Professionalism in Europe No 290/PP/ENT/CIP/13/C/N01C011

This service contract is carried out by Capgemini Consulting and Ernst & Young.

For more information about this paper, please contact:

European Commission, Directorate General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Unit for Key Enabling Technologies and Digital Economy

André Richier – Principal Administrator

E-mail: [email protected]

This report was written and reviewed by: Dinand Tinholt, Niels van der Linden, Wae San Chan, Renee

Engelsman, Co Siebes, (Capgemini Consulting) and Marina Montironi, Fransesca Bonazzoli, Rocco Defina (EY).

Disclaimer

The information and views set out in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect

the official opinion of the Commission. The Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included

in this document. Neither the Commission nor any person acting on the Commission’s behalf may be held

responsible for the use which may be made of the Information contained therein.

© European Union, 2015. All rights reserved.

Certain parts are licensed under conditions to the EU.

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

mailto:[email protected]



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Table of contents Executive summary .................................................................................................................. 7

1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 12

1.1 Europe’s ambition to strengthening the ICT Profession..................................................... 12

1.2 Rationale and objective ...................................................................................................... 12

1.3 Approach ............................................................................................................................ 13

1.4 Reading guide ..................................................................................................................... 15

2 Defining a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge ............................................................ 16

2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 16

2.2 Background ......................................................................................................................... 17

2.3 BOK development in international perspective ................................................................. 20

2.4 Defining the concept of a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge ....................................... 21

2.4.1 Purpose and definition of a Body of Knowledge ................................................................... 21

2.4.2 What is Knowledge? .............................................................................................................. 23

2.4.3 What is ‘foundational’? ......................................................................................................... 24

2.4.4 Who is the target audience? ................................................................................................. 26

3 Drawing lessons from existing Bodies of Knowledge ..................................................... 28

3.1 Analysing and categorising Bodies of Knowledge .............................................................. 28

3.1.1 Australian Computer Society’s ICT Profession Body of Knowledge ...................................... 30

3.1.2 Canadian Information Processing Society IT Body of Knowledge ......................................... 32

3.1.3 Japanese ICT Common Body of Knowledge .......................................................................... 37

3.1.4 British Computer Society Body of Knowledge ....................................................................... 38

3.1.5 India Foundation Skills in IT ................................................................................................... 40

3.1.6 European Certification of Informatics Professionals Core Body of Knowledge .................... 42

3.1.7 IEEE Computer Society Enterprise IT Body of Knowledge ..................................................... 43

3.1.8 HBO-I Body of Knowledge ..................................................................................................... 44

3.1.9 Conclusions from the analysis of generic Bodies of Knowledge ........................................... 44

3.2 Specific Bodies of Knowledge ............................................................................................. 46

3.3 European Professional Societies: Gaps and Best Practices ................................................ 53

3.4 Universities Curricula .......................................................................................................... 57

3.4.1 Education and Training ......................................................................................................... 58

3.4.2 IT Curricula ............................................................................................................................ 59

4 Building a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge ............................................................ 64

4.1 Design principles ................................................................................................................. 64

4.2 Step 1: Constructing the framework of the Body of Knowledge ........................................ 65

4.2.1 Defining the breakdown of knowledge ................................................................................. 69

4.3 Step 2: Developing and refining the Body of Knowledge ................................................... 72



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4.4 4.5 Step 3: Delivering the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge version 1.0 .................... 73

5 Mechanisms for sustainability and promotion ............................................................... 79

5.1 A sustainable model aimed to achieve widespread adoption............................................ 79

5.1.1 Purpose of an operating model............................................................................................. 79

5.1.2 Goals of the operating model ............................................................................................... 80

5.1.3 Clarifying stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities ................................................................ 81

5.1.4 The CEN ICT Skills Workshop contributes to the EU e-Skills Agenda .................................... 81

5.1.5 Creation of a collaborative network is a critical success factor ............................................ 82

5.1.6 Establishing a synergy between mechanisms for sustainability and promotion .................. 83

5.2 What can be learned from other Bodies of Knowledge? ................................................... 84

5.2.1 Development is a collaborative exercise involving stakeholders and experts ...................... 85

5.2.2 Designing governance ........................................................................................................... 86

5.2.3 Stable funding to ensure sustainability ................................................................................. 86

5.2.4 Innovation is essential to keep relevancy ............................................................................. 87

5.2.5 Adoption at national level to increase take-up ..................................................................... 88

5.2.6 International collaboration to enable synergy ...................................................................... 89

5.3 Sustainability ....................................................................................................................... 90

5.3.1 Description of sustainability functions .................................................................................. 91

5.4 Promotion and stimulating take-up.................................................................................... 92

5.4.1 Communication ..................................................................................................................... 92

5.4.2 International collaboration ................................................................................................... 95

5.5 Way forward ....................................................................................................................... 96

5.5.1 A Body of Knowledge as basis for certification and accreditation ........................................ 97

5.5.2 Exploring additional elements of the operating model: a register for ICT professionals...... 97

6 Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 100

Appendix A: Interview Report ........................................................................................ 103

Appendix B: Survey report ............................................................................................. 122

Appendix C: Example country factsheet – The Netherlands ......................................... 127

Appendix D: List of references ....................................................................................... 128



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Table of Tables Table 1: Overview of selected international topic specific Bodies of Knowledge ................................................ 52

Table 2: Overview of Universities of interest for mapping curricula to the Foundational ICT BOK ..................... 62

Table 3: Category composition of the stakeholders’ sample – Absolute numbers and percentages ................ 105

Table 4: Role profiles of interviewed – Absolute numbers and percentages ..................................................... 106

Table 5: Gaps referred to specific technical contents of ICT profession ............................................................ 108

Table 6: Gaps referred to general aspects or differences of approach between ICT graduates / practitioners and

the demand from industry ................................................................................................................ 109

Table 7: Who should benefit from an ICT Body of Knowledge? ......................................................................... 117

Table 8: Other aspects to take into consideration, by category ......................................................................... 119

Table 9: Other Sources of information, suggested by stakeholders ................................................................... 121



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Table of Figures Figure 1: Collaborative network as platform for sustainability and promotion ................................................... 10

Figure 2: Development of a Foundational Meta-Level ICT Body of Knowledge ................................................... 19

Figure 3: ACM Computer Science Knowledge Areas ............................................................................................ 20

Figure 4: Visualisation of the EU BOK in the context of life-long learning ........................................................... 24

Figure 5: Japanese ICTBOK.................................................................................................................................... 37

Figure 6: Example of Underlying areas within the Japanese ICTBOK ................................................................... 37

Figure 7: Process Flow NASSCOM Assessment of Competence-Technology ....................................................... 41

Figure 8: Sections of the Foundation Skills in IT programme ............................................................................... 41

Figure 9: Different approaches to drafting a Body of Knowledge ........................................................................ 45

Figure 10: Professional subdivision of computing field (Peter J Denning 2011) .................................................. 47

Figure 11: Activities to close gaps between ICT graduates and / or practitioners and the demand from the

industry ................................................................................................................................................ 58

Figure 12: Collaborative network as platform for sustainability and promotion ................................................. 83

Figure 13: composition of the stakeholders sample in terms of categories ....................................................... 106

Figure 14: Role profiles of interviewed............................................................................................................... 107

Figure 15: activities to close gaps between ICT graduates and / or practitioners and the demand from the

industry .............................................................................................................................................. 110

Figure 16: Are stakeholders undertaking any activities to close gaps between ICT graduates and / or

practitioners and the demand from the industry? ............................................................................ 111

Figure 17: Accreditation and certification is a means to formalise the qualifications of an ICT Professional. How

stakeholders evaluate the current ICT certification and accreditation provided by the following

bodies ................................................................................................................................................ 112

Figure 18: Awareness and usage of e-Competency Framework ........................................................................ 113

Figure 19: Stakeholders awareness and usage of existing Bodies of Knowledge THAT FUNCTION AS AN

OVERARCHING FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................ 114

Figure 20: Stakeholders awareness and usage of existing TOPIC SPECIFIC Bodies of Knowledge ..................... 115

Figure 21: Stakeholders have a different perspective on highly important elements that have to be provided in

the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge in Europe ......................................................................... 116

Figure 22: Main target of an ICT Body of Knowledge in stakeholder perception ............................................... 117

Figure 23: Elements BOK should consist of (overall) .......................................................................................... 118

Figure 24: Elements BOK should consist of (by priority) .................................................................................... 118

Figure 25: Best practices and suggestions (overall) ............................................................................................ 119

Figure 26: Best practices and suggestions (by priority) ...................................................................................... 120

Figure 27: Stakeholders’ perception of barriers in establishing partnerships on ICT ......................................... 120



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Executive summary

Information and Communication technology (ICT) is pervasive in every aspect of our daily lives, and its impact

will only increase. We are seeing the implications of this emerging already. Basic electronic user skills are

getting more and more important and this obviously poses challenges to ensure everyone can participate in

our technology-driven society, no matter the level of education, wealth, origin or age. But even if one is

capable of using for example the internet at work, on mobile devices or at home – new challenges emerge. ICT

is taking over jobs that were done by humans over the past decades and will continue to do so. This is

concerning not only routine and more standardized jobs in back offices, such as administrative services and

helpdesk employees but also traditional white collars and knowledge-intensive jobs. On the positive side, ICT

offers opportunities and also creates new jobs, such as that of data scientist and also stimulates the creation of

new innovative services and companies. To address the future needs to fulfil these roles, it appears that there

will be too few people to fill these new vacancies.

This is of great concern to the European Commission and EU Member States, which have consequently acted

to design a strategy and policies to counter this development. The Commission's Communication and Council

Conclusions on ‘e-Skills for the 21st

century’, the ‘Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs’ and the ‘e-Skills for jobs’

campaigns are leading in this regard. In addition, the ‘Digital Agenda for Europe’ and other flagship initiatives

related to innovation, employment, education and industrial policy, support and promote the EU e-skills

strategy. All of these initiatives are aimed at ensuring the right conditions for innovation and growth and for

digital jobs. Europe needs to ensure that the knowledge, skills and competences of the European workforce,

and in particular of ICT professionals, meet the highest standards to remain competitive.

Strengthening ICT professionalism in Europe is crucial. This is the rationale of EU efforts to build a

comprehensive European Framework for ICT professionalism. The four core pillars of a European Framework

for ICT professionalism are: a foundational Body of Knowledge (BOK); a competence framework; education

and training; and a code of professional ethics. At the moment, there is no authoritative source that defines

and organises the core knowledge of the ICT discipline. A European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge can

fill this gap and provide the basis for a common understanding of the foundational knowledge an ICT

professional should possess. Having a common way of referring to ICT knowledge, i.e. a ‘go-to’ point of

reference, will facilitate communication among ICT practitioners and provide a baseline for competency

models, certification programmes, educational programmes, and other workforce development initiatives1.

The ultimate objective of this European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge is to create a recognised and

supported meta-model that:

Serves as an entry point for anyone contemplating a career in ICT, and entering from other

professions;

Facilitates communication between and understanding of ICT professionals in Europe in whatever

sector they are active, thereby reducing risks and strengthening ICT professionalism;

Helps to increase the supply and pool of ICT professionals by contributing to a better perception of

ICT jobs.

Obviously it is impossible to define ‘the’ ICT profession – in all its variations, breadth and ambiguity. Therefore,

the ambition is to create a framework that will eventually facilitate people in choosing for an ICT job by making

it clear what knowledge is required to start a career (and where to obtain further specific knowledge) and by

describing where that development path can get you in the longer term (and which e-competences one would

need to develop). For this it is essential to draft a Body of Knowledge that includes as much as possible. This

1 “e-Skills and ICT Professionalism: Fostering the ICT profession in Europe” see:

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/eskills/ict_professionalism_report_en.pdf




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proposal for a European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge provides an initial attempt, a first step.

Developing a Body of Knowledge will always remain a process requiring the involvement of a great many

stakeholders. This concrete proposal does however provide anyone interested in working in ICT with a view of

what working in ICT can offer and what is required to grasp that opportunity.

As we learned from analysing existing Bodies of Knowledge, the process of generating a Body of Knowledge is

in most cases done by practitioners who felt a need to document the existing knowledge and who took time to

develop it. Ensuring broad stakeholder support is pivotal for the success of this initiative. Throughout the

duration of this work many experts from across Europe and beyond were involved (U.S., Japan, Canada,

Australia etc.). They represented organisations in various sectors including Education, Industry, Public sector,

professional and certification associations and many others that are all committed to contribute to further

maturing the ICT profession. The development of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge is based

on a combination of thorough study and analysis of existing research and generic / specific Bodies of

Knowledge, as well as exploring and capturing the needs and demands of stakeholders. This led to the creation

of a draft BOK and version 1.0 of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. The results presented in

the final report are the outcome of much iteration and are supported by key stakeholders.

Figure 1: The European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

The European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge includes different knowledge areas of the ICT domain

ranging from a strategic to a technological perspective. The reasoning behind this is that every ICT professional

should have knowledge of both strategy as well as technology (of course varying in balance depending on the

job one works in). These knowledge areas are presented as a continuum. There are three knowledge areas

that were selected to be ‘cross-cutting’ the ICT discipline, of which soft skills is an important one. Each

knowledge area describes the various elements one needs to master, and provides reference to the e-

Competence Framework, to possible job profiles and to specific knowledge (in specific existing Bodies of

Knowledge and / or certifications). This function of referencing is one of the key strengths of the model – as it

allows for anyone to understand what comes next. Base-level knowledge is required to start an ICT job, after

which one has to further develop specific knowledge, competencies and skills to grow and explore a career

path.

Naming this European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge a version 1.0 already implies that it will further

develop and mature into new versions in the future. The process of maintaining and enriching the European

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge through broad consensus building is critical to deliver on its potential.

This report also proposes an operating model that defines the functions contributing to achieving a recognised

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and supported Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge that facilitates communication and understanding of ICT

professionals in Europe, thereby strengthening ICT professionalism and improving collaboration within the

profession. This includes on the one hand: coordination, funding, innovation and maintenance through

consensus building to ensure a sustainable model, and on the other hand: communication and international

collaboration to promote and stimulate take-up of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

The ambition of the European Commission is to promote the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

into a European standard. This is a process that will take time. While this maturing process is going on, the

European Standardisation Body (CEN) appears to be the most expedient body to take ownership and guide

that process. It would enable the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge to grow in close relation to

the e-Competence Framework and other elements of the Framework for ICT professionalism which are

developed by CEN. Funding mechanisms are already in place as well as procedures to propose, design, discuss,

decide on and publish requests for change. It furthermore connects to international standardisation

frameworks. A relevant network of stakeholders also exists and could be easily assigned with this task. We

underline the necessity of ensuring broad community involvement, in an open and transparent matter.

One of the key success factors of promoting ICT Professionalism is the establishment of an open and

collaborative network bringing together all relevant stakeholders. While a collaborative platform is open to all

interested people, it is basically positioned as offering new insights and opportunities to key stakeholders, by

opening up another European dimension to their current activities. Such a dimension is critical for boosting ICT

professionalism across Europe. The key message is to offer all relevant stakeholders at a national, regional or

local level a ‘European dimension’ to their activities, complementary to their current practices. A successful

collaborative network must: have clear ICT practitioner-centred objectives; grow quickly to achieve a critical

mass of users and keep a constant growth. It must furthermore be a dynamic platform offering tailored

services and features, allowing outsiders to tap in as well. The figure below represents this view in the context

of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

Another key success factor is determining leading practices as ‘champions’, as an effective means to drive

take-up of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge in European countries. Representatives from

respected European organisations such as the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS),

the European e-Skills Association, and national organisations such as for example CIGREF and Pasc@line in

France, are well equipped for that purpose, as well as various academic networks. This would provide an

impulse to the promotion of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge and boost growth of the

collaborative network. The latter is essential because achieving a critical mass of users is required to make this

a success. Many stakeholders showed interest in the overall process up to now, were actively involved and

contributed. The best time to start further development and promotion of the European Foundational ICT

Body of Knowledge is now. This will require serious communication and promotion efforts to provide the

engine behind further European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge development and promotion would take

optimal advantage of the current momentum this work has obtained. It will also be of value to create

awareness amongst (potential) ICT professionals, directly and / or through teachers and employers – and to

further explore international collaboration.



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Figure 1: Possible Collaborative network as platform for sustainability and promotion

There are two choices when it comes to sustainability, as eloquently put by Prof James Lapalme: ‘either the

means is the community and the objective is the Body of Knowledge, or the means is the Body of Knowledge

and the objective the community’. Do we aim for a sustainable process, in which the needs and aspirations of

the community are addressed in the development of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, with

the goal to increase meaning and improve decision-making? Or do we limit our scope to the contents and

focus purely on updating and reviewing the document itself? Although there is a grey area between the two

options, the community driven approach seems to be most beneficial. This is a very important assumption,

because many of the processes to maintain and enrich current European documents are often not organised

as such but are instead mostly output-driven.

With the proposal for an operating model for the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, we also want

to make clear that more is needed to advance more quickly and achieve success. The European Foundational

ICT Body of Knowledge can only deliver on its potential if we succeed to make it part of the community. To

create a sense of ownership – not just with the governing body responsible for the actual updates but with the

entire ecosystem - and in particular the (potential) ICT professional.

Even though ‘the’ ICT profession is difficult to define - as it is broad and diverse and rapidly advancing as well –

this European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge provides a first scope with the aim to make it

understandable for anyone what possible career opportunities exist. The European Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge is aimed at anyone willing to enter the ICT profession, either coming directly from university or

from other career paths – there are vacancies that need to be filled. These jobs might still change, and new

profiles will emerge due to advancing technological developments, but to start in any ICT job would require

having a breadth of understanding of what ICT is. This European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge provides

that insight. The challenge now is to not only communicate this, but also make it of practical use for those

potential ICT professionals and hence ensure widespread adoption of the model.

Traditional channels won’t suffice, especially since there is a need to reach the younger generation who are

much more tech-savvy and expect to be approached in modern ways. The group of potential ‘job-hoppers’,

that consider a new career path, have already gone through education. If this group is to actually change

direction towards an ICT job, they would first: need to really understand what ICT is, and second: a way to

obtain the base-level knowledge required to start in an ICT function. Self-assessments could prove value to

match capabilities and demand (once the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge is further matured).



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The development of an online course could also provide useful means to facilitate people on their job

orientation. It could be developed in close collaboration with academia and industry to provide a course that

any new hire should go through, while at the same time be of use to anyone orientating on a future career in

ICT to obtain the necessary knowledge required to start.

In summary, we recommend the following next steps:

For the future, maturing the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge 1.0, would require to

– Validate areas for improvement, as well as drafting proposals to further specify levels within the included knowledge areas, and

– Inserting case studies of how certain personas can make use of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge (also in relation to other pillars of the Framework for ICT professionalism - in particular the e-Competence Framework).

This will enrich the model itself, as well as open up opportunities for developing self-assessment

tools, guides and basic training courses that are necessary to enable anyone interested in working in

ICT to make practical use of the developed documents.

Take action to support the development of an open and collaborative network. A balanced approach

is required to ensure all stakeholders are involved, engaged and able to contribute – and promote the

use of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge in practice. This includes:

– Engaging champions as role models for promoting the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. This should be professional associations that represent current ICT professionals, but also those who play an important role in the decision making process of an individual that might consider a career in ICT (educational institutions and possibly also recruiters / HR departments in Industry).

– Set up of coordination mechanisms to drive the necessary actions and support the champions.

Explore how existing initiatives, such as the European Quality Assurance Network for Informatics

Education (EQANIE) and others, could be engaged in developing a quality label (or similar) to award

educational institutions and other training providers for ‘complying’ with the European Foundational

ICT Body of Knowledge. This could provide the incentive for these institutions to use the model, and

consequently contribute to a more uniform approach to ICT professionalism.

Creating transparency and clarity as regards how the various European initiatives fit together and how

these can create the synergy required to boost ICT professionalism.

Facilitate international collaboration. The challenge of maturing the ICT professional is a global

challenge and requires intensifying collaboration between Europe and other parts of the world.

Various initiatives have been launched across the globe on the development of Bodies of Knowledge

and other elements of the ICT profession. The further development of the European Foundational ICT

Body of Knowledge will surely benefit from this collaboration Direct value add can be obtained from

excellent work that has been done for instance in Japan (IPA), Canada, United States and Australia.



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1 Introduction

“The urgent need for up-skilling Europe’s workforce can only be achieved through the acquisition of

e-Skills. The capability of European industry to innovate and compete in the global economy is increasingly

dependent on the innovative and efficient use of information and communication technologies (ICT). This

phenomenon will grow even faster in the future. The ICT sector is responsible for five per cent of European GDP,

with an annual market value of €660bn, and it contributes far more to productivity growth through ICT

investments in all sectors. As the ICT industry is increasingly sourcing talent wherever it is available on a world-

wide basis, e-Skills are crucial to the competitiveness and the attractiveness of Europe as a region.”

Antonio Tajani2, Vice-President of the European Commission, 2010-2014

1.1 Europe’s ambition to strengthening the ICT Profession

Stakeholders, especially the ICT industry, have been promoting ICT skills for many years. At the EU level, the

European Commission established the European e-Skills Forum in March 2003 to “foster an open dialogue

between all relevant stakeholders and to catalyse actions with a view to helping to narrow the e-skills gap and

to address e-skills mismatches.” After consultation with stakeholders and Member States, this was followed in

September 2007 by the Commission's Communication and Competitiveness Council Conclusions on “e-Skills

for the 21st Century: Fostering Competitiveness, Growth and Jobs” with a long-term EU e-skills agenda.3

There is a broad consensus that industry needs highly skilled ICT practitioners and Europe needs more young

people to become ICT practitioners to fulfil future increases in demand. A report for the European Commission

in 2012 on ‘e-Skills and ICT Professionalism: Fostering the ICT Profession in Europe’ found that in the meantime

and notwithstanding of the economic crisis the number of ICT practitioners required in Europe has continued

to grow and will continue to do so.4. The demand for employees with ICT skills is growing by around 3% a year5,

while the number of ICT graduates has fell by 10% between 2006 and 20106; If this trend were to continue,

there would be up to 900 000 unfilled ICT practitioner vacancies in the EU by 2015

In order to foster the growth of digital jobs in Europe and to improve ICT Professionalism this study proposed

the concept of a ‘Framework for ICT professionalism’. This framework would consist of four building blocks

which are also found in other professions: a Body of Knowledge (from here: BOK); a competence framework;

education and training; and a code of professional ethics.

A competence framework has already been established in the form of the European e-Competence

Framework (e-CF)7. The other building blocks are to be defined. The present report elaborates on the

requirements for complying with the recommendation for the BOK building block, i.e. establishing a “European

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge”.

1.2 Rationale and objective

At the moment, there is no authoritative source within the EU that defines and organises the core knowledge

of the ICT discipline. An EU Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge is therefore needed to provide the basis for a

2 www.theparliament.com/policy-focus/economic-affairs/economics-article/newsarticle/adding-value/#.Ujaw_j-K31M 3 See: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52007DC0496&from=EN 4 See: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/eskills/ict_professionalism_report_en.pdf 5 See: http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/themes/12_digital_agenda_ict.pdf 6 See: http://careerstalk.org/blog/2013/09/16/thinking-about-a-career-developing-apps/ 7 http://www.ecompetences.eu/

http://www.theparliament.com/policy-focus/economic-affairs/economics-article/newsarticle/adding-value/#.Ujaw_j-K31M

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52007DC0496&from=EN




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common understanding of the foundational knowledge an ICT professional should possess8. Having a common

way of referring to ICT knowledge, i.e. a ‘go-to’ point of reference, will facilitate communication among ICT

practitioners and provide a baseline for competency models, certification programmes, educational

programmes, and other workforce development initiatives9.

With this goal in mind, we defined a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge as follows:

’The European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge is the base-level knowledge required to enter the ICT

profession and acts as the first point of reference for anyone interested in working in ICT’.

The ultimate objective is to create a recognised and supported Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge that:

Serves as an entry point to get into ICT for anyone contemplating a career in ICT and entering from

other professions;

Facilitates communication between and understanding of ICT professionals in Europe in whatever

sector they are active, thereby reducing risks and strengthening ICT professionalism;

Increases the supply and pool of ICT professionals and enhances the image of ICT.

The European Commission and the research team of the report ‘e-Skills: International Dimension and the

impact of globalisation’ have established cooperation with key stakeholders in other regions of the world

sharing the same goals (e.g. in the US, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Australia etc.). This initiative aims to build on and

strengthen that collaboration.

1.3 Approach

The process of generating a Body of Knowledge is, as we learned from analysing existing Bodies of Knowledge

(from here also: BOK’s, read more in chapter 3), in most cases done by practitioners who felt a need to

document the Body of Knowledge and who took time (approx. 3 years) to develop it. From our own experience

in similar projects, and these insights, we are convinced that ensuring broad stakeholder support is pivotal for

the success of this project. Hence we ensured support by involving many experts from across Europe and

beyond, representing various organisations that are all committed to contribute to further maturing the ICT

profession. Besides development of content, we initiated many activities to create awareness, engage and

involve relevant stakeholders from industry, education providers, (professional) associations, certification

institutes, government and many others.

As specified in the service contract, the work was split in two phases:

The first phase (months 1-6) was dedicated to the collection and analysis of information, interviews

and surveys etc. and the preparation of the interim report;

8 ICT literacy is defined as being familiar with the fundamental information technology concepts and having the ability to utilise computers and related technology efficiently. One of the components is computer literacy. One way of becoming computer literate is by taking the European Computer Driving Licence (http://www.ecdl.org/).

9 “e-Skills and ICT Professionalism: Fostering the ICT profession in Europe”; http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/eskills/ict_professionalism_report_en.pdf

http://www.ecdl.org/




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The second phase (months 7-12) was dedicated to the finalisation of a European foundational Body of

Knowledge for ICT professionals, of an operating model for the promotion of ICT Professionalism in

Europe, the organisation of a high-profile conference and the preparation of the final report.

We combined thorough study and analysis of existing studies and research with exploring and capturing of

needs and demands of stakeholders, to generate the concept and version 1.0 of the European Foundational

ICT Body of Knowledge. The results presented in this final report and the separate European Foundational ICT

Body of Knowledge, are the result of much iteration and finally were approved by the steering committee and

Commission.

The text boxes below indicate the activities performed in this first phase.

Phase 1 consisted in building a knowledge base by gathering all relevant information needed for defining

the meta-model of a European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge by means of:

Desk research (relevant studies and research, mapping and in-depth analysis of existing generic

and specific Bodies of Knowledge that exist across the globe; analysing existing curricula and

certification programmes, etc.);

Interviews with 200 stakeholders from industry, education providers, (professional) associations,

certification institutes, government and many others;

Two expert workshops with a balanced mix of stakeholders;

Separate consultations with experts for reviewing purposes and to further improve the Body of

Knowledge framework;

Steering Committee meeting to approve work-in-progress and concept and outline of the

European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

The second phase has seen further refining of the model, and ongoing efforts to create awareness. As we

know from other initiatives (such as CIPS’ CBOK in Canada), achieving consensus by the profession on a

common Body of Knowledge is a key milestone in all disciplines10. We hence launched a consultation round to

review the initial draft European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, and organised a separate workshop

with Academics to process received reviews and consolidate version 1.0.

Phase 2 was dedicated to delivering a version 1.0 of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge,

through:

An extensive review round of the initial draft model;

Two expert workshops with a balanced mix of stakeholders;

A workshop with academics to consolidate review comments;

A online survey to gather further feedback on the Body of Knowledge and possible operating

model;

Steering Committee meeting to get approval for the version 1.0 of the European Foundational ICT

Body of Knowledge;

Separate consultations with experts for reviewing purposes and to further improve the Body of

Knowledge framework

A high level conference for over 200 participants, presenting the results of this project and in

10 CIPS, www.cips.ca/CIPS-publishes-the-Guide-to-the-Common-Body-of-Knowledge-April2012

http://www.cips.ca/CIPS-publishes-the-Guide-to-the-Common-Body-of-Knowledge-April2012



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broader context discuss critical elements of maturing the ICT profession by excellent speakers.

This approach hence consists of various methods to continuously facilitate interaction and stimulate

collaboration. In doing so, we kept the following principles in mind:

Neutral approach, in meeting the needs of many stakeholders. All perspectives are important and the

views of one group of stakeholders are not taken as more important than those of any other group.

Bottom up, in developing the BOK structure starting from the basic level of knowledge that all ICT

professional should possess.

Pragmatic, in designing framework and contents, not a scientific choice, but a pragmatic process to

identify principles, theories and practices that form the basis for e-skills development

The activities so far – as mentioned in text boxes above – helped to create an understanding of:

Definition and purpose of an European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge;

The variety and key characteristics of existing Bodies of Knowledge and their maturity paths;

The interdependencies between knowledge, skills and competences;

Existing ICT Professionalism frameworks;

The ecosystem of stakeholders and their drivers.

The development of the model took place in three steps: from an initial BOK framework, to a refined model

with content, to an approved final BOK framework and consolidated content. These insights were pivotal to

design the version 1.0, and to create support from key stakeholders. Each activity contributed to designing the

core pillars of the framework for the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

1.4 Reading guide

This Final Report is written to provide insight into progress, facilitate debate and provide recommendations for

next steps.

Chapters 2, 3 and 4 of this report present the concept to design the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, an

overview and analysis of existing Bodies of Knowledge and the first version of the framework of the European

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

Chapter 5 addresses the operating model of the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. It describes the

ecosystem and motivation of the various stakeholder groups with regard to the Body of Knowledge. This

chapter presents the proposed operating model and a look forward.

Chapter 6 provides recommendations and next steps.



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2 Defining a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

“The goal of ensuring that Europe’s workforce and population is adequately e-skilled for the future should be

seen within a longer-term strategic framework: e-skills is not an issue which can be dealt with, and then

dismissed”

European e-Skills Forum: “e-Skills for Europe: Towards 2010 and beyond”11

2.1 Introduction

As stated clearly in the Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan published in January 2013: “investing in digital is no

longer a choice.” The rise of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) over the last decade has

resulted in a fast changing world. ICT is having a transformative effect at all levels of both the economy and

society, producing in turn new and better jobs in an enhanced European economy. Technological solutions

show significant advantages, for example, smart use of data can provide valuable information to anticipate

trends, or increase the effectiveness of services. ICT changes the way we work, do business and interact with

each other. Traditional industries are transforming and because of the need to adapt to the vast changing

business environment. New technological developments accelerate and enhance the way products and

services are designed, developed, produced and accessed.

As such, Europe is increasingly reliant on the efficient use of new information and communication technologies

knowledge, skills and competences of the European workforce and people. There is broad consensus about

the crucial importance of e-skills for Europe given the e-skills shortages, gaps and mismatches keep affecting

negatively growth, competitiveness, innovation and employment in Europe. As new technologies are

developing rapidly, e-skills are increasingly sophisticated and need to be constantly updated. As part of

Capgemini Consulting’s partnership with CIGREF, the French network gathering 130 French companies and

various governmental and non-government organisations from all sectors, a study was conducted “assessing

how ICT represented the next big challenge for business”12

. Another report entitled “The public sector in the

era of Digital Transformation13” looked at these challenges from a public sector point of view. One of the main

conclusions of these joint reports was that in order to reap the benefits of ICT, there was a need to pay further

importance to e-Skills and overall education.

E-skills should encompass a broad set of skills necessary in the modern workplace. Successful innovation in ICT

services requires cross-disciplinary, cognitive and problem-solving skills as well as an understanding of the

fundamentals of business and communication skills (transversal or horizontal skills). This is even more valid in

consideration of entrepreneurs, managers and advanced ICT users with coordination- and managerial roles.

Improving the availability of e-skills involves actions at EU and national level primarily in education, training,

research as well as industrial- and labour policies.

11 The European e-Skills Forum, "e-Skills for Europe: Towards 2010 and beyond", September 2004.

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/e-skills-forum-2004-09-fsr_en.pdf 12http://www.cigref.fr/cigref_publications/RapportsContainer/Parus2010/L_Information_Prochain_defi_pour_les_entreprises_CI

GREF_Capgemini_Consulting_decembre_2009.pdf 13http://www.cigref.fr/cigref_publications/RapportsContainer/Parus2011/Secteur_public_transformation_numerique_CIGREF_Ca

pgemini_Consulting_2011.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/e-skills-forum-2004-09-fsr_en.pdf

http://www.cigref.fr/cigref_publications/RapportsContainer/Parus2010/L_Information_Prochain_defi_pour_les_entreprises_CIGREF_Capgemini_Consulting_decembre_2009.pdf

http://www.cigref.fr/cigref_publications/RapportsContainer/Parus2010/L_Information_Prochain_defi_pour_les_entreprises_CIGREF_Capgemini_Consulting_decembre_2009.pdf

http://www.cigref.fr/cigref_publications/RapportsContainer/Parus2011/Secteur_public_transformation_numerique_CIGREF_Capgemini_Consulting_2011.pdf

http://www.cigref.fr/cigref_publications/RapportsContainer/Parus2011/Secteur_public_transformation_numerique_CIGREF_Capgemini_Consulting_2011.pdf



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2.2 Background

In the foundational book “Social Issues in Computing14

” published in 1973, Calvin Carl Gotlieb and Allan

Borodin tackled, among others, the topic of “professionalization and responsibility,” whereby they addressed

notions such as education, professional development, ethics, etc. Their work paved the way for the concept of

an ICT Body of Knowledge.

The initiative of these authors led to the foundation of the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS),

which in turn drafted the “Guide to the Common Body of Knowledge for Computing and IT (CBOK)”, which has

been updated in 2012.

William Agresti in his paper for the IEEE Computer Society states that ‘the first requirement for any area of

practice to qualify as a profession is that it correspond to an organised Body of Knowledge’.15

He indicates that

it is important because it helps design educational and training programs; it can serve as a reference for testing

and certifying individuals and that it helps bring stature to the IT profession, to distinguish it from other

(related) professions. Furthermore, “ICT Professionalism” does not always possess sufficient levels of ICT

knowledge in the broader sense, stimulating knowledge silos and preventing efficient organisational capability

planning.

In a consultation about the 2007 update to the Australian ACS BOK, a comment was made that highlights the

need for a BOK and the added value of a professional having this knowledge: “… working through a known

program to develop a starter kit of habits and skills is useful. So is contextually relevant experience of

producing work which is a good fit for purpose. Some of these skills will be about the non-IT work of the client

/ employer / project and where the critical pressures are, on speed, on reliability, on maintainability, on its

match with other projects in a family of work, the characteristics of the community of use for the project.

Being able to hear or compare alternative approaches and understand where the strengths and costs lie and to

be able to negotiate in a mixed perspective context in order to find the best outcomes are useful.”16

In order to promote ICT Professionalism to address the needs of the future, it is now high time for the EU to

move forward in setting up a Body of Knowledge.

There had been a steady increase in the number of ICT practitioners from 2.25 million in 1995 to 4.26 million in

2008 in the EU15. However, the interest in ICT careers among young Europeans seemed to be diminishing in

Europe. The number of computer science graduates had been growing in the past, but has been in continuous

decline in Europe since 2005. In 2007, European universities produced fewer than 150,000 computer science

graduates every year and the trend showed an even further decline. Forecasts suggested that in a “back to

normal” scenario the excess demand for ICT practitioners in the EU27 would reach 384,000 by 2015. In a

“turbo knowledge economy” scenario this would even reach 669,000. Even in a “stagnation” scenario, demand

would exceed supply in the EU27. This would amount to a shortage in Europe of either 8% or 13% ICT

practitioners17

. If this trend continues, there would be up to 900 000 unfilled ICT practitioner vacancies in the

EU by 2015.

The main conclusion of the report on “e-Skills for the 21st

Century: fostering competitiveness, growth and

jobs18” was that industry desperately needs highly skilled ICT practitioners and Europe needs more young

people to become ICT practitioners to fulfil future increases in demand. In line with the rise in Internet use in

14 Calvin Carl Gotlieb and Allan Borodin, Social Issues in Computing, Academic Press, 1973 – 284 pages 15 www.computer.org/csdl/mags/it/2008/06/mit2008060018.pdf 16 www.archivum.info/[email protected]/2007-07/00268/Re-(LINK)-New-Core-Body-Of-Knowledge-for-the-ICT-

Profession.html 17 Evaluation of the implementation of the communication of the European Commission on e-Skills for the 21st Century, October

2010. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/reports/eskills21_final_report_en.pdf 18 e-Skills for the 21st Century: Fostering Competitiveness, Growth, and Jobs” Available at: http://new.eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52007DC0496&from=EN

http://www.computer.org/csdl/mags/it/2008/06/mit2008060018.pdf

http://www.archivum.info/[email protected]/2007-07/00268/Re-(LINK)-New-Core-Body-Of-Knowledge-for-the-ICT-Profession.html

http://www.archivum.info/[email protected]/2007-07/00268/Re-(LINK)-New-Core-Body-Of-Knowledge-for-the-ICT-Profession.html

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/reports/eskills21_final_report_en.pdf

http://new.eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52007DC0496&from=EN

http://new.eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52007DC0496&from=EN



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Europe, more and more Europeans were acquiring basic digital skills. Along those lines, a long term e-skills

agenda was presented, including five major action lines at EU level (2007-2010).

The “e-Skills for the 21st

Century” communication made a series of recommendations.

Firstly, the continuation of the long term e-skills agenda with new focused e-skills activities to fill well

identified gaps, in particular the promotion of “e-leadership skills” for competitiveness and innovation

to match new requirements emerging from industry.

Secondly, encouragement and support of Member States in the development of their own long-term

e-skills strategies.

Thirdly, an increase of the scale of the resources invested and reinforcement of the sustainability of

on-going activities, including ICT practitioners’ skills and digital literacy. Lastly, the coordination and

synchronisation of e-skills related activities at all levels (between the Commission, national Ministries

and stakeholders) to achieve greater impact. Two evaluations of the implementation of these major

action lines for the periods 2007-2010 and 2010-2013 concluded that that good progress had been

achieved so far and that efforts must be intensified.

The Commission launched an initiative on e-Skills and ICT Professionalism with a view to support the

development of a European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. Having such a Body of Knowledge can

‘facilitate communication and understanding between ICT professionals in Europe, thereby reducing risk and

strengthen ICT Professionalism’. ICT needs a solid embedding in society since computing has become more

pervasive and increasingly important. The initial idea when establishing an ICT Body of Knowledge is to support

and improve the quality of education, certification, and qualification and education providers19

. Establishing a

European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge will pave the way for a common understanding of the key

basics necessary in the ICT profession. However, embedding ICT more strongly in society and education is one

thing, making sure that everyone at any time can access the knowledge, is something else. Therefore a well-

thought strategy on how to promote ICT Professionalism needs to be detailed that builds on maturing the ICT

profession.

Key aspects of a BOK researched in the aforementioned report are20

:

Education and training: The availability of courses, textbooks or other forms of sources of knowledge.

Coverage: The topics the BOK covers;

Currency: How up to date is the BOK kept and how sustainable is this currency;

Usage: The coverage of the uptake of the BOK, both by practitioners as well as by education-, training-

, and certification institutes;

The report highlighted that the large number of existing ICT-related Bodies of Knowledge covered much of the

scope of ICT while still having a lot of gaps and overlaps. The audiences for these BOK’s are also diverse, from

practitioners tot people at the organisational level as well as management. Many of these BOK’s are focusing

on a specific specialism. Developing a BOK requires selection, validation and agreement on what generally

accepted good practices are.

We have identified a number of challenges with regard to developing a foundational ICT BOK:

Existing BOK’s work and there is no impetus to change;

19 http://ictprof.eu/documents/Brochure_Fostering_the_ICT_Profession_in_Europe.pdf 20 http://ictprof.eu/documents/EU_ICT_Professionalism_Project_FINAL_REPORT.pdf

http://ictprof.eu/documents/Brochure_Fostering_the_ICT_Profession_in_Europe.pdf

http://ictprof.eu/documents/EU_ICT_Professionalism_Project_FINAL_REPORT.pdf



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There are existing (financial) incentives that can potentially hinder convergence of BOK’s

Language issues need to be overcome (origin diversity, translation costs);

BOK’s are not mapped to roles or jobs;

BOK’s provide an incomplete view;

Delayed dissemination (e.g. due to intellectual property motivations) can cause delays in maintaining

BOK’s;

Furthermore, there are differences amongst countries and groups of stakeholders as regards to what is the

most acceptable level of detail for a BOK. Some stakeholders desire a very detailed BOK prescribing even the

number of hours that needs to be dedicated to specific topics whilst others aim for high level description of

subject areas to allow for maximum flexibility in the application of the BOK.

In the Brochure ‘Fostering ICT Professionalism21

’ there is a diagram presenting the action this service contract

has been designed to address. The mission statement embodied by the first action point is to establish a

sustainable operating model for ICT Professionalism, to do so there is a need to develop a European

foundational meta-level ICT Body of Knowledge.

Figure 2: Development of a Foundational Meta-Level ICT Body of Knowledge22

2013 marked the 40th anniversary of the very first piece of literature paving the way for ICT Professionalism.

Now 10 years later, we have progressed significantly although there is still a lot to be done. There are not

enough students entering the ICT perception and the perception of the ICT industry is sometimes negatively

impacted in some countries by reports of major ICT problems impacting society or large ICT projects having

failed. At the same time, ICT has become more pervasive and increasingly critical in society, emphasising the

need for the profession to mature23

. One way to move forward is the creation of a European Foundational

Body of Knowledge.

21 Retrieved from: http://ictprof.eu/documents/Brochure_Fostering_the_ICT_Profession_in_Europe.pdf 22 Brochure Fostering ICT Professionalism 23 Interim Report, "e-Skills: the International Dimension and the Impact of Globalisation", September 2013, IVI, IDC, Empirica and

CEPIS.




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2.3 BOK development in international perspective

To enable better communication and mapping of equivalent skills across professions related to ICT, there is a

need to establish a Body of Knowledge to which all ICT professionals can relate. The aim of the Body of

Knowledge would therefore be to characterise the baseline of knowledge to be expected from ICT

professionals in terms of knowledge capabilities. This would act as a foundation in providing the framework for

the mutual recognition of skills and capabilities across the ICT profession at a European level. To be dynamic in

time, this Body of Knowledge should also be a source of inspiration for link to the core curricula and therefore

mapping of ICT education and training across Europe; thus allowing for enhanced mutual recognition of skills

and know-how. Such a European Body of Knowledge would serve to promote ICT Professionalism in Europe.

What is a Body of Knowledge though? It is often referred to as the core teachings, skills and research in a field

or industry. It is often a combination of the curricula that contributes to the essential knowledge needed in a

specific profession, knowledge that contributes to the competencies of the professionalism. Work has already

been done in this field in different countries, specifically in the North America and in the British Isles.

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in the US together with the IEEE Computer Society has

developed a Computer Science Body of Knowledge, certification schemes as well as a range of educational

curricula and education awards. Through an elaborate consultation process they have identified a number of

key principles for the Body of Knowledge they outlined and they monitor indicators to assess the need to

change or update the Body of Knowledge. The ACM has identified 14 key knowledge areas to structure the

overall Body of Knowledge:24

Figure 3: ACM Computer Science Knowledge Areas

The approach and content of the ACM and IEEE Computer Society as well as numerous similar examples

around the world can form the inspiration for a European foundational Body of Knowledge. As mentioned in

the ICT Professionalism report, a Body of Knowledge is to be understood as an agile framework bringing

together series of methodologies and concepts so as to ensure basic common understanding, formal and

explicit foundation and communication between the different levels of a specific domain.

Lunt et al began their work on defining an IT curriculum and accreditation standards at the first Conference on

Information Technology Curriculum in 2001, doing a comparative study of different programs at academic

institutions, resulting in an IT BOK three years later.25

The Seoul Accord is a multi-lateral agreement amongst agencies responsible for the accreditation or

recognition of IT-related qualifications to contribute to the improvement of computing education worldwide. It

was established in 2008 and aims to define and promulgate standards and guidelines for the academic

preparation of computing professionals.26

24 www.acm.org//education/curricula/ComputerScience2008.pdf 25 http://2005papers.iisit.org/I21f61Lunt.pdf 26 www.seoulaccord.com/accord/contents.jsp?menu_l=85

http://www.acm.org/education/curricula/ComputerScience2008.pdf

http://2005papers.iisit.org/I21f61Lunt.pdf

http://www.seoulaccord.com/accord/contents.jsp?menu_l=85



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The following sections will explain the underlying concepts for creating a Body of Knowledge. This includes in

particular the definition of a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, what we mean by ‘foundational’ and how

knowledge must be distinguished from skills and competences. It is necessary to create common grounds

before delving into further details of developing a Body of Knowledge. Furthermore, developing, disseminating

and maintaining a regularly updated Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge is a long-term endeavour. It is

therefore necessary to determine the maturity path of a Body of Knowledge as well as its scope. Moreover, we

will describe the foundations on which this ICT Body of Knowledge can capitalise, as well as the learnings from

studying existing (generic and specific) Bodies of Knowledge.

2.4 Defining the concept of a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

Starting from the objective: “Creation of a recognised and supported foundational EU ICT Body of Knowledge

that facilitates communication between and understanding of ICT professionals in Europe, thereby reducing

risks and strengthen ICT Professionalism”, we can discern several concepts that are fundamental and need to

be further explained to create a common ground:

What is a Body of Knowledge?

What do we mean by knowledge?

What is meant by foundational?

Who will be using the Body of Knowledge?

2.4.1 Purpose and definition of a Body of Knowledge

What is a Body of Knowledge? It is more than simply a collection of terms, a professional reading list, a

collection of websites or even a collection of information. In the report e-Skills and ICT Professionalism:

Fostering the ICT profession in Europe it was stated that “a relevant Body of Knowledge encompasses the

requirement for a broad and deep knowledge base which is up to date, accommodating both a common ICT

Body of Knowledge, and pertinent specialist knowledge and skills.27

”, including both technical and non-

technical aspects.

Bodies of Knowledge are developed as a means of documenting accepted good practices, being used to

competently complete tasks in a specific area of interest. They can be initiated by special interest groups or

communities of practice working on advancing and further standardising certain areas of the specific domain.

Denning in his article ‘When IT becomes a profession’ states: “Professionals operate from codified bodies of

principles and practices, which, as we have seen, are distinct and equally important forms of knowledge. The

standards of performance are essential to inspire trust in the methods of the profession and in the work of

individual professionals.”28

Considering the highly evolutionary nature of ICT, this Body of Knowledge cannot be static and fixed in time. If

it were so, its so-called shelf value would be extremely limited and would only address the technological

aspects of a short period of time and correlate these to past requirements, skills and knowledge. A sustainable

operating model thus needs to take this into account and allow for a constant evolution of the BOK while at

the same time not being a constantly moving target that can never be reached.

BOK’s reflect documented accepted good practices and support enhanced understanding in a subject area.

Hence, BOK’s often inform course syllabi and serve as a basis for proficiency standards against which industry

27 Report, “e-Skills and ICT Professionalism: Fostering the ICT profession in Europe”, 2012 28 http://denninginstitute.com/pjd/PUBS/WhenITProf.pdf

http://denninginstitute.com/pjd/PUBS/WhenITProf.pdf



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certifications and higher education qualifications can be issued. Other professions require all members to

possess a shared understanding and language of their respective domain. The proposed framework

recommends the definition and adoption of a foundational ICT BOK that would encompass a broad range of

ICT topics or so-called knowledge areas. Given the dynamic nature of ICT, a meta-modelling approach is

proposed. Such a meta model was described as identifying ‘the areas and nature of expertise required that is

to say, we would identify the areas and nature of expertise required, possibly in the form of a syllabus, as

opposed to defining the actual detailed content therein’29

. It is also envisaged that education course providers

may be inspired to map their course offerings to this foundational level BOK in future years. 30

Furthermore,

the BOK should be vendor inclusive and provide examples of reference to certificates and trainings from

different sources. In the more established professions of engineering and accounting, the accreditation of

post-secondary curricula and the certification of practicing professionals are taken very seriously. These

activities are seen as key to the constant upgrading of professionals and the improvement of the level of

professional practice. Recognising a common Body of Knowledge is hence pivotal to the development of the

ICT profession.

It is suggested that the first requirement to establish a profession is to define an organised Body of Knowledge

around the area. This Body of Knowledge can potentially be used to set standards and develop a certification

process31

. The question that is sometimes asked is whether an IT Body of Knowledge is intended to capture the

knowledge associated with practicing professionals or with students in academic programs? The BOK should

meet both these objectives. The IT BOK shall be backward designed: to link what the professional should know

in terms of skills and capabilities with underlying knowledge.

There are many other definitions and / or descriptions of what a Body of Knowledge is, such as:

“The complete set of concepts, terms and activities that make up a professional domain, as defined by the

relevant learned society or professional association”32

It is the ontology for a specific domain, a hierarchy of

concepts within a domain, using a shared vocabulary to denote the types, properties and interrelationships of

those concepts.

“An agile framework bringing together a series of methodologies and concepts so as to ensure basic common

understanding, formal and explicit foundation between the different levels of a specific domain” (Stephen

Ibaraki)33

“An organised description of the knowledge of a field” (Denning, 2007)

Furthermore, and important in the context of this work, the initial definition presented in the report on e-Skills

and ICT Professionalism (2012)is highly relevant: “a broad and deep knowledge base which is up-to date,

accommodating both common ICT Body of Knowledge and pertinent specialist knowledge and skills34

”.

It also underlines that this: ‘[...] would solely define the base-level of knowledge required of all ICT

professionals (experienced professionals use separate domain-specific BOK’s as their careers advance).We

defined the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge as follows:

‘The European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge defines the base-level knowledge required of ICT

professionals entering the profession and acts as the first point of reference for anyone interested in

working in ICT’

29 http://ictprof.eu/documents/EU_ICT_Professionalism_Project_FINAL_REPORT.pdf 30 http://ictprof.eu/documents/Brochure_Fostering_the_ICT_Profession_in_Europe.pdf 31 William W. Agresti, "An IT Body of Knowledge: The Key to an Emerging Profession," IT Professional, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 18-22,

Nov.-Dec. 2008 32 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_of_Knowledge 33 Stephen Ibaraki (), www.cips.ca/?q=stephen-ibaraki 34 See: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/eskills/ict_professionalism_report_en.pdf, p. 14

http://ictprof.eu/documents/EU_ICT_Professionalism_Project_FINAL_REPORT.pdf


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_of_Knowledge

http://www.cips.ca/?q=stephen-ibaraki




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2.4.2 What is Knowledge?

The concept of knowledge is often used interchangeably with skills and competences, which could

unnecessarily complicate discussions.

In the so-called Bloom taxonomy about the classification of different objectives that educators set for

students, knowledge is outlined as follows:35

Knowledge: Exhibit memory of learned materials by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts and answers

Knowledge of specifics – terminology, specific facts

Knowledge of ways and means of dealing with specifics – conventions, trends and sequences,

classifications and categories, criteria, methodology

Knowledge of the universals and abstractions in a field – principles and generalisations, theories and

structures”

In order to set common grounds and to avoid confusion and frustration, it is necessary define what we mean

by the different concepts. It is difficult to distinguish one from another as there are no strict boundaries.

Nevertheless, we propose the following distinction:

Knowledge [fr: savoir]:

– Cognitive domain relates to mental ‘skills’ (CEDEFOP, 2006)

– The body of facts, principles, theories and practices that form the basis for a given discipline or domain dependent. (ACS BOK, p. 12);

– The set of know-what (e-CF36

) which is different from skills (know-how) and competence (application of know-what and know-how)

Skill [fr: savoir faire]:

– Psychomotor domain concerned with manual or physical skills (CEDEFOP, 2006)

– Any combination, useful to industry, of mental and physical qualities which require considerable training to acquire• (More, 1980, p. 15).

– The ability to use one’s knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance (Merriam –Webster)

Competences [fr: savoir-être]:

– A demonstrated ability to apply knowledge, skills and attitudes to achieving observable results (e-Competence Framework)

– The application of knowledge and know‐how to complete tasks and design ICT solutions (ACS BOK, p. 12);

One can draw links to other professions such as Law, where the knowledge one needs to have is the

knowledge of the articles of Family Law, the skill is to know how to interpret these articles, and finally one is

competent in using these knowledge and skills if he applies it to argue a case for a client. However, it should be

acknowledge that it is not always evident to draw clear demarcation lines between knowledge, skills and

competences

The focus of the Body of Knowledge is to define knowledge that is basic and specific to the ICT profession

including certain soft skills necessary to exercise the basic foundational knowledge.

35 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomy_of_Educational_Objectives 36 European e-Competence Framework 3.0 CWA 16234:2014, Part 1, 2, 3 and 4. © CEN

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomy_of_Educational_Objectives



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2.4.3 What is ‘foundational’?

To enable better communication and mapping of equivalent skills and competences across professions related

to ICT, there is a need to establish the baseline of knowledge to be expected for persons entering the ICT

profession. The aim of this Body of Knowledge is to capture the core knowledge, i.e. foundational knowledge

and for it to act as a “go-to” ICT reference.

It should be noted that what we mean by foundational is different from- and beyond ICT Literacy or computer

literacy. In general, digital literacy is defined by Casey & Bruce, 2010 as the awareness, attitude and ability of

individuals to appropriately use digital tools and facilities to identify, access, manage, integrate, evaluate,

analyse and synthesise digital resources, construct new knowledge and create media37

. It does not mean being

familiar with the fundamental information technology concepts and having the ability to utilise computers and

related technology efficiently. One can become computer literate by taking for example the European

Computer Driving Licence38

.

The foundational knowledge that we aim to define is the level beyond ICT literacy towards programming and

problem solving in ICT. It is knowledge that is specific to ICT, which is necessary as an entry level to the ICT

domain, before specialising into one or several field(s) of the ICT. The figure below visualises this.

Figure 4: Visualisation of the EU BOK in the context of life-long learning

There is thus the need for the Body of Knowledge to not only address the ICT technical knowledge and skills

but also to assess and include non-ICT topics. There is growing cross-fertilisation taking place between ICT

related knowledge and other skills. To give an example, consulting services are increasingly bringing together a

service offer whereby ICT skills as well as strategic planning, for instance, or even policy analysis are brought

together and shared by team members. Other examples, more poignant, are the co-existence of high level

computing skills as well as marketing and communication skills as illustrated in success stories such as the

37 http://cleach.wordpress.com/what-is-digital-literacy/ 38 www.ecdl.org/programmes/ecdl_icdl

http://cleach.wordpress.com/what-is-digital-literacy/

http://www.ecdl.org/programmes/ecdl_icdl



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founding of Facebook, YouTube or other famous online platforms. Such an approach stretches the

requirements made on the education and life-long training systems to produce joint but differentiate

knowledge and skills sets that were not traditionally catered for. Thus, the emergence of what several reports

have called ‘dual-thinkers39

’ should also appear in the Body of Knowledge. The result of this would be to

increase mutual understanding and recognition of both ICT and non ICT skills that intimately relate to each

other. It is crucial for ICT professionals to understand non-technical aspects of organisations, their team

members and strategies so as to deliver value successfully.

The nature of the ICT jobs is changing. It is no longer enough to merely be a technical expert. The industry

needs professionals with a diversity of knowledge and skills in ICT40

. ICT professionals are required to also

understand the business, operational and HR management aspects. Industry is looking for multidisciplinary ICT

professionals and dual thinkers. ICT is no longer a back office support tool or one department within a

company but permeates all the layers and units of a company. ICT has moved itself to the forefront into a key

strategic asset in every day (professional) life. Therefore, it is no longer sufficient to only have knowledge of

one specific ICT domain.

The need for a broad IT systems viewpoint is essential, with the ability to understand the possibilities and

constraints of the various technologies and to talk a common language with the diversity of people involved.

This was expressed as a concept for the first time by David Guest in 199141 through the use of the T-shape

metaphor, which has been widely adopted since.

The vertical line of the T represents the depth of related skills and expertise in a single field, whereas the

horizontal bar is the ability to collaborate across disciplines with experts in other areas and to apply knowledge

in areas of expertise other than one’s own. This model thus differs from another classic type: “I-shaped” —

with a deep understanding of one specific discipline, but not necessarily of any other. In the current ICT

environment, employers find themselves trying to do a “T” job with “I” people.

The ICT profession very domain-specific: each ICT professional in a certain domain will have / need the in-

depth knowledge of that domain. However, not every ICT professional will acquire understanding of each

knowledge area – just those relevant to their current (or future) occupation. Nevertheless, it is necessary to

have a relevant breadth of ICT knowledge.

39 ICT Professionalism Report 40 http://www.ictc-ctic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ICTC_Outlook2011Summary_EN_11-11.pdf 41 The term is now widely used and first appeared in 3The hunt is on for the Renaissance Man of computing," in The

Independent, September 17, 1991

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Independent




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2.4.4 Who is the target audience?

Agresti highlights that a BOK must be clear about its audience and intended purpose.42

Such a BOK should

address both the internal relationships among the topics in a model IT curriculum and areas of professional

practice as well as external relationships linking it to the practice of IT with society at large. An ICT BOK should

thus aim to target ICT professionals at large, addressing ICT professionals in the ICT industry but also those in

industries using ICT.43

We defined ‘foundational’ as the entry level knowledge to the ICT profession. The target audience hence

consists of anyone who aims to pursue a career in ICT.

The term ‘ICT Professional’ is interpreted differently in countries. Previous research44

developed the following

definition for ICT professionals:

ICT Professionals:

Possess a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of a relevant Body of Knowledge,

Demonstrate on-going commitment to professional development, via an appropriate combination of

qualifications, certifications, work experience, non-formal and / or informal education;

Adhere to an agreed code of ethics / conduct and / or applicable regulatory practices and,

Through competent practice deliver value for stakeholders.

This definition, which was reviewed and widely accepted reflects the importance of the key building blocks

found in other professions: Bodies of Knowledge; Education and Training; Competences and Ethics. These

constitute the foundations of the aforementioned framework for ICT Professionalism.

The European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge will support ICT professionals as well as organisations in

the ICT profession in the following way:

For students – or any individual – to orient their future careers, and to plan their careers

For industry: a reference or guide to identify knowledge areas and create development paths,

together with skills and behaviours – and to help employees re-orient to new careers

For education providers: a source of inspiration for curricula development and a means of supporting

students in determining their career ambitions.

The use of the Body of Knowledge can be versatile and can be a compass for an ICT professional, together with

the relevant building blocks.

Organisations in the ICT profession can use the Body of Knowledge as an ultimate go-to reference to gain

understanding of what constitutes the ICT profession. Education and other service providers can use the Body

of Knowledge as a source of reference, to place their curricula and certifications into a broader context. In

addition, those within the ICT field who would like to switch and specialise into another ICT sub domain or

towards management can use the Body of Knowledge as a reference guide. Therefore, the current ICT

community must play an important role in providing the necessary input to structure and mature the Body of

Knowledge.

There will be different uses of the Body of Knowledge by different stakeholders. This will be further explored

and described in chapter 4 (ecosystem / stakeholder analysis). Our focus is on creating an identification point

42 www.computer.org/csdl/mags/it/2008/06/mit2008060018.pdf 43 www.forbes.com/sites/piyankajain/2013/03/27/analytics-is-a-core-competency-for-business-professionals/ 44 E-Skills and ICT Professionalism. Fostering the ICT Profession in Europe

http://www.computer.org/csdl/mags/it/2008/06/mit2008060018.pdf

http://www.forbes.com/sites/piyankajain/2013/03/27/analytics-is-a-core-competency-for-business-professionals/



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and an overview of the possibilities in the ICT profession. This requires looking at how it can be used by the

professionals themselves, education- and training institutes and organisations in the ICT industry.

The objective of this initiative is to identify a suitable structure and to develop a first version of a European

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, with clear connection to the other elements of the framework for ICT

professionalism and in particular the e-Competence Framework (e-CF) 45

. The e-CF provides the starting point

for drafting the overall structure of the Body of Knowledge, and other relevant frameworks such as the

European Quality Framework and the European ICT Profile Family tree provided guidance.

The ambition is to grow this framework into an international authoritative source that defines and organises

the core knowledge of the ICT discipline. However, developing, promoting and maintaining a regularly updated

international Foundation ICT Body of Knowledge is a long-term endeavour. We are at the beginning of the

maturity path of a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

Our key objective is to finalise the first version of a European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge and to

elaborate recommendations to promote ICT Professionalism (including detailed information regarding

governance, operational- and funding models as well as a possible register).

45 The European e-Competence Framework (e-CF) provides a reference of 40 competences as required and applied at the

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) workplace, using a common language for competences, skills and proficiency levels that can be understood across Europe. See: http://www.ecompetences.eu/. Copyright with CEN.

http://www.ecompetences.eu/



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3 Drawing lessons from existing Bodies of Knowledge

There are different Bodies of Knowledge (BOK’s) existing in the field of ICT. These have a variety of ways to

structure IT-related knowledge. A Body of Knowledge aims at providing clear definitions of an ICT domain or

domains and to organise IT knowledge to a certain logic. There are many Bodies of Knowledge which are used

around the world. In order to avoid reinventing the wheel, the objective is to use them as a source of

inspiration.

This chapter identifies, categorises and obtains best practices from the existing BOK’s in the ICT field. Part 3.1

aims to identify the different existing BOK’s, define criteria and categorise them in terms of their scope. The

scope is an important element as the European ICT Foundational Body of Knowledge aims to have a broad

scope of ICT knowledge areas. Thereafter, in Part 3.2 a separate analysis is made from a number of selected

Bodies of Knowledge that could be a direct source for the European ICT Body of Knowledge. Each analysis is

followed by a key conclusions that feed into the overall conclusions in 3.1.9 for drafting the European

Foundational Body of Knowledge. Moreover, from this research best practices are identified that will serve as

examples for drafting the pan- European Foundational Body of Knowledge. Furthermore, in part 3.2 we take a

brief look into specific Bodies of Knowledge that have a more focused scope and how these can be a source of

inspiration for drafting the pan- European Foundational Body of Knowledge. In Part 3.3, an assessment is made

of professional societies in order to have a general idea of the communities existing at European level. The

final section 3.4 will also address the co-existence of different education paths and identify higher education

and training organisations.

3.1 Analysing and categorising Bodies of Knowledge

There are many Bodies of Knowledge in the ICT field, however there are overlaps and gaps. There is currently

no global or European Body of Knowledge that is all encompassing and which addresses all aspects of ICT46.

The landscape is very fragmented. In some cases several countries have a national ICT Body of Knowledge

adapted to their national context which determines the core knowledge47; in other cases specific organisations

made a standardisation of knowledge and skills necessary in isolated fields of ICT or standards required for

certification and accreditation of curricula for education48.

There are different existing BOK’s. What are the differences?

Scope: generic Bodies of Knowledge which capture a large part of the IT domain and Bodies of

Knowledge which are focusing on one a single IT area.

Approach: Bodies of Knowledge can view the IT domain from different perspectives

Purpose: the Bodies of Knowledge can have the purpose to provide general guidance to curricula

designers and indicate in a very detailed manner what should be in the study programme while others

have the objective to certify professionals and provide them with a reading list.

Target level: Some Bodies of Knowledge are targeted at different levels: student’s level, practitioner’s

level or manager’s level.

46 At current IEEE is drafting an Enterprise IT BOK that has the objective to create a formal, certified, recognized and respected

common source of information about enterprise IT. This Enterprise IT BOK is to become a common yardstick of what constitutes an IT Enterprise professional and a common language of IT.

47 www.acs.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/7792/The-ICT-Profession-Body-of-Knowledge.pdf; www.cips.ca/?q=system/files/BOK.pdf

48 www.nioc2013.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/NIOC2013-BOK-hbo-ict-BeckersMischa.pdf

http://www.acs.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/7792/The-ICT-Profession-Body-of-Knowledge.pdf

http://www.cips.ca/?q=system/files/BOK.pdf

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Origin: the existing Bodies of Knowledge are mainly located in USA and British isles and

predominantly used and recognised at national level. As such there is also a language issue as the

current Bodies of Knowledge are mainly in English.

The large number of Bodies of Knowledge related to ICT can be categorised into 2 main categories49

: Generic

and topic-specific Bodies of Knowledge.

Generic Bodies of Knowledge cover a wide spectrum the field and domains in ICT:

ACS CBOK

CIPS BOK

Japanese BOK

BCS UK

India FSIT

EUCIP Core

IEEE-Computer Society IT BOK Guide

It should be noted that at European member State level, there are hardly any generic Bodies of Knowledge in

the sense of the Australian Computer Society BOK except for the UK50.

Topic Specific Bodies of Knowledge are focused on an isolated field of ICT. These topic specific BOK’s will form

the source material for specific sub domains within the IT e.g. SWEBOK for software engineering.

ACM Computing Curricula

DAMA International’s DAMA DM BOK

PMI’s PMBOK Guide (Project Management BOK)

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) describes a variety of practices for IT Services

Management

CMMI

IT CMF, IVI

TOGAF

CobiT (Controlled Objectives for Information and Related Technology (Guidance materials for IT

Governance)

SWEBOK (IEEE Computer Society) developed for software engineers having 4 years of working

experience51.

HBO-i BOK

The focus of the following section will be on the generic type of Bodies of Knowledge, such as the European

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge should become, and that cover a wide spectrum of areas in the ICT field.

49 http://www.eskills-international.com/assets/interim-report-%28issued---for-comment%29.pdf, p. 76 50 Commission, www.eskills-international.com/assets/interim-report-%28issued---for-comment%29.pdf, Appendix A: Country

Profiles 51 Tetsuro Kakeshita,. & Mika Ohtsuki, Requirement Analysis of Computing Curriculum Standards J07 and Japan

Information Technology Engineers Examination Using ICT Common Body of Knowledge. Journal of Information Processing, Vol. 22, No.1, 1-17, Jan 2014, see: www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ipsjjip/22/1/22_1/_pdf

http://www.eskills-international.com/assets/interim-report-%28issued---for-comment%29.pdf

http://www.eskills-international.com/assets/interim-report-%28issued---for-comment%29.pdf

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ipsjjip/22/1/22_1/_pdf



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Below, we will present a concise analysis of various generic BOK’s. The next paragraph in this section (3.2) will

summarise main characteristics of specific BOK’s.

For the analysis of each BOK, it was essential to understand the characteristics of the existing Bodies of

Knowledge. The following criteria were determined to analyse the various BOK’s:

Approach: from which point of view or ‘How’ is the BOK drafted?

Objective: for whom is the BOK drafted?

Knowledge Area: which knowledge areas are addressed?

Format: In what form is the BOK presented?

Model: : Bodies of Knowledge can set different requirements: exhaustive models requiring users to

use or know the entire content of the Body of Knowledge or the permissive model which requires one

to use or know a sufficient part of the Body of Knowledge

3.1.1 Australian Computer Society’s ICT Profession Body of Knowledge

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is the principal society for ICT Professionals in Australia. In 2008, its

Professional Standards Board developed an ICT Profession (Core) Body of Knowledge (CBOK) which was

updated in 2012.

The objectives of this Body of Knowledge are:

The provision of a structured approach to the design of study programs of study and their subsequent

accreditation

The determination of ‘meta level’ knowledge requirements for professional certification

The support of programs that produce graduates with the skills required for defined ICT roles.

The Professional Standards Board of the ACS has specifically taken a ‘Program design’ approach for the

drafting and use of this BOK. This means that the ACS BOK provides a framework that guides and encourages

program designers to focus on the roles that graduates are likely to undertake and carefully consider what

underlying knowledge is needed. This in contrast to tight and detailed program descriptions (cf. the curriculum

driven approach of ACM) that could constrain the development of study programs given the rapid change in

the ICT profession. With the CBOK it is expected that the study programs or curricula cross the boundaries of

the traditional disciplines take into account market trends and skills gaps leading to blended degrees.

Moreover, this ‘framework’ program design approach allows for flexibility towards the ICT as a practical

science and work52, and allows for taking into account the context of the ICT industry at local levels and

regional employment opportunities in Australia.

To this end, the ACS’s BOK Framework comprises four key components to guide program designers:

1. SKILLS Block: The technical and professional skills developed during a given program of study that qualify

graduates to undertake one of more ICT roles.

52 Strasser states that ‘a practical science is a science which is conceived in order to make possible, to improve and to correct a

definite kind of extra scientific praxis’ cf. Strasser, S. 1985, Understanding and Explaining Basic Ideas Concerning the Humanity of the Human Sciences, Duquesne University Press, Pittsburgh



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This block requires the program designers to identify potential ICT roles that could be undertaken by

graduates of a given program of study, identify the skills required for these roles, and the level of

autonomy and responsibility that needs to be developed for that roles based on e.g. SFIA53.

2. CORE Block: the Core Body of Knowledge (CBOK) encompassing common core knowledge areas of which

study programs should address:

a. ICT problem solving;

b. Professional knowledge;

c. Technology building;

d. Technology Resources;

e. Service management; and

f. Outcomes realisation.

This block defines the minimal core knowledge essential for anyone who is an ICT professional. The 6

areas are further detailed in the

3. SPEC Block: Knowledge that is specific to a particular degree program or ICT discipline, and that is

necessary to undertake the intended ICT role(s).

This block directs program designers to identify ICT role specific knowledge to practice the skills identified

in the SKILL Block. It is about advanced knowledge that builds on the ‘basic’ knowledge defined in the

CORE Block. The ICT role specific knowledge should where possible use existing internationally recognised

curricula and Body of Knowledge to identify this knowledge e.g. for Software engineering use SWEBOK.

4. COMP Block: The program designers shall identify complementary knowledge that broadens a student’s

education, enhances employability and prepares graduates for ICT careers in the global economy, and to

be of service to society and the local community. Examples of complementary knowledge are given below

in the visual of the ACS’ BOK Framework.

The CORE Block of the ACS BOK is especially of importance. The six Meta level knowledge areas are further

detailed in a next layer:

5. ICT problem solving;

a. Abstraction and design solutions

6. Professional knowledge;

a. Ethics

b. Professionalism

c. Teamwork and concepts

d. Interpersonal communication

e. Societal issues / legal Issues / Privacy

f. History and status of Discipline

7. Technology building;

53 SFIA has been identified by the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP) International Professional Practice

Program (IP3) program as the framework whereby the professional programs of the member societies will be judged



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a. Programming

b. Human Computer Interaction

c. Systems Development

d. Systems Acquisition

8. Technology Resources;

a. Hardware and software fundamentals (computer architecture and organisation, and systems

software)

b. Data and Information Management (data modelling and abstraction, physical file storage techniques,

Data Management Systems (DBMS), information assurance and security

c. Networking (network concepts and protocols, network security, wireless and mobile computing,

distributed systems)

9. Service management

a. Service Management

b. Security Management

10. Outcomes Management

a. IT Governance

b. IT Project Management

c. Change Management

d. Security Policy

The identification of these knowledge areas were done through workshops and analysis of the content overlap

in international curriculum documents of the ACM. The feedback received over the course of 3 years54 resulted

in a different way of presenting the core areas, categorising and naming them.

The ACS BOK, which is presented in the form of guidelines, is an interesting example that is different from the

existing generic BOK’s. Its main strengths are that it is flexible and a permissive model as it describes

knowledge areas in not too much detail and focuses on a clear and comprehensible goal, namely ICT Job

profiles and skills. It also uses existing competence frameworks.

3.1.2 Canadian Information Processing Society IT Body of Knowledge

The Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) is the professional association for Information technology

practitioners in Canada that sets IT standards, certifies Information Systems Professionals (I.S.P) and accredits

computer science, software engineering and Management Information Systems (MIS) programs at university

in Canada. The CIPS developed an Information Technology Body of Knowledge55 in 2005. Following that

adoption of the CIPS Initial Body of Knowledge (iBOK) in 2005, CIPS embarked in 2010 on a project to define a

more comprehensive document56 leading to the Guide to the Common Body of Knowledge for Computing and

IT in 201257.

54 Information received through an interview with Mr. Michael Johnson of ACS on 14 March 2014 55 www.cips.ca/?q=system/files/BOK.pdf 56 www.cips.ca/CIPS-publishes-the-Guide-to-the-Common-Body-of-Knowledge-April2012 57 www.cips.ca/sites/default/files/CBOK%202012.pdf



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The objective of the iBOK of 2005 was to develop a comprehensive description of the sum of knowledge and

professional practices that are generally accepted within the IT profession in Canada. The iBOK provided

topical access to knowledge areas and serves as a foundation for individual certification of IT practitioners. It

was mentioned that IT is a broader subject than what was captured in the iBOK and it can thus only be a

reasonable and informed depiction if the IT industry.

The model or approach for the BOK was envisioned to be modular and extensible with a core and extended

Bodies of Knowledge. The iBOK was divided into 11 core Knowledge Areas. Each of these knowledge areas was

divided into a context / definition section and a list of topics part.

Professional Issues in IT

Architecture

Networks

Databases

Object orientated programming

Project Management

Service Management

Software Engineering

Systems Analysis

Systems Design

The objective of the Guide of the Common Body of Knowledge for Computing and IT is to provide a foundation

for curriculum development, program accreditation and for individual professional certification. The Guide

does not attempt to define the Body of Knowledge but instead “serves as a compendium and guide to the

Body of Knowledge that has been evolving over the past four decades”. The Guide intentionally avoids

detailing rapidly changing technologies, although it does mention their general principles.

The 8 knowledge areas are designed to provide a high level distinction among the various concepts, allowing

the readers to find their way quickly to subjects of interest. Upon finding a subject, readers are referred to sub-

topics and a definition of the sub-topics58

:

A. Professionalism and Ethics in Computing and IT

A.1. History (history of computing

A. 2. The Profession (governing bodies and societies)

A.3.Social Responsibility and impact on Society

A.4. Impact on environment

A.5. Codes of Ethics

A.6. Labour Market

A.7. Standards for Skills and Education (Accreditation + Skills Frameworks)

A.8. Professional Recognition (Certification)

58 http://www.cips.ca/CIPS-publishes-the-Guide-to-the-Common-Body-of-Knowledge-April2012

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B. Law and Regulations Relevant to Computing and IT

B.1. Tort and Liability (duty of care)

B.2. Contracts

B.3. Privacy and access-to-information law (Privacy acts, OECD Guidelines)

B. 4. Intellectual Property law (Patents, copyright, trademarks)

B. 5. Accountability

B.6. Whistle blowing and ethical dissent

B.7. Law regarding access for the disabled

B. 8. Computer crime

B.9 Workplace health and safety

C. Mathematics Foundations for Computing and IT

C.1. Boolean Logic

C.2. Probability and statistics

C.3. Predicate logic

C.4. Discrete Mathematics

C.5. Numerical computation and analysis

C.6. Differential and Integral Calculus

D. Technical Knowledge for Computing and IT

D.1. Concept of a system

D.2. Use of computers and IT system

D.3. Software elements of a computer system

D.4. Hardware elements of a computer system

D.5. Programming basics

D.6. Programming language types

D.7. Data structures

D.8. Algorithms

D.9 Information and data modelling

D.10. Databases

D.11. Business Process and activity modelling

D.12. Software architecture and modelling

D.13. Enterprise architecture and modelling

D.14 Networking (network architecture, OSI model layers)

D.15 Organisation of data centre



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D.16 Web concepts

D.17 Real time systems concepts

D.18 Parsing and Grammars

E. Quality Issues for Computing and IT

E.1. Quality models (quality models, people, process, technology, control assurance) CMM (CoBiT, CMMI)

E.2. External quality (efficiency, reliability, availability, accuracy of calculations)

E.3. Human Factors quality (user interface design, ergonomics)

E. 4. Internal quality (maintainability, reusability etc.)

E.5. Security and Privacy

E.6. Safety and critical systems

F. Process Knowledge for Computing and IT

F.1. Types of stakeholders

F.2. System development lifecycle

F.3. Categories of development methods

F.4. Types of requirements (agile, iterative, prototyping)

F.5. Gathering and validating requirements

F.6. Design principles

F.7. Testing principles

F.8. Inspection principles

F.9. Decision making methods

F.10. Process visualisation techniques

F.11. Metrics and measurement

F.12. Change, version and configuration management

F.13. Risk management

F.14. Information Management

F.15. Standards (standards bodies, IEEE, ISO, ITU)

F.16. Continuous improvement of process

G. Business Knowledge for Computing and IT

G.1. Organisation of a business involving IT or computing

G.2 Value analysis

G.3. Business Software application types (ERP, Financial, HR etc.)

G.4. Business continuity, disaster recovery



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G.5. International business

G.6. Electronic Commerce

G.7. Services Management

G.8 Security management

G.9. System acquisition

H. Soft skills

H.1. Problem solving

H. 2. Written communication

H.3. Oral Communication

H.4. Negotiation Skills

H.5. Workplace culture

H.6. Change Management

H.7. leadership

H.8. Teamwork

H.9 Strategic PlanningH.10 Portfolio Management

For each of the subtopics a Bloom’s Knowledge level has been provided:

Vocabulary knowledge level: one should be able to understand the terminology in a conversation

about the topic, to know what they do not know so they can delegate to others, and to know when

others may or may not be competent in the area.

Comprehension knowledge level: One should be able to intelligently discuss the topic and perform

basic tasks using knowledge of the topic

Application knowledge level: one should be able to apply the knowledge so as to perform tasks in the

area with a level of competence ordinarily expected in work environment

These 3 knowledge levels are indicators for developers of curricula as regards the level of depth. It is not a

definitive classification but an indication of the starting point level of depth. Two thirds of the subtopics

require a vocabulary of comprehension knowledge level. Furthermore, all subtopics have references in order

to help course developers to determine which material can be used for testing, help students to know which

material they should master and serve as a source of information. The references consist of academic articles,

references to other IT Associations and their topic –specific BOK’S, legislation, codes of ethics

The development of the CBOK Guide took 2 years including consultation of 175 stakeholders of the broader IT

community. Thereafter, CIPS has been working with the Certification Council and Accreditation Councils to

reconcile the CBOK with the Councils’ existing criteria. The CBOK Guide is leaning towards a permissive model

as it is modular and extensible and limits the details of the knowledge areas. However, it is more detailed than

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3.1.3 Japanese ICT Common Body of Knowledge

In Japan, an ICT common Body of Knowledge (ICTBOK) was developed in 2008 to uniformly represent the

knowledge and skills standards of ICT professionals belonging to various ICT job categories and levels. It is

defined by analysing the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA)’s – governmental organisation skills

standards for ICT professionals:

ITSS (Skills standards for ITS professionals) for people working for the IT services industry

ETSS (embedded technology skills standards) for embedded software engineers

UISS (user’s information system skill standards) for information system users

The objective of the ICT BOK is to provide a common vocabulary to define various activities of ICT education.

The ICT BOK is used as the reference to map ICT Knowledge and skills requirements in Japan. Most recently,

the information Processing Society of Japan (IPSJ)59 guidelines for college level ICT education in the form of

Computing Curriculum Standard J07 were mapped against it. This standard is compatible with the Computing

Curriculum 2005 of the ACM, IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS) and AIS. IPA’s Japan Information Technology

Engineers Examination (JITEE), a well-known ICT Qualification in Japan was also mapped against the ICTBOK.

The ICTBOK is thus used to unify and act as a reference for skills and knowledge required in IT Skills standards

and educational programs. In this way the ICTBOK helps to clarify the relationship between existing ICT BOK’s

for ICT professionals and examinations in Japan. This is a first step towards building an effective education

system and fosters the relationship between academia and industry. For this reason, requirement data and

achievement data from academia are being collected using the ICT BOK and compared. The collection tool is a

web based system called ‘cresie’.

The ICT BOK has a three-level hierarchical structure composed of 7 Categories, 23 Fields and 155 areas. To

each of the areas a requirement level is defined based on the bloom taxonomy.

Below is an overview of the 7 categories and 23 Fields. The ‘Business’ and ‘Competency’ fields are considered

as non-ICT among the seven fields. The field ‘Others’ is defined so that users can address new innovative fields

or others that are missing from the ICTBOK. The Fields are further specified into areas. In the table below,

between the brackets the abbreviation of the field is given followed by the number of areas are linked to a

field (e.g. PRG, 5).

Figure 5: Japanese ICTBOK

Figure 6: Example of underlying areas within the Japanese ICTBOK

59 Kakeshita, T. & Ohtsuki, M, Requirement Analysis of Computing Curriculum Standards J07 and Japan Information Technology

Engineers Examination Using ICT Common Body of Knowledge. Journal of Information Processing, Vol. 22, No.1, 1-17, Jan 2014, see: www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ipsjjip/22/1/22_1/_pdf




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The areas of the ICTBOK have correspondence to the existing BOK’s like J07 or the JITEE Exam (mentioned

above). J07 BOK on Computer Science (J07-CSBOK) defines the minimum core coverage time, topics and

learning objectives. For example using the PRG field above, the J07 CS will define for Foundation of

Programming Language defined the core units for technical education in Computer science.

Next to the Japanese ICTBOK, there is also an initiative of IPA to make a I Competency Dictionary which is

currently in its trial phase. The objective of the I Competency Dictionary (iCD) is to harmonise the different

skills standards, as mentioned above. The standards are consolidated into a Task Dictionary, laying down a

plethora of different tasks (necessary in a function or role) in an IT organisation and a Skills dictionary which

define variety of skills (the capability to handle the knowledge for a task) of an ICT professional. In principle,

the existing standards are being redefined in terms of tasks and skills which can be set off against one and

other in the sense that a certain task requires a specific set of skills. The iCD has three layers and is very

detailed. It could be basis also for the existing Japanese ICT BOK as described above, but it is not clear how

these will interact as the iCD is not finalised yet. Analysis of the Japanese ICTBOK as well as the iCD in terms of

how these are structured and the approaches taken to the description of ICT field is difficult as the full details

of how the BOK was developed and how the iCD works were not available at the moment of writing this

report. Nevertheless, we can discern that the Japanese Body of Knowledge and iCD are more exhaustive

models given its many layers and details.

3.1.4 British Computer Society Body of Knowledge

The BCS (British Computer Society) Chartered Institute for IT is a professional body and learned society. It

represents those working in IT in the United Kingdom and internationally60

. BSC UK provides a whole range of

different qualifications and standards from IT user qualifications like the ECDL, to Higher Education

Qualifications and Professional Certifications. In addition, the BCS also has the responsibility under its Royal

Charter status and Seoul Accord to review and accredit Computer courses of Higher Education and

Universities. Courses can be accredited for the Chartered IT Professional (CITP), BCS’s own qualification or at

Chartered or Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and Chartered Scientist (CSci). Furthermore, BCS can also approve

centres in order to deliver IT qualifications.

The main qualifications that could be regarded as constituting the BCS’ generic core Body of Knowledge are

the Certificate in IT syllabus and the Diploma IT syllabus. The Diploma syllabus was also the basis for the

Canadian iBOK of 2005.

The Certificate in IT61 delivers essential learning across core IT subjects both for the student and approved

centres (universities and higher education which curricula have been approved). It is made up of three

mandatory modules and is the academic equivalent to year one of a university Honours degree in England. It

focuses on the following core modules:

Information systems62

Software development63

Computer and network technology64

It is indicated and recommended to spend a minimum 200 hours for each module. The course culminates in a

two-hour written exam for each of the three modules. Successful completion of the Certificate in IT means you

60 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Computer_Society 61 www.bcs.org/category/18082 62 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/certissyll.pdf 63 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/certsdsyll.pdf 64 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/certtsyll.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Computer_Society

http://www.bcs.org/category/18082

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/certissyll.pdf

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/certsdsyll.pdf

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/certtsyll.pdf



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are eligible to apply for BCS Associate (AMBCS) membership65. Moreover, the Certificate in IT is a prerequisite

for the Diploma in IT.

The Diploma in IT66 comprises a mandatory core module and three modules to be selected from diverse

optional IT subjects such as database systems and software engineering. The Diploma in IT is the academic

equivalent to year two of a university honours degree in England. The syllabi for the Diploma in IT

qualifications consist of:

Mandatory Core Module

Professional Issues in IS Practice syllabus67

– Optional Modules (three to be chosen)

Computer Networks syllabus68

Database Systems syllabus69

Principles of Internet Technologies syllabus70 (this module replaces the Internet & World Wide Web

module)

IT Project Management syllabus71

IT Service Management syllabus72

Object Oriented Programming syllabus73

Software Engineering syllabus74

Principles of User Interface Design syllabus75

Systems Analysis and Design syllabus76

– A minimum of 225 hours of study is recommended for each module.

– Each of the Syllabi of the Certificate in IT and Diploma in IT set out the rationale, aims, objectives, content and literature references. The content part sets out in detail the sub elements of a certain topic. For instance the content of Information Systems Syllabi for students which is part of the Certificate of IT is subdivided into:

Data management

Systems analysis and design

Organisations

The abovementioned Certificate and Diploma followed by a Professional Graduate Diploma in IT77 give access

to a Master Course at specific universities78 and are the steppingstones to become an IT professional. In order

65 http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/heq-prospectus.pdf 66 www.bcs.org/category/18083 67 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dippispsyll.pdf 68 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipcnsyll.pdf 69 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipdssyll.pdf 70 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dippitsyll.pdf 71 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dippmsyll.pdf 72 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipsmsyll.pdf 73 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipoopsyll.pdf 74 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipsesyll.pdf 75 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipuidsyll.pdf 76 www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipsadsyll.pdf 77 www.bcs.org/category/18084 78 www.bcs.org/category/18016

http://www.bcs.org/content/ConMediaFile/5027










http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/heq-prospectus.pdf


http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dippispsyll.pdf

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipcnsyll.pdf

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipdssyll.pdf

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dippitsyll.pdf

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dippmsyll.pdf

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipsmsyll.pdf

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipoopsyll.pdf

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipsesyll.pdf

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/dipuidsyll.pdf

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to become a Chartered IT professional status (CITP)79 one needs to take the Breadth of Knowledge Test80. The

syllabus for the BCS Breadth of Knowledge (BOK) test is designed to embrace the scope of the IT profession

and test knowledge across all specialisms; it does not rely on technical knowledge. It should be noted that this

is beyond the level of basic foundational IT knowledge and requires having a minimum of 5 years IT experience

(in a job) but ideally 8-10 years and in the last 3 years you should have been working at SFIA level 581: Although

the Breadth of Knowledge Test is not considered as a generic BOK in the sense described above, it is a useful

reference for management knowledge requirements in IT and thus for e-leaders.

The purpose of the Breadth of Knowledge test is to assess that the applicant has gained a basic level of

knowledge, awareness and understanding of a broad range of IT topics as part of the overall requirements

needed to obtain Chartered IT Professional status. It is equivalent to a lawyer or doctor’s status in other

professions as one may carry the CITP abbreviation behind the name.

The first version of the syllabus was published in 2009 when the test on Breadth of Knowledge was introduced

as part of the assessment for award of Chartered IT Professional (CITP) status. This is the second version of the

2013 syllabus includes revisions to rework and rebalance various parts of the syllabus and reflect on-going

developments in the IT profession. The original structure and subject areas have been retained. A list of

reference materials is included to help applicants who have had limited exposure to some areas of the syllabus

and who may need to undertake some study or revision to pass the test. The breadth of knowledge test

consists of the following elements:

1. Strategy and Architecture

2. Business Change

3. Solution development and implementation

4. Services Management

5. Management support and professional Issues

In short, the Certificate in IT and Diploma in IT are reference guides for both students and curricula designers.

The Certificate in IT syllabus and the Diploma IT syllabus are by principle more permissive models also given

the fact that there is not one syllabus but several syllabi that can be combined. Nevertheless, the syllabi are

more guiding in the sense that it ‘recommends’ a minimum number of hours that should be spent.

3.1.5 India Foundation Skills in IT

In India, the National Association of Software Services Companies (NASSCOM) is the trade association of

Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing Industry (BPO)82

. NASSCOM’s members are

primarily companies run by Indian nationals in the business of software development, software services, and

IT-enabled / BPO services. In 2012, NASSCOM, in association with the IT industry majors like Accenture,

Cognizant, HCL, Infosys, Microsoft, TCS and Wipro, has developed a skill enhancement program with the

related courses. The objective of this program is to facilitate the development of basic or foundational skills

that will help empower students with the essential life and professional skills (both soft skills and technical

skills)83.

79 http://www.bcs.org/category/10972 80 www.bcs.org/category/10981 81 www.bcs.org/content/ConTab/79; www.thepicketts.org/2013/12/my-experience-of-the-citp-assessment-process/ 82 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASSCOM 83 www.gtuplacement.edu.in/Circulars/2012/5/11/129817071559062500.pdf



http://www.bcs.org/content/ConTab/79

http://www.thepicketts.org/2013/12/my-experience-of-the-citp-assessment-process/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASSCOM

http://www.gtuplacement.edu.in/Circulars/2012/5/11/129817071559062500.pdf



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The skill development program is called Foundation Skills in IT (FSIT). This program could be deployed as an

‘Add-on’ program for undergraduate Engineering students across universities to help bridge the skill gaps that

exist in students, to be gainfully employed with the IT / Engineering industry. The program has been developed

using the ‘Outcomes Based Format’ (OBF) keeping the focus on the key skills required to perform a given job

role. The program has two tracks – one that focused on training and guide for the facilitator and the other for

the student. ICT Academy of Tamil Nadu (ICTACT) will be the training partner for this Foundation Skills in IT

(FSIT) Program.84

NASSCOM Assessment of Competence–Technology (NAC-Tech, an industry standard skill assessment

platform85, bundled with FSIT, will identify the level of talent. The students shall take the NAC-Tech Diagnostic

Test, post which they will undergo the training on FSIT. NAC-Tech Final shall be conducted at the end of the

program.

Figure 7: Process Flow NASSCOM Assessment of Competence-Technology

The FSIT consist of 3 sections, which are further divided in subsections with further details.

Figure 8: Sections of the Foundation Skills in IT programme

84 http://ictact.in/Upload/Downloads/PDFs/FSIT.pdf 85 http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/252238/NASSCOM%20Assessment%20of%20Competence-

Technology%20%28NAC-Tech%29.pdf

http://ictact.in/Upload/Downloads/PDFs/FSIT.pdf

http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/252238/NASSCOM%20Assessment%20of%20Competence-Technology%20%28NAC-Tech%29.pdf

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The FSIT is slightly different from the other BOK’s as it considers itself as an add-on to certain curricula.

Nevertheless, it could be categorised as a permissive model with a specific focus on soft skills.

3.1.6 European Certification of Informatics Professionals Core Body of Knowledge

The Institute of IT Professionals (IITP)in New Zealand is the authoritative voice of IT professionals in New

Zealand86. Before July 2012, IITP was known as the New Zealand Computer Society (NZCS)87. The IITP exists to

promote education and ensure a high level of professional practice amongst ICT professionals. The Information

Technology Certified Professional (ITCP) launched in 2009 is a professional certification programme operated

by the IITP. It is a comprehensive assessment of all the areas of skill, knowledge and competence expected of

genuine and true ICT professionals. The Body of Knowledge underpinning the ITCP is the EUCIP Core.

The European Certification of Informatics Professionals (EUCIP) Core is a professional entry level certification

and competency development scheme, aimed at informatics professionals and practitioners. A professional

qualification and also allow employers to recruit internationally. EUCIP, which originated with the Council of

European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS), is offered in a range of European countries through

national computer societies88. The EUCIP certifications are maintained by ECDL Foundation89.

EUCIP Core stems from a series of earlier projects in the area of IT competence at European Level. These

include the EISS (European Informatics Skills Structures) and EICL (European Informatics Continuous Learning)

(circa 1995-1999), EPIC (European Professional Informatics Certificate) in 2000, which aimed at providing a

basic level of IT professional certification, followed by EPICS (European Professional Informatics Certificate

Service) in 2001–2003, which saw the development of what was soon to become the EUCIP Core syllabus90.This

EPICS activity involved input from several European Subject Matter Experts. The name was changed to EUCIP

in late 2001 and a EUCIP central organisation was created as part of CEPIS. During 2004 CEPIS decided to hand

over operation and maintenance support for EUCIP to ECDL Foundation. According to ECDL Foundation, the

EUCIP Core provides students with a solid foundation for all types of ICT related work.[4] To achieve a EUCIP

certification, the candidate must successfully pass a test in all three knowledge areas. These are:

The involvement of ECDL Foundation has led to further revision to the EUCIP programmes. In 2008, a EUCIP

Syllabus 2.6 was reviewed in order to ensure that it reflected on-going advances in technologies and relevant

ICT practices. This resulted in the completion of EUCIP Syllabus 3.0 which is currently being phased in by

national operators. The EUCIP Core Syllabus is made up of three knowledge areas (KAs), supporting ICT

professionals to Plan, Build and Operate information systems. Each is structured in the same way, comprising

module goals, major knowledge categories, topics within each category, and specific knowledge items.

There are 3 main Knowledge Areas which are further detailed in a second and third layer:

1. Plan Area: The Use and Management of Information Systems

This area refers to requirements analysis and planning in the use of ICT within an organisation. It is

therefore directly concerned with management processes and defining requirements within a strategic

perspective.

2. Build Area: Development and Integration of Information Systems

This area includes processes for specification, development and testing, and maintenance of Information

Systems. It deals with methodological and technological issues related to development processes.

86 http://www.iitp.org.nz/ 87 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_IT_Professionals 88 Among which AICA (www.aicanet.it/attivita/pubblicazioni/AICA_profile_Marzo_2007.pdf) 89 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EUCIP. It should be mentioned that EUCIP Core is not available in the website of the ECDL but is

however available on the CEPIS website: www.cepis.org/index.jsp?p=1120&n=1121 90 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EUCIP

http://www.iitp.org.nz/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_IT_Professionals

http://www.aicanet.it/attivita/pubblicazioni/AICA_profile_Marzo_2007.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EUCIP

http://www.cepis.org/index.jsp?p=1120&n=1121

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EUCIP



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3. Operate Area: Operation and Support of Information Systems

This area concerns installation, supervision and maintenance of ICT systems. Essential topics include:

hardware and software concepts, management of networks, service delivery and support, and security.

The EUCIP core as used by the IITP is a permissive model. In order to obtain certification one needs to know all

of the EUCIP Core.

3.1.7 IEEE Computer Society Enterprise IT Body of Knowledge

Since 2013, the IEEE Computer Society started to develop an Enterprise ITBOK Guide. The draft framework of

which is currently under consultation amongst stakeholders.

It is a compendium of high-level descriptions of knowledge areas that are generally required for the successful

operation of IT services provided to the enterprises served.

The objective of the Enterprise ITBOK is to create a common yardstick of what constitutes an Enterprise IT

professional and to provide an integrated picture of Enterprise IT. It should become a formal, certified,

recognised and respected common source of information about enterprise IT in terms of its:

Activities and best practices

Requisite knowledge

Roles and responsibilities

Terminology

It will present a common enterprise view on IT Knowledge Areas, terminology and common best practices

without going into implementation details. However, it is mentioned that it should not be considered as an

attempt to be a complete authority on any specific IT knowledge area. It is thus not exhaustive but points

users to further reading on the how to methods and implementation details.

The BOK is developed with the support and input from experts91 familiar with other BOK publication processes.

The Enterprise IT BOK will be modelled after other professional organisations’ BOK’s such as PMI PM BOK and

DAMA DMBOK. The experts received guidelines as regards the structure of the knowledge areas. In early 2014,

the framework document was sent out for consultation to obtain stakeholder input in order to ensure that all

IT areas are covered and to improve the final content of the BOK.

The Enterprise ITBOK Guide the focus is on knowledge areas which are categories of specialisation. It defines

14 Knowledge areas with section topics, which group activities. There will also be an additional section (that is

not included in the draft framework) containing information about SFIA.

Next to an introduction in Enterprise IT, the Guide outlines 14 Knowledge areas, which are the following:

Enterprise architecture

Strategy and Governance

Requirements Development and Design

Change Initiatives

Acquisition

91 Amongst which Leonard Fehskens of the open Group on Enterprise Architecture (information retrieved during telephone

interview on 9 July 2014)



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Construction

Transition

Disaster Preparedness and recovery

Sustainment

Operations and Support

Retirement and Replacement

Interoperability

Security

Quality

The structure of each knowledge area is a description of acronyms, introduction of the Knowledge areas and

its boundaries, goals and guiding principles, context diagram on how it is related to other knowledge areas,

description of topics and subtopics (two of three levels deep) and a list of references. Given that the document

is still work in progress, it is not possible to indicate whether it is an exhaustive of permissive model.

3.1.8 HBO-I Body of Knowledge

The HBO-I is a foundation whose members are education managers of higher educational institutions focused

on ICT. This organisation was established in 1992 after a report about the Quality of Informatics Curricula of

the Netherland Quality Agency.92

The deans of the different universities are joined together in a committee.

The Objective of the HBO-I is to be the bridge between industry and universities in terms of ICT knowledge and

skills requirements.

In 2011, they signed a convention93

with representatives of ICT in The Netherlands amongst which the CIO

platform, ECABO, Nederland ICT and others to underline these efforts.

One of their main merits is the creation of a common description of a Bachelor in ICT for the Netherlands94

.

The scope, description and a model were determined. The model provides a systematic description of the ICT

domain and it is focused on 3 dimensions: the life cycle of an IT process, the different enterprise architecture

layers and the level of depth.

Following this, in April 2013 HBO-i decided to draft a Body of Knowledge and Skills (BOKS). It is a description

and guideline for the Bachelor degree for Universities of Applied Science. It will serve as a guideline for

curriculum development, enhances transparency and acts as a common reference point95

. Currently the

content of the HBO-I BOKS is not available publicly online. It could be said that the HBO-I BOKS is a permissive

model as it serves as a guide.

3.1.9 Conclusions from the analysis of generic Bodies of Knowledge

Holding the generic Bodies of Knowledge against the criteria indicates that there is clear distinction to be made

as regards the approach to structure knowledge areas. Bodies of Knowledge are either taking an industry point

of view taking into account future employability of students or a purely education point of view for structuring

the content. Moreover, Body of Knowledge models set different requirements as regards its use – either

exhaustive or permissive:

92 https://search.nvao.net/files/4db036dc1c168_rapport%20LOI%20hbo-ba%20Informatica.pdf 93 www.nederlandict.nl/Files/ICT/Convenant_samenwerkingsverband_%20ICT_onderwijs_en%20_bedrijfsleven_v1.0.pdf 94 http://freedom.nowonline.nl/global/sites/hboi.nl/files/106/63/HBO-i%20Bachelor%20of%20ICT-lr1070.pdf 95 www.nioc2013.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/NIOC2013-BOK-hbo-ict-BeckersMischa.pdf

https://search.nvao.net/files/4db036dc1c168_rapport%20LOI%20hbo-ba%20Informatica.pdf

http://www.nederlandict.nl/Files/ICT/Convenant_samenwerkingsverband_%20ICT_onderwijs_en%20_bedrijfsleven_v1.0.pdf

http://freedom.nowonline.nl/global/sites/hboi.nl/files/106/63/HBO-i%20Bachelor%20of%20ICT-lr1070.pdf




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Exhaustive models requiring users to use or know the entire content of the Body of Knowledge or

The permissive model which requires one to use or know a sufficient part of the Body of Knowledge.

The approach and model chosen for the EU Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge is structuring it from an

industry point of view: what are the knowledge areas required from an person entering the ICT profession.

This means that the we consider there is a range in any kind of ICT project or process from strategy, planning,

design to developing it, using technology, to testing and having it into operation. This follows also the logic of

the e-CF’s ‘Plan, Build, Run, Enable and Manage’. In similar vein, it also corresponds to the ICT Job profiles

family tree. The objective is to have a spectrum of ICT foundational knowledge areas that ranges roughly

speaking from strategy to technology implementation. This means that there is no definite order, however it

follows a certain logic of an IT process.

Figure 9: Different approaches to drafting a Body of Knowledge

The analysis of the generic BOK’s lead to the following conclusions for the development of a European

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge:

The so-called, backward design96

, programme design 97

or Outcome based Format98

approach should be taken

from an industry perspective to ensure that study programs are designed for students to obtain the relevant

96 W. Agresti

Program design/Outcome Based Format/Backward Design approach

Approach: General indication of generic components of a academic IT program with specific focus on the role an ICT professional could take in practice, in the industry

Objective: Universities , ICT students, and professionals – accreditation of university programs,

Format: syllabi, guidelines, Index

Curriculum driven approach

Approach: Detailed guidance for the determining the content of the curriculum, could include indication of hours to spend on a certain subject

Objective: Universities and ICT students

Format: Mostly in the form of syllabi

Japan

IPA (Information technology Promotion Agency)

ICTBOK

UK: BCS (British Computer Society)

Canada:

CIPS (Canadian Information Technology professionals)

CBOK

Australia

ACS (Australian Computer Society)

CBOK

USA:

ACM (Association of Computing Machinery)

India

NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies)

Foundational Skills in IT (FSIT)

USA:

IEEE ((Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

Enterprise ITBOK Guide



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knowledge required in practice. This implies the benefit that the ICT profession is looked at from what the ICT

professional should know in the practice dependant on the ICT domain, and also the sector and the size of the

business and national specificities. The generic EU Foundational Body of Knowledge shall capture the general

core knowledge areas and refer to specific Bodies of Knowledge that focus on knowledge areas (see below).

Furthermore, the EU ICT Foundational BOK shall be a permissive model and not an exhaustive model. Due to

the diversity of the ICT domain, in order to be an efficient ICT professional you will need to know a relevant

part of the BOK. In practice an ICT professional cannot and will not know and need the whole BOK. For

example an user interaction designer will not know and hardly use business process alignment models. ICT

professionals should aim to have a large breadth of ICT knowledge and have an understanding of the

surrounding topics, e.g. as much as breadth possible around its specific ICT domain. It could be the case that

there are two ICT professionals that are the end of both parts of the spectrum (as mentioned above) that do

not have a shared core knowledge.

The ICT Knowledge area spectrum is thus the horizontal bar of an inverted T-model. If an ICT professional

would like to go to a different field than his specialisation, he / she should come down again to the horizontal

bar (the base-level) and find a connection to other knowledge areas in order to build out his breadth of

knowledge.

In addition, the BOK should also include the soft skills because you cannot purely have knowledge, e.g.

database management could only be set theory and group theory if we would purely focussing on knowledge,

but knowledge of DBMS is also applying SQL language. Skills are thus the usage of knowledge, because it is

geared to an ICT professional, application of knowledge.

3.2 Specific Bodies of Knowledge

There are a large number of specific BOK’s of professional associations which have become internationally

recognised standards and qualifications. Some countries even have legislation around the use of any particular

ICT Body of Knowledge99. These topics specific BOK’s will be the references in the European Foundation Body

of Knowledge to gain insight in specific IT fields. It should be mentioned that many of these BOK’s address IT

professionals who already entered the IT domain or are working in the field and who want to specialise. This is

also evident from the fact that the industry often requires professionals to have obtained certain foundational

level certificates and to obtain the advanced qualification over the course of one’s professional career. Many

State agencies and employers stipulate that knowledge of one or more Bodies of Knowledge is required in job

applications. In the UK, Prince 2 is mandated for UK Government appointments and contracts. These topics

specific BOK’s are mostly established by practitioners and are funded by large companies and government

agencies.

In order to create a meta model, cooperation between existing and competing BOK’s is necessary. Thus,

building on the experiences of existing Bodies of Knowledge is very valuable.

Peter Denning and Dennis Frailey (2011)100 identified over 40 professional groups that were allocated to three

categories shown in Figure 11. Each of these disciplines has its own set of Bodies of Knowledge and research

communities. These offer a basis on which to build a wider index to the Body of Knowledge using academic

syllabi. The Core disciplines are the core technologies of computer science and engineering. The IT intensive

disciplines are other branches of science, engineering and commerce that innovate in IT as part of their work.

The IT supportive occupations are newer professional specialities that support and maintain the IT

97 ACS BOK 98 INDIA FSIT 99 Report "e-Skills and ICT Professionalism, Fostering the ICT Profession in Europe”, p. 129 100 Peter J Denning (2001), When IT Becomes a Profession. Denning Institute available online:





Page 47 of 129

infrastructure. It should be noted that the list is very technical and would need to be augmented with business,

management, communications and other appropriate disciplines.

Figure 10: Professional subdivision of computing field (Peter J Denning 2011)

Below we have made an initial overview of the most common and internationally acknowledged topic specific

BOK’s per IT domain. This will also provide us with guidance which professionals are considered and

recognised as specific and separate groups and whose BOK’s should be included as reference in the European

Foundational Body of Knowledge.

Name

Developed by

(date) Objective Definition

Specifics / sub-

domains

Pro

ject

man

age

me

nt

Project

Management

Body of

Knowledge

(PMBOK)

Developed by the

Project

management

Institute (PMI) and

accepted as an

American National

Standards Institute

(ANSI). Fifth edition

published in 2013.

The PMBOK Guide

is meant to offer a

general guide to

manage most

projects most of the

time. The PMBOK

Guide is also used

as a support to

prepare the Project

Management

Institute (PMI)

certifications

The PMBOK

describes works as

being

accomplished in

processes.

Processes are

designed in terms

of input, tools and

techniques and

output.

The KAs are formed by

grouping the 47

processes of project

management into

specialised and

focused areas. KAs also

assume specific skills

and experience in

order to accomplish

project goals.



Page 48 of 129

Name

Developed by


Specifics / sub-

domains

Pro

ject

Man

age

me

nt

PRINCE2 PRINCE2 was

developed by the

UK government

agency Office of

Government

Commerce (OGC),

the latest version is

from 2009.

PRINCE2 is used to

refer to the training

and accreditation of

authorised

practitioners of the

methodology.

PRINCE2 offers

courses and

certification for

Project

Management.

It is a project

management

methodology,

based on product-

based planning

approach. The

methodology

encompasses the

management,

control and

organisation of a

project.

PRINCE2 is based on 7

principles and 7

themes that come into

play in the 7

processes. PRINCE2

does not incorporate

topics such as

‘leadership’ or ‘soft

skills’.

Soft

war

e E

ngi

ne

eri

ng

Software

Engineering Body

of Knowledge

(SWEBOK)101

Maintained by the

Institute for

Electrical and

Electronics

Engineers (IEEE) and

it is recognised as

an ISO standard.

The latest version

was published late

2013.

The SWEBOK

provides a

foundation for

curriculum

development,

certification, and

licensing.

Moreover, provide

a topical access to

the knowledge

Software

Engineering is the

application of a

systematic,

disciplined,

quantifiable

approach to the

development,

operation, and

maintenance of

software; that is,

the application of

engineering to

software.

It defines 15 KA and

disciplines within the

field of software

engineering. It also

recognises 8 related

disciplines of which

software engineers

should have

knowledge.

The breakdown of

topics constitutes the

core of each KA

description, describing

the decomposition of

the KA into subareas,

topics, and sub-topics.

For each topic or sub-

topic, a short

description is given,

along with one or

more references.

101 http://www.computer.org/portal/web/swebok/htmlformat

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Page 49 of 129

Name

Developed by


Specifics / sub-

domains

Soft

war

e E

ngi

ne

eri

ng

Certified Software

Quality Engineer

(CSQE) BOK102

The American

Society of Quality

published the CSQE

BOK in 2008.

The topics in the

BOK include

additional detail in

the form of subtext

explanations and

the cognitive level

at which the

questions of the

certification exam

will be written. In

addition to content,

the subtext for each

topic in the BOK

also indicates the

intended

complexity level.

The Certified

Software Quality

Engineer

understands

software quality

development and

implementation,

software

inspection,

testing,

verification and

validation; and

implements

software

development and

maintenance

processes and

methods.

Next to the general

knowledge (incl. soft

skills) and project

management the CSQE

BOK lists Quality

Management, Systems

and Software

Engineering Processes,

Software Metrics and

Analysis, Software

Verification and

Validation, and

Software

Configuration

Management

Serv

ice

Man

age

me

nt

Information

Technology

Infrastructure

Library (ITIL)

The IT

Infrastructure

Library originated as

a collection of

books, each

covering a specific

practice within IT

service

management It is

nowadays a

registered

trademark of the

United Kingdom’s

Cabinet Office.

(2011)

A set of practices

for IT service

management (ITSM)

that focuses on

aligning IT services

with the needs of

business. It

describes processes,

procedures, tasks

and checklists that

are not

organisation-

specific.

ITIL suggests a

more holistic

approach to

managing the

infrastructure

services and

technology from

end to end instead

of in silos.

Service management,

in five core guides. ITIL

is organised around a

service lifecycle which

includes service

strategy, service

design, service

transition, service

operation and

continual service

improvement.

Serv

ice

Man

age

me

nt

COBIT 5 Control Objectives

for Information and

Related Technology

(COBIT) is a

framework created

by international

professional

association focused

on IT Governance

(ISACA). Latest

version was

released in 2012

COBIT 5 is the

overarching

business and

management

framework for

governance and

management of

enterprise IT and

offers training,

accreditation and

licensing.

The framework

defines each

process together

with process

inputs and

outputs, key

process-activities,

process

objectives,

performance

measures and an

elementary

maturity model.

The process reference

model divides the

processes of

organisation IT into

two domains –

governance and

management.

102 http://asq.org/cert/resource/docs/csqe_BOK.pdf

http://asq.org/cert/resource/docs/csqe_bok.pdf



http://www.asq.org/

http://www.asq.org/

http://www.asq.org/

http://www.asq.org/

http://www.asq.org/

http://www.asq.org/

http://www.asq.org/

http://www.asq.org/

http://www.asq.org/

http://www.asq.org/




Page 50 of 129

Name

Developed by


Specifics / sub-

domains

Dat

a M

anag

em

en

t

DAMA DM BOK103

Data Management

International

editors board has

developed a book

titled “The DAMA

Guide to the Data

Management Body

of Knowledge”. The

latest version is

published in 2009.

Standard industry

view of data

management

functions,

terminology and

best practices,

without detailing

specific methods

and techniques. To

develop, build

consensus and

foster adoption for

a generally

accepted view of

data management.

Point readers to

additional sources

of knowledge and

suggest research

topics.

Data management

is the

development,

execution and

supervision of

plans, policies,

programs and

practices that

control, protect,

deliver and

enhance the value

of data and

information

assets.

Data Governance

Data Architecture

Mgmt.

Data Development

Database Operations

Mgmt.

Data Security

Management

Reference & Master

Data Mgmt.

DW & Bus. Intelligence

Mgmt.

Document &

Content Mgmt.

Meta Data

Management

Data Quality

Management

Serv

ice

Man

age

me

nt

Capability

Maturity Model

Integrated

(CMMI)

Capability Maturity

Model Integration

(CMMI) is service

administered and

marketed by

Carnegie Mellon

University. The

latest version is

2010.

A process

improvement

training and

certification

program. CMMI

models provide

guidance for

developing or

improving

processes that meet

the business goals

of an organisation.

A CMMI model may

also be used as a

framework for

appraising the

process maturity of

the organisation

Processes are

rated according to

their maturity

levels, which are

defined as: Initial,

Repeatable,

Defined,

Quantitatively

Managed,

Optimising.

Support and project

management.

Companies can use the

CMMI model to

appraise its processes

against the CMMI best

practices for

acquisition,

development, services

and the people CMM.

103 http://www.dama.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3548

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Page 51 of 129

Name

Developed by


Specifics / sub-

domains

Co

mp

ute

r Sc

ien

ce

ACM / IEEE

Computer Science

Curriculum104

CM and IEEE-CS

(along with other

leading scientific

computing

societies) produced

these curricula since

1960. The latest

version is of 2013.

It is a Computing

Curricula volume on

Computer Science.

These volumes have

helped to set

international

curricula guidelines

for undergraduate

programs in

computing. It is

used for Curriculum

Review and defining

standards .

The field of

computational

science combines

computer

simulation,

scientific

visualisation,

mathematical

modelling,

computer

programming and

data structures,

networking,

database design,

symbolic

computation, and

high performance

computing with

various disciplines.

The CS2013 Body of

Knowledge is

organised into a set of

18 Knowledge Areas

(KAs), corresponding

to topical areas of

study in computing.

ICT

Secu

rity

ICT Security

Essential Body of

Knowledge105

This BOK is

published by the

U.S. Department of

Homeland Security

(DHS). The latest

version is 2013.

Qualify and train

workforce. Establish

a national baseline

representing the

essential knowledge

and skills that IT

security

practitioners should

possess to perform.

Advance the IT

security landscape

by promoting

uniform

competency

guidelines.

Cyber security

professionals must

have a command

of their craft, both

in core

competencies, as

well as

performance

items and skill sets

associated with

their respective

functional roles.

EBK contains the 13

competency areas

with defining

functional statements,

and all work functions

categorised as

Manage, Design,

Implement, or

Evaluate. It covers

knowledge, skills and

competency. It

establishes an IT

Security Role,

Competency, and

Functional Matrix.

104 Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Science www.acm.org/education/CS2013-final-

report.pdf 105 Essential Body of Knowledge (EBK) http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/04/f15/DOEEBK_1-

2013Revision_NICEv01_SCRM_clean_v04.pdf

http://www.acm.org/education/CS2013-final-report.pdf


http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/04/f15/DOEEBK_1-2013Revision_NICEv01_SCRM_clean_v04.pdf

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Page 52 of 129

Name

Developed by


Specifics / sub-

domains

ICT

Secu

rity

Certified

Information

Systems Security

Professional

(CISSP)106

The CISSP is

updated annually

with the best

practices by (ISC)2

(information

security

certifications).

The CISSP is globally

recognised

certification in the

information security

market. The listed

domains reflect up-

to-date best

practices

worldwide, and

establish a common

framework of terms

and principles to

discuss, debate and

resolve matters

pertaining to the

profession.

CISSPs must have

a wide breadth of

knowledge across

information

security in order

to provide

direction to their

teams and ensure

the right systems

and processes are

in place.

Information security.

The architecture,

design, management

and controls that

assure the security of

business

environments.

ERP

Information

Technology

Capability

Maturity Model

(IT-CMF)107

IT-IMF is a

methodology

developed by the

Innovation Value

Institute. The last

update is of 2010.

The IT Capability

Maturity

Framework (IT-

CMF) is a model

that evaluates and

improves an

enterprise’s

information

technology (IT)

capabilities. It

assesses the current

practice and

identifies and

prioritises the

opportunities.

The IT-CMF

comprises four

macro-capabilities

to emphasise their

complexity and

their importance

in managing IT for

business value.

Manage IT like a

business, manage

IT budget,

managing IT for

business value and

managing the IT

capability.

Maps IT organisations

onto a capability

maturity curve based

on empirically derived

industry best practice

across 35 different

capabilities of IT

management.

Ente

rpri

se A

rch

ite

ctu

re

TOGAF108

The Open Group

Architecture

Framework (TOGAF)

is a registered

trademark of the

Open Group in the

United States. The

latest version of is

TOGAF 9.1,

published in 2013.

It is a framework for

enterprise

architecture which

provides a

comprehensive

standard to ensure

consistent

standards, methods

and

communication.

TOGAF certification

is at hand.

The organising

logic for business

processes and IT

infrastructure

reflecting the

integration and

standardisation

requirements of

the firm’s

operating model.

Approach for

designing, planning,

implementing, and

governing enterprise

information

architecture. It is

typically modelled at

four levels: Business,

Application, Data, and

Technology.

Table 1: Overview of selected international topic specific Bodies of Knowledge

106 CISSP® – Certified Information Systems Security Professional, see: https://www.isc2.org/CISSP/Default.aspx 107 Why the IT-CMF meets the needs of IT and Business management https://ivi.nuim.ie/it-cmf 108 TOGAF https://store.opengroup.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=122

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Architecture_framework

https://www.isc2.org/CISSP/Default.aspx

https://ivi.nuim.ie/it-cmf

https://store.opengroup.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=122



Page 53 of 129

3.3 European Professional Societies: Gaps and Best Practices

At a European Level there is no European society of BOK which engages in all of IT domains and activities partly

identified above. European societies give different emphasis and priority to these various activities in the

services that they offer.

This diversity and range of topics gives an insight into the wide variety of interests of European researchers

and industry and the number of existing communities across Europe. These are therefore topics that are of

crucial importance to the European scientific and industrial communities as they are currently very active

areas of research and development and many of them have been established for a number of years. However,

none of the European ICT societies are on the same scale or have the same track record and prestige as some

of the long-standing US-based ICT societies. There is a sizeable European membership in US societies and also

a large number of influential European researchers active in US societies. This wide fragmentation may be

detrimental to the full promotion of ICT among European researchers, industry and society.

There are a large number of ICT or ICT-related topics covered in the European landscape of societies which are

represented in the following list, namely109:

1. Science and engineering,

2. Computer science and information technology,

3. Operating systems and systems software,

4. Databases and information systems,

5. Mathematics,

6. Telecommunications,

7. Automated reasoning and theorem proving,

8. Logic programming,

9. Computational linguistics,

10. Computational mechanics,

11. Cognitive sciences,

12. Pure and applied cybernetics,

13. Computer graphics and visualisation,

14. Machine translation,

15. Signal theory and processing,

16. Image processing,

17. Neural networks,

18. Fuzzy Logic,

19. Autonomous systems,

20. Robotics,

21. Artificial intelligence,

22. Cryptology,

109 http://www.cs.uu.nl/groups/AD/panel-Scientificsocieties.pdf

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Page 54 of 129

23. Modelling and simulation,

24. Programming languages,

25. Complex systems,

26. Nanotechnology,

27. DNA computing,

28. Game theory and applications.

An examination of ICT societies from a geographical perspective and for what they regard as their sphere of

influence further underlines the diversity of European societies and the sometimes limited range of their

operation. It is clear that there are a number of European societies operating internationally in many fields

while there are many European organisations operating only within Europe nut with a clear potential to make

a contribution outside Europe. There is a third category operating only within Member States and sometimes

using the national language for exchanging information.

There are therefore gaps in the European landscape of ICT societies in operational scope and themes. Filling

these gaps is regarded as essential to the promotion and consolidation of ICT and of benefit to researchers,

industry and society. The following is a non-exhaustive list of professional and scientific societies at European

and national level:

At European Level there are quite some professional organisations:

Council of European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS);

European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS);

The European Professional Society on Computer Systems (EuroSys);

European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM);

Association of Logic Programming (ALP);

European Chapter of the Association of Computational Linguistics (EACL);

Central European Association for Computational Mechanics (CEACM);

European Association for Computer Graphics (EG);

European Association for Computer Science Logic (EACS);

European Association for Machine Translation (EAMT);

European Association for Speech, Signal and Image Processing (EURASIP);

European Neural Network Society (ENNS);

European Society for Fuzzy Logic and Technology (EUSFLAT);

European Association for Programming Languages and Systems (EAPLS);

European Association of Software Science and Technology (EASST);

Complex Systems Society (CSS); International Society of Dynamic Games (ISDG);

European Council of Applied Sciences and Engineering (Euro-Case);

Informatics Europe;

Euromicro;

Association Internationale pour les Technologies Objets (AITO).



Page 55 of 129

At European level some professional groups joined together in the European Forum for Information and

Communication Sciences (EFICST)110

. It was established in 2011 in Milan with the intention to create an

open platform for cooperation among the scientific ICT Societies in Europe.

Background

In 2008, the EC asked European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) to organise

an expert group to discuss the issues at ICT Conference that year. A report111

was produced that outlined

the needs. ERCIM was asked to organise another session at ICT 2010, now also including the outcome of a

SMART project that had reported on the many options for greater cooperation.

At the European Computer Science Summit (ECSS 2010) in Prague a special panel112

led by Jan van Leeuwen,

then VP of Informatics Europe, assessed the situation of the scientific societies and their possible evolution

in “the changing landscape”113

. The panellists agreed to take a next step towards the possible realisation of

a platform organisation.

On March 17, 2011 at the CEPIS office in Brussels, the panel (in extended form) met again and decided to

form a `strong but low overhead’ platform organisation, in the interest of all societies present and the ICST

field in general. A Task Group was formed to design a blueprint for an open platform for all (scientific) ICST

societies in Europe. The Group consisted of: V. Baltac (CEPIS), B. Bigalke (EAI), Chr. Choppy (Informatics

Europe), K. Jeffery (ERCIM), M. Shapiro (ACM Europe), P. van Roy (EAPLS), and J. van Leeuwen (Informatics

Europe, ACM Europe, and EATCS, moderator).

On November 7th, 2011 and co-located with the European Computer Science Summit (ECSS 2011) at the

Politecnico di Milano, the panel met again for a final meeting. The panel decided unanimously to establish

the European Forum for ICST as a joint, open platform for further cooperation, as described in the blueprint

report114

. In 2012, CEPIS left the initial group, but ECCAI joined the Forum. In 2013 more societies are

expected to join. Early 2013 the Forum issued its Strategy 2013-2015 report, outlining the next steps in its

development as the cooperative platform of ICST societies in Europe.

Objective

“The development of common viewpoints and strategies for ICST in Europe and, whenever appropriate or

needed, a common representation of these viewpoints and strategies at the international level”.

Current Members

ACM Europe

Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per l’Informatica (CINI)

European Association of Software Science and Technology (EASST)

European Association of Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS)

European Coordinating Committee for Artificial Intelligence (ECCAI)

European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM)

IINFORMATICS Europe

Société Informatique de France (SIF)

110 www.eficst.eu/ 111 http://www.cs.uu.nl/groups/AD/panel-Scientificsocieties.pdf 112 ACM Europe, CEPIS, European Alliance For Innovation (EAI), European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics

(ERCIM), EAPLS, European Association of Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS) 113 www.cs.uu.nl/groups/AD/panel-ictsocieties.pdf 114 www.cs.uu.nl/groups/AD/agreement2011.pdf

http://www.eficst.eu/


http://www.cs.uu.nl/groups/AD/panel-ictsocieties.pdf

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Page 56 of 129

At national level, there are also some professional societies (members of CEPIS)115 and scientific societies (non-

exhaustive list) that could contribute to bringing more depth into the specific subdomains of the Body of

Knowledge:

Association Française d’Intelligence Artificielle (AFIA);

Association Française des Sciences et Technologies de l’Information (ASTI);

Société de l’Electricité de l’Electronique Technologies de la Communication et de l’Information (SEE)

Gesellschaft für Informatik (GI);

Verband der Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik (VDE);

Associazione Informatici Professionisti (AIP / ITCS);

Associazione Italiana per l’Informatica e il Calcolo Automatico;

Asociación de Doctores Licenciados e Ingenieros en Informática (AICA);

Société des Personnels Enseignants et Chercheurs en Informatique de France (ALI).

National professional societies (members of CEPIS)

Oesterreichisches Computer Gesellschaft (OCG)

Federation of Belgian Informatics Associations (FBVI-FAIB )

Association of Informatics in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Union of Automation and Informatics (UAI)

Croatian Information Technology Association (CITA)

Czech Society for Cybernetics and Informatics (CSKI)

Dansk IT

Finnish Information Processing Association (FIPA)

Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V – (GI)

Informationstechnische Gesellschaft im Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik

Hellenic Professionals Informatics Society (HEPIS)

John von Neumann Computer Society (NJSzT)

Icelandic Society for Information Processing (ISIP)

The Irish Computer Society (ICS)

Associazione Italiana per l’Informatica e il Calcolo Automatico (AICA)

Associazione Informatici Professionisti (AIP)

Latvian Information Technology & Telecommunications Association (LIKTA)

Lietuvos Kompiuterininku Sajunga (LIKS)

Association Luxembourgeoise des Ingénieurs (ALI)

Computer Society of Malta (CSM)

Nederlands Genootschap voor Informatica (NGI)

115 www.cepis.org/index.jsp?p=637&n=644

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Vereniging van Register Informatica (VRI)

Den Norske Dataforening (DND)

Polskie Towarzystwo Informatyczne - Polish Information Processing Society (PTI-PIPS)

Slovak Society for Computer Science (SSCS)

Slovenian Society Informatika (SSI)

Asociación de Técnicos de Informática (ATI)

DF Dataforeningen i Sverige (Swedish Computer Society)

BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT

In the US the position of ICT scientific societies is extremely important with the ACM and IEEE performing

significant roles including:

Organising the most authoritative conferences and publishing some of the journals with the highest

impact factor in the field

Producing guidelines and reference curricula for education in ICT at all levels in the form of Bodies of

Knowledge

Producing reports on research and innovation that have a meaningful impact on governmental

decisions etc.

In Europe such a role is almost absent with existing societies unable to exert the same influence. In general,

European ICT societies are not homogeneous, mainly small and specialised, mostly single-country and single-

topic and sometimes based on a specific national language. However because of excessive fragmentation, the

impact of ICT societies in Europe is far from optimal and there is a need to stimulate European societies to

organise across country and topical boundaries.

In 2012, it was stated that there is limited evidence in the European Union of generic Bodies of Knowledge

being used as the basis for developing academic courses116. This was definitely the case for the Bodies of

Knowledge at European level.

This lack of generalised ICT scientific societies rooted in Europe is widely perceived as a weakness of the whole

ICT education, research and innovation ecosystem117. There is an urgent need for a new European system to

strengthen the links between industry and academia, foster scientific and technological excellence, build and

spread technology transfer and entrepreneurship, and preserve cultural heritage within the context of the

whole ICT ecosystem. Such a system should make entry easy, dissemination global, be self-sufficient and

address not only European specific issues, but also open global initiatives.

3.4 Universities Curricula

One of the recommendations of the report on ‘e-Skills and ICT Professionalism, Fostering the ICT Profession in

Europe” of 2012 was to see if colleges and universities would be willing to share and pool share their syllabi as

a basis for European Body of Knowledge. This could avoid to a large extent the need to translate the Body of

Knowledge and each country could merge their courses into the reference list when the BOK is implemented

at national level.

116 IVI & CEPIS, "e-Skills and ICT Professionalism, Fostering the ICT Profession in Europe", 2012, p. 124 117 www.cs.uu.nl/groups/AD/panel-Scientificsocieties.pdf




Page 58 of 129

If we look at the majority of the generic BOK’s they are all focused on providing the education providers with

detailed indication about the content of the study programmes. Given this Peter J Denning stated that

“students often find IT curricula that focus more on programming than on systems, on theory more than on

experimentation, and on concepts rather than practice”. We currently see a trend towards drafting BOK’s with

a backward design118

, programme design 119

or Outcome based Format120

approach from an industry

perspective to ensure that study programs are designed for students obtain the relevant knowledge required

in practice.

The conceptual knowledge of IT is codified in curricula of degree and training programs. The questions are:

what is the state of play of the education and training in IT in the European Union, and whether educational

institutes could be- and are willing to let these be used as basis and reference in the Body of Knowledge.

3.4.1 Education and Training

There is a world of difference between formal academy degrees provided by higher education and universities

and industry-based training and certification by ICT vendors. Higher education and universities focus more on

theoretical concepts while industry-based trainings and certification emphasise developing skills and product

ability. In order to bridge the gap between knowledge and skills, efforts have been made to form partnerships

between industry and academia. Not all academia are open to these kind of initiatives, especially not those

that are more traditional and research orientated.

From the interviews we conducted, we discerned that the gaps perceived by the industry from entrants

coming from higher education have in general been taken into account and specific actions follow in the form

of internal and external training.

Figure 11: Activities to close gaps between ICT graduates and / or practitioners and the demand from the industry

118 W. Agresti 119 ACS BOK 120 INDIA FSIT

NO action 13%

career and certification paths + external training + internal

training 33%

career and certification paths + external training 17%

external + internal training 12%

career and certification paths + internal training 9%

external training 6%

internal training 6%

career and certification paths 5%

87%



Page 59 of 129

There are many different ICT Trainings and Certificates. It is difficult for practitioners and new entrants in the

field to find their way in this ‘certification jungle’121: what are good trainings and certificates? For which level

are these trainings? Does one require some underlying knowledge etc.? The European Qualifications

Framework acts as a translation device to improve the transparency of national qualifications across Europe.

Each country’s national qualifications framework is mapped against the EQF and from 2012 all new

qualifications in Europe carry a reference to the appropriate EQF level.

In similar vein the question applies to higher education courses in IT. Which higher education institutes are

good? Apart from established names of institutions are the curricula given at these institutes of a good quality

level? A way to provide insight thereto is accreditation. It is a process to certify the competency, authority or

credibility of an organisation by an independent body based on certain standards. Accreditation of higher

Education Institutes is a starting point to identify the higher education institutes that might be willing to share

their syllabi. As regards accreditation of specific ICT programmes at European level there is the European

Quality Assurance Network for Informatics Education (EQANIE).

The European Quality Assurance Network for Informatics Education (EQANIE)122

is a non-profit association

seeking to enhance evaluation and quality assurance of informatics study programmes and education in

Europe. It was founded on January 9th, 2009 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

EQANIE is to be seen in the broader political context of the Bologna Process, aiming at the creation of a

European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The Bologna Process is closely related to the – more economically

focussed –Lisbon-Strategy and its objective of developing a “European Knowledge Society”. EQANIE was

founded in January 2009 to contribute to these objectives.

EQANIE develops criteria and procedures for the evaluation and quality assurance in informatics study

programmes and education. Furthermore, it develops and maintains a system for the award of a European

quality-label for informatics degree programmes as well as its protection and continued further

development.

This body acts as an accreditation agency for informatics degrees and issues the Euro-INF Quality Label for

compliant programmes. At present only the German Akkreditierungsagentur für Studiengänge der

Ingenieurwissenschaften, der Informatik, der Naturwissenschaften und der Mathematik e.V. (ASIIN) and the

BCS Chartered Institute in the UK123

EQANIE is a member of the European Alliance for Subject Specific and Professional Accreditation and

Quality Assurance (EASPA)

These agencies focus only on formal education and specifically on university based engineering style degrees

and do not consider non-formal ICT Education. However, it should be noticed that there are alternative ways

to deliver education inter alia via Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

3.4.2 IT Curricula

There is a significant body of literature that deals with IT curriculum. Many papers address the deficiency in

many computer science (and related) courses, and discuss what ought to be taught, how curricula should be

set up, and which programs best suit student needs.

Reffell and Whitworth (2002) have argued forcefully that most IT education is ineffective because it is too

technical and not at all concerned with local contexts and real world problems. At the heart of these debates is

a fundamental disagreement about what it is that universities do. Some argue cogently that universities must

121 "e-Skills: the international dimension and the impact of globalisation" (Interim Report), IVI. See: http://www.eskills-

international.com/assets/interim-report-(issued---for-comment).pdf 122 www.eqanie.eu/pages/about-eqanie.php 123 www.eqanie.eu/pages/posts/bcs-authorized-to-award-the-euro-inf-quality-labels-42.php

http://www.eskills-international.com/assets/interim-report-(issued---for-comment).pdf


http://www.eqanie.eu/pages/about-eqanie.php

http://www.eqanie.eu/pages/posts/bcs-authorized-to-award-the-euro-inf-quality-labels-42.php



Page 60 of 129

first satisfy the needs of industry. Others who support this claim point out that the reason students go to

university is primarily because they want good jobs, and argue that education should focus on achieving full

employment. Yet some authors believe that universities are already too focused on employment and industry,

which is detrimental to their teaching and research. A more idealistic school argues that rather than surrender

to industry, universities should help build pure knowledge, social capital and the capacity for critical thinking.

Nevertheless, despite the discrepancies in ways to set up curricula, analysis of them is a useful way to study a

particular phenomenon because curricula have the capacity to reveal institutionalised assumptions within a

particular domain, and they are researchable124.

There might be many Higher Education institutes that might be willing to share their curricula on IT related

fields. We have selected a few that are of specific interest for the second phase. These Universities have been

identified based on desk research, whether they are part of a European cooperation network (e.g. Informatics

Europe125) and on the basis of the IT curricula especially the focus of the first year undergraduate courses. We

have ensured proper balance as regards geographical spread.

124 Jonathan Ezer (2006), India and the US: A comparison through the Lens of Model It Curricula. In: Journal of information

Technology Education, Volume 5, 2006. See at: http://www.jite.org/documents/Vol5/v5p429-440Ezer133.pdf 125 www.informatics-europe.org/membership/current-members.html

http://www.jite.org/documents/Vol5/v5p429-440Ezer133.pdf

http://www.informatics-europe.org/membership/current-members.html



Page 61 of 129

University

School /

Department

EU

cooperation

Undergraduate

Courses Post Graduate

Politecnico di

Milano

Department of

Electronics,

Informatics and

Bioengineering

Technology

Platform,126

Artemis127

,

NESSI128

Telecommunications,

Informatics

Electronics

Bioengineering

Automation

Information Engineering

University of

Piraeus

Department of

Digital Systems

Grand Coalition

Pledge129

The Undergraduate

Programme has two

main directions:

“Communication

Systems and

Networks”

“Electronic Services”.

The Postgraduate

Programmes have five main

directions:

“E-Learning”, “Network-

Oriented Systems”,

“Digital Communications

and Networks”,

“Techno-economic

Management of Digital

Systems”

“Digital Systems Security”.

University of

Greenwich

School of

Computing and

Mathematical

Sciences:

Divided:

Computing and

Information

Systems

Smart systems

technologies

Creative Digital

technologies

Business Computing,

BSc Hons

Computer Science, BSc

Hons

Computer Security

and Forensics, BSc

Hons

Computer Systems

and Networking, BSc

Hons

Computing with

Digital Media, BSc

Hons

Computing with

Games Development,

BSc Hons

Computing, BSc Hons

Software Engineering,

BEng Hons

Software Engineering,

BSc Hons

Computing – Information

Technology Programmes

Enterprise Systems and

Database Administration,

MSc

Information Security and

Audit, MSc

Information Systems

Management, MSc

Management of Business

Information Technology,

MSc

Computing – Networking

and Systems Programmes

Computer Forensics and

Cyber Security, MSc

Computer Forensics and

the Law, MSc

Computer Systems and

Network Engineering, MSc

Network and Computer

Systems Security, MSc

126 http://www.deib.polimi.it/presentazione/relazioni_internazionali/piattaforme_europee/index.php?idlang=eng 127 www.deib.polimi.it/presentazione/relazioni_internazionali/piattaforme_europee/dettaglio.php?idlang=eng&id_elemento=7 128 www.deib.polimi.it/presentazione/relazioni_internazionali/piattaforme_europee/dettaglio.php?idlang=eng&id_elemento=8 129 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/node/67232/

http://www.deib.polimi.it/presentazione/relazioni_internazionali/piattaforme_europee/index.php?idlang=eng

http://www.deib.polimi.it/presentazione/relazioni_internazionali/piattaforme_europee/dettaglio.php?idlang=eng&id_elemento=7

http://www.deib.polimi.it/presentazione/relazioni_internazionali/piattaforme_europee/dettaglio.php?idlang=eng&id_elemento=8

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/node/67232/



Page 62 of 129

University

School /

Department

EU

cooperation

Undergraduate

Courses Post Graduate

Vienna University

of Technology,

Faculty of

Informatics

Member of

Informatics

Europe

Business Informatics

BSc

Computer Engineering

BSc

Media Informatics and

Visual Computing BSc

Medical Informatics

BSc

Software &

Information

Engineering BSc

Business Informatics, in

English MSc

Computational Intelligence,

English program MSc

Computer Engineering MSc

Media Informatics MSc

Medical Informatics MSc

Software Engineering &

Internet Computing MSc

Visual Computing MSc

Computational Logic,

European Master’s Program

MSc

Didactics of Informatics

MSc

Catholic

University of

Leuven

Department of

Computer Science

Member Of

Informatics

Europe

Ba Informatics

Ba Computer Sciences

Ma Applied Informatics

Ma Computer Sciences

Ma Mathematical

Engineering

Ma Artificial Intelligence

RWTH Aachen Department of

Computer Science

Member Of

Informatics

Europe

Computer Science

B.Sc.

Technical

Communication

Computational

Engineering Science

Computer Science

Media Informatics

Software Systems

Engineering

Automation Engineering

Computational Engineering

Table 2: Overview of Universities of interest for mapping curricula to the Foundational ICT BOK

The iSchools130 organisation is a collection of Information Schools dedicated to advancing the information

field. These schools, colleges, and departments have been newly created or are evolving from programs

formerly focused on specific tracks such as information technology, library science, informatics, information

science, and more.

In 1988, Toni Carbo, dean of the School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh,

formed the Gang of Three with deans from two other Universities in the USA. Within the next couple of

years, another dean joined the group, making it a Gang of Four. The Gang grew out of informal

conversations at a meeting of the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE). The

objective was to share information and to foster development of a community of colleagues addressing

such questions as “How do you explain information science (IS) to your provost?” The Gang met informally

until the mid-1990s and slowly disbanded.

In 2001, the group was reconstituted under Toni’s leadership at a meeting in Pittsburgh. Participants

included deans of five American universities forming “Gang of Five”. Beginning in 2003, Gang membership

130 http://ischools.org/

http://www.informatik.tuwien.ac.at/

http://www.informatik.tuwien.ac.at/

http://ischools.org/



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grew with the addition of deans from quite a number other American universities bringing it to the “Gang of

Ten.” By this point, the informal name was becoming unwieldy and a bit inappropriate, particularly as

continued growth was anticipated. The group’s agenda became more focused on building a sense of

identity and community among the “information schools,” or “iSchools.”

Through the leadership of deans John King, the late Raymond von Dran, and Michael Eisenberg, the group’s

agenda became more focused on building a sense of identity and community among the “information

schools,” or “iSchools. The group was formally named “the iSchools Caucus” (more casually referred to as

the iCaucus), and its membership grew rapidly with the addition of other American and Canadian

Universities. And in 2008, two more institutions joined: The Heinz School, Carnegie Mellon University and

The School of Information Systems, Singapore Management University. As of 2009, twenty-four iSchools in

the U.S. and Canada have joined the “iCaucus,” a forum in which iSchools’ deans collaborate to further their

collective interests through focused events such as the “iConference” and resources of broader interest

such as this Web site.

Examples of European Universities that joined iSchools are:

Berlin School of Library and Information Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Royal School of Library and Information Science, University of Copenhagen

University College Dublin: School of Information and Library Studies

University College London: Department of Information Studies

While each individual iSchool has its own strengths and specialisations, together they share a fundamental

interest in the relationships between information, people, and technology.

In addition, one of deans of the iSchool network who is also a board member of the Computing Research

Association (CRA), introduced the iSchools Caucus to the CRA IT Deans Group, founded in 2000 at the

Snowbird meeting and chaired by Peter Freeman (Georgia Tech). In 2008, the name of the CRA group was

shortened with majority approval to the “CRA Deans” group. The CRA Deans group provides a broad forum

for leaders of IT schools, colleges, and institutes to share experiences, strategies, opportunities, and

concerns. It illuminates issues and seeks common ground leading to a coherent and unified voice for the

academic and research communities, and to the general public. A substantial majority of the iSchool deans

have joined the CRA Deans group in order to assure that information-related issues are appropriately

reflected in the group’s evolving agenda.

While many commentators have argued that IT is the “Great Globalizer”131, IT education has not converged to

some worldwide standard. There are some obvious similarities across various curricula, but also some

conspicuous differences as well. A greater understanding of these similarities and differences will help us

understand the different ways that IT is perceived and the long run potential impact of IT. Such an

understanding will also reveal new ideas for IT education and for future model IT curricula in European based

on underlying European foundational Body of Knowledge

131 Jonathan Ezer (2006), India and the US: A comparison through the Lens of Model It Curricula. In: Journal of information

Technology Education, Volume 5, 2006. See at: http://www.jite.org/documents/Vol5/v5p429-440Ezer133.pdf

https://www.ibi.hu-berlin.de/

http://iva.ku.dk/




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4 Building a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

In this chapter we present the process to build and develop an European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

This process took place over the course of one year and involved many different stakeholder groups to discuss

and validate, step by step, the draft deliverables. In describing the process to build and develop the

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge three steps can be identified. These will be further detailed in this

chapter, in terms of sources / references used, the interactions with stakeholders and the outcomes.

Step 1 (from March to May): initial BOK framework / structure

Step 2 (From June to September): refined BOK framework / structure and draft content

Step 3 (from October to December): approved BOK framework / structure, improved concept and

content

Figure 12 – Main steps of building process

4.1 Design principles

Before entering the process of constructing the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, a key step has to be

mentioned that provided the basis for all future step. This step consisted in defining design principles. During

the first phase of our work several design principles have been identified, adapted and validated, with the

direct involvement of stakeholders both through interviews as well as in workshops.

The design principles establish the criteria to build the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge and set the

requirements and expectations of stakeholders as regard to its development and maintenance. Assessing

principles and guidelines coming from existing ICT Bodies of Knowledge (i.e. ACS Body of Knowledge, IEEE

SWEBOK) and Curriculum guidelines (i.e. Computer Science Curricula 2013 – ACM and IEEE Computer Society),

the following design principles were defined:

Principles & approach to BoK design

Initial framework

Workshop 1:Building the foundations

Workshop 2:Draft meta-model BoK

Workshop 3:The way forward

Workshop 4:Finalisation

Refined meta-model BoK

Draft operating model

Finalised meta-model BoK

Approved operating model

STEP 1 Building STEP 2 Refining STEP 3 Finalising

First round Interviews

Second round

Interviews

Co

nte

nts

Co

nsu

ltat

ion

sSo

urc

es

SteerComeeting

SteerComeeting

Survey

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

e-CF 3.0 Existing Bodies of Knowledge

University curricula

European ICT Professional Profiles

Certifications



Page 65 of 129

Reference to the e-Competence Framework (e-CF): It is a valuable index that should be used as a common

dictionary. Alignment with the competencies in the e-CF should be sought when drafting the Body of

Knowledge.

Sustainability: This means that the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge needs to be sustainable. This is

addressed in the governance and operating model. It is important to link it to what has already been

established.

Straightforward: in that it should be written in a way that is comprehensible for existing and aspiring ICT

professionals, especially young people.

Relevant: The Body of Knowledge should address the needs of ICT professionals and European enterprises,

SMEs and public administrations. The information provided to the user should be relevant to the user’s task

and context.

Flexible: as regards to being able to adjust to technological change and the necessary new developments in

the ICT profession, it should however provide a robust and solid foundation.

Objective: the foundational Body of Knowledge should be inclusive. It should make reference to diplomas,

certificates and training from different sources may these be open source of vendor specific.

Valid: its content should be periodically updated with relevant stakeholders to ensure the focus remains of

developing knowledge that is building the appropriate and necessary e-Skills.

These design principles provide a comprehensive view on how to construct and align the structure of the

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge to deliver its strategic objectives.

Based on design principles the building process for the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge took place in

three main steps which have been mentioned above.

4.2 Step 1: Constructing the framework of the Body of Knowledge

The first step was focused on the set up of the framework, the structure to organise the knowledge areas. At

this aim, activities and research in this phase were aimed at identifying the initial contents and structure of the

European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge (the ‘what’ and the ‘how’). Consultations with stakeholders and

experts were carried out through two workshops and a round of 200 interviews in order to ensure alignment

between results, purposes and requirements.

The e-Competence Framework (e-CF) was adopted as main source to define the model for the following

reasons:

The e-CF is known in European Union and commonly accepted from the most part of stakeholders –

industries, educational institutions, certification providers, professional associations, governments;

The e-CF provides a structure which can be linked to existing national ICT competence models;

The e-CF describes ICT competences related samples from a business perspective, providing a view of

ICT Professionalism that includes both the organisational and individual aspects;

The e-CF is designed to relate to specific skills and job profiles frameworks (e.g. AITTS, CIGREF, EUCIP,

SFIA, etc.) coming from different cultures and experiences across Europe, as demonstrated by the

CWA 16458 on European ICT professional Profiles;



Page 66 of 129

The e-CF provides a solid and durable framework despite the continuous and rapid changes in the ICT

environment.

Figure 13: e-Competence Framework 3.0

The e-CF is structured from four dimensions that reflect different levels of business and human resource

planning requirements in addition to job proficiency guidelines:

Dimension 1 includes 5 areas, derived from the ICT business processes – Plan, Build, Run, Enable,

Manage

Dimension 2 describes a set of e-Competences for each area

Dimension 3 defines the proficiency levels of each e-Competence which are related to the EQF levels

Dimension 4 includes samples of knowledge and skills related to e-Competences in dimension 2.



Page 67 of 129

Figure 14: Dimensions of the e-CF - example

Looking at the e-Competence Framework and its Dimensions, some important findings have been

identified that contributed to define the overall approach:

Dimension 1, defining ICT business processes, can provide a map to define the high level structure of the

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. The 5 areas of Dimension 1, matched with the ICT professional profiles,

provide an exhaustive view of the ICT profession both from a business perspective (ICT processes) and as well

as from an individual’s perspective (role profiles). According to this approach six Domains have been designed

that reflect the six ICT profile families:

Business Management

Technical Management

Design

Development

Service and Operation

Support

Dimension 2 and 3, being focused on e-competences rather than on knowledge, should not be immediately

adopted to define the model of the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. A more detailed explanation of this

assumption has been provided in the previous chapter thanks to the distinction between Knowledge (savoir)

and competence (savoir être).

Dimension 4, including knowledge samples for each e-competence, can provide substance to define the

knowledge areas and contents of the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. The depth of description in this

dimension could be considered too detailed for company needs. Nonetheless, such in-depth descriptions can

for example be useful to define specific and precise outcomes to be assessed within companies’ competence

assessment sessions. On the other hand, dimension 4 is critical for training and certification institutions

because they need to specify qualifications in terms of learning outcomes. In this context, skills and knowledge

represent a bridge between organisation competences and vocational training and qualifications.



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Assessing Dimension 4, following actions were defined and then approved by stakeholders and ICT experts

during the first and second workshops in order to effectively build on the e-CF:

Further research on academic curricula and certification programs was required in order to close the

gap and make the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge as much as possible exhaustive.

A deeper analysis of knowledge samples was required in order to find out relevant contents at the

right level of depth. As a result of this first step, the general structure of the Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge was set up that consists of three layers:

– First Layer – Domains: Domains represent the macro areas in which knowledge are grouped at very high level (i.e. Business Management). They are derived from the ICT Job Profile Family Tree and are consistent with the Areas Dimension 1 e-CF.

– Second Layer – Sub-domains: Sub-domains define the subjects that compose each domain (i.e. ICT strategy) and are derived from the clustering of knowledge Dimensions 4 e-CF.

– Third Layer – Knowledge Areas: Knowledge Areas represent the basic level of contents and are derived from the collection and elaboration of knowledge Dimension 4 e-CF (i.e. Organisation and Business model).

Figure 15: Example of organising Knowledge areas in layers

This draft structure was in line with the structure of other existing international Bodies of Knowledge, such as

the ACS Body of Knowledge that have been assessed and analysed through the desk research. The framework

shows a common approach in terms of contents clustering. The illustrative sample below has been taken from

the Australian Body of Knowledge. Differently from the pan European ICT Body of Knowledge we proposed,

the Australian one adopted the SFIA model as reference framework to map knowledge area.



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Figure 16: Australian Computer Society – The ICT Profession Body of Knowledge

4.2.1 Defining the breakdown of knowledge

Defining the breakdown of knowledge into Domains, Sub-domains and knowledge areas constituted a key step

in drafting the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. For this reason, several criteria have been adopted (also

looking at existing ICT BOK’s) to lead the process in a structured way:

The breakdown of contents is expected to be “relevant and consistent,” not “perfect.”

Content must be “generally recognised”, in other words, they should not presume specific application

domains, industry / sectors, organisational structures, management philosophies, etc.

Knowledge should be compatible with the reference ICT literature and standards.

The breakdown of contents is expected to avoid overlaps of knowledge, even where some knowledge

can be included in different domain (i.e. quality management)

The breakdown of topics should be at most two or three levels deep. Even though no upper or lower

limit is imposed on the number of topics within each Domain, a reasonable and manageable number

of Knowledge areas are expected to be included in each Domain. Emphasis should also be put on the

selection of the topics themselves rather than on their organisation in an appropriate hierarchy.

Topic names must be significant enough to be meaningful even when cited outside the Foundational

ICT Body of Knowledge.

According to these criteria, the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge has been drafted by proceeding gradually

through the analysis and elaboration of Knowledge examples Dimension 4 e-CF as follows:



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Step 1: Dimension 4 of the e-CF has been assessed and grouped in Knowledge areas that are homogeneous in

terms of subject. Clusters have been created according two steps:

Identifying and merging recurrent knowledge in different areas within the framework (i.e. knowledge

“structured project management methodologies” is included both in PLAN and in MANAGE areas)

Grouping knowledge with different naming but similar in terms of contents and strongly related to a

specific knowledge. The table below shows an example of this analysis.

Figure 17: Approach to grouping Knowledge Areas from e-CF Dimension 4

The output of the first assessment was a list of about 70 knowledge areas. This number is intended to be

variable depending of ongoing analysis and clustering.

Step 2: Knowledge areas have been further grouped in sub-domains. Given the technicality of contents, this

clustering activity has been done with the support of several ICT experts. The initial output of this step is a list

of about 20 sub domains.

Figure 18: example of grouping Knowledge Areas from e-CF Dimension 4

Step 3: Finally the sub-domains have been associated to the six Domains according to their contents and

consistently with the scope of the different Domains.

As a result of the clustering process all knowledge areas in Dimension 4 of the e–CF have been mapped and

further elaborated to draft the breakdown structure of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.



Page 71 of 129

Figure 19: Framework Knowledge Dimensions e-CF Dimension 4

The final outcome of the first step was a structure where knowledge, sub-domains and domains were

organized in three areas consisting of:

Managerial Knowledge: these areas include all knowledge related to business management and

technical management

Technical knowledge: these areas include all knowledge related to the Design, Development and

Delivery of ICT services

Complementary knowledge: this area include HR, sales and other transversal knowledge, that

integrate the above knowledge areas



Page 72 of 129

Figure 20: Taxonomy of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge – 1st draft

By proceeding in the development of the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge this first structure was reviewed

and simplified moving from a three layers structure (Domains, Sub-domains, Knowledge) into a two layers

structure (Knowledge areas and Knowledge). Next paragraphs will better explain the reasons for this change.

4.3 Step 2: Developing and refining the Body of Knowledge

Second step of building the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge was focused on further developing

the initial structure and contents. Many different initiatives carried out in this phase contributed to improve

the draft Framework and different sources were used to compare and validate results:

Analysis of University Curricula

Comparison with existing Body of Knowledge

Consultation of stakeholders (third workshop) and Experts (individual meetings)

Steering Committee meeting

Following the input gathered by the Workshops and the Steering Committee, together with results from

previous steps, we further developed the draft Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge by refining the structure

and contents at the different layers (Domains, Sub-domains, Knowledge areas).

With regard to the contents, some key actions were executed to complement the set of knowledge both in

terms of breadth and depth:

knowledge areas in Dimension 4 of the e-CF have been further analysed and elaborated

knowledge required from certifications has been checked and used

knowledge included in the most relevant university curricula has been checked and compared

knowledge included in generic Bodies of Knowledge has been checked and compared



Page 73 of 129

By reviewing knowledge Dimension 4 e-CF we intended to assess and refine the first breakdown structure

identifying relevant knowledge at the appropriate level of depth (Foundational) on which to build the

Foundational ICT Body of k=Knowledge.

The outcome of this activity was the general re-organisation of contents within the model and a simplification

of the structure. After reviewing, the six domains reflecting the families of the ICT Job Profile family tree were

converted into two main domains: Business Strategy & Management (combining business management and

technical management) and Technology (combining Design, Develop and Service and Operation).

Figure 21: Taxonomy of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge – 2nd draft

4.4 4.5 Step 3: Delivering the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

version 1.0

The third step was aimed at delivering the version 1.0 of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

after processing a broad review that involved many stakeholders across Europe.

In order to finalise and improve the overall framework and contents, a survey was addressed to stakeholders

and experts, which aimed at gathering views and suggestions as regards to the first draft. This resulted in very

relevant inputs that lead to a general review of the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. Moreover, a fourth

workshop with stakeholders was carried out, followed by a meeting with a selected team of Academics and

the second Steering Committee Meeting. All activities and consultations in this phase served to further

improve, refine and finalize the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. Main changes concerning structure and

contents can be summarised in the following key points:

The various knowledge areas within the ICT domain, at a high level, are intertwined and interrelated:

they include concepts that refer both to technology and strategy. For this reason any categorisation –

into the two Domains “Management & strategy” and “Technology” – would be inappropriate. Based

on this assumption, Domains were definitely deleted and a two layers structure (Knowledge areas and

Knowledge) was designed which reflects the continuum between Strategy and Technology in ICT.

The taxonomy of high level knowledge areas includes the very core knowledge together with cross

cutting knowledge required to enter the ICT profession. This also allows to respond to the highly

dynamic nature of the ICT environment.

Explicit reference to competences from e-CF has been added for every knowledge areas



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Job profiles envisioned have been selected from the European framework (European ICT Professional

Profiles)

The final structure of the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge can be described as an ‘inverted T-model’, in

which the horizontal axis includes the knowledge areas of the ICT domain running from a predominantly

strategic to a predominantly technological perspective. The vertical axis corresponds to specific knowledge and

skills an individual should develop to specialise in one domain. We can assume that any ICT professional

wanting to enter the profession in a field different from the existing specialisation he / she’s working in, should

come down to or start at the base-level (the horizontal bar) to understand which other knowledge areas are

relevant in order to then further expand his / her breadth of knowledge.

The European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge provides the base-level knowledge that ICT professionals

require. However, considering the wide range of knowledge in the ICT field, it is intended to be a “permissive

model” where every ICT professional will acquire as much breadth as possible in terms of knowledge

possession.

Figure 22:Taxonomy of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge – final draft

As shown in the above picture, Version 1.0 of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge consists of

the following 12 Knowledge areas:

ICT Strategy & Governance

Business and Market of ICT

Project Management

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Testing

Operations and Service Management.

It also consists of 3 cross-cutting knowledge areas which are described further at the end of this paragraph.

The European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge version 1.0 presents the taxonomy of the high-level areas

of knowledge that represent the base level that starting ICT professionals should understand as much as

possible. These knowledge areas are then broken down and described in further detail, including a general

definition of the knowledge area, a detailed list of foundational knowledge, reference to the e-CF, potential

job profiles and examples of specific Bodies of Knowledge, certification and training opportunities.

The Figure below provides an example of how each Knowledge Area is described.



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Business and Market of ICT



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In essence, this is about how to fundamentally transform the way businesses consume and interact with

IT132. It is necessary to gain insight into the business of ICT, the different applications of ICT in various sectors

and its commercial value. An understanding is needed of how ICT can be used as a resource, how business

transactions take place, and of the market principles and main components. Concepts of outsourcing,

insourcing, offshoring, nearshoring, homeshoring and supply chain management that are specific to ICT

should be highlighted in this Knowledge Area.

29. Foundational knowledge required

Concepts of business and business models

Foundations of market analysis and benchmarking

Supply chain management: overview of the main supply chain models, including sourcing &

shoring

Concepts of e-procurement and e-sourcing

Distribution and delivery models

Business Process Management

30. e-Competence Framework references

A3 Business Plan Development

A7 Technology Trend Monitoring

A9 Innovating

D6 Channel Management

D7 Sales Management

D11 Needs Identification

D12 Digital Marketing

31. Examples of Job profiles envisioned

Business Analyst

Project Manager

Supply Chain Manager

Business Information Manager

Account Manager

ICT Consultant

Enterprise Architect

32. Examples of specific Bodies of Knowledge, certification and training possibilities

BPM CBOK™ (Business Process Management Common Body of Knowledge – ABPMP)

CBPP® ( Certification Program, Certified Business Process Professional – ABPMP)

In addition to the dimension of ICT core knowledge defined above, the European Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge consists of a second dimension of complementary base-level knowledge required to enter the ICT

132 See: http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Business-Intelligence/14-Delivery-Models-Transforming-IT/

http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Business-Intelligence/14-Delivery-Models-Transforming-IT/



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profession. This dimension includes cross-cutting knowledge that cannot be considered purely in relation to

one ICT knowledge area but can be referred to, at different levels, in relation to all core knowledge areas, i.e.:

Legal, ethical, social and professional practices: including this knowledge in the Foundational ICT

Body of Knowledge serves to provide key reference points for everyone interested in the ICT

profession, as they are strongly linked to the definition of the ICT profession itself. Legal, ethical,

social and professional practices need to be addressed at different levels at different stages of

professional development. The very nature of professional work means that some knowledge and

skills are best developed through experience and that an understanding of complex issues, such as

ethics, grows with maturity. Further development will be provided at a full professional level through

participation in certification programmes.

Soft skills: including soft skills in the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge provides a concrete

contribution to the evolution of the ICT profession. Soft skills integrate the technical skills, providing a

sound basis for developing “dual thinker” profiles, which are oriented towards team building,

collaboration, negotiation, e-leadership, etc.

Emerging / disruptive technologies: given the fast growth in the disruptive technologies of cloud,

mobile, social and big data, which are predicted to constitute 40% of the global market and 98% of

growth by 2020, and the expected creation of 4.4 million IT jobs globally to support big data – base-

level knowledge should be provided to improve an understanding of these technologies and their

impacts on business and society.



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5 Mechanisms for sustainability and promotion

We are at the beginning of the maturity path of a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. Developing, promoting

and maintaining a regularly updated international Foundation ICT Body of Knowledge is a long-term

endeavour.

This section elaborates on mechanisms that support a sustainable and innovative development of the

European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. Our approach to defining the operating model started with

analysis of existing Bodies of Knowledge and capturing lessons learned and challenges. These were then

shared with stakeholders during the workshops, in the interviews and an online survey to get feedback and

further shape the operating model.

To this end we describe in section 5.1 what an operating model consists of, which functions need to be

included, and how we have approached this part of the research. This section also introduces the key

stakeholders and a specific section on the CEN Workshop on ICT Skills. It culminates in a paragraph that makes

clear how the mechanisms for sustainability and promotion interconnect and how synergy can be optimised. In

our view, creating collaborative networks is vitally important in that regard.

From analysing existing Bodies of Knowledge, and by capturing stakeholders’ needs and expectations, several

key questions were derived that need to be addressed in the description of the operating model (section 5.2).

Two paragraphs follow to describe how sustainability (section 5.4) and promotion and stimulating take-up

(section 5.5) could be consolidated after this project. Finally, section 5.6 will present the way forward for

accomplishing a version 2.0 of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

5.1 A sustainable model aimed to achieve widespread adoption

5.1.1 Purpose of an operating model

A Body of Knowledge codifies in a way the fast changing ICT field for a moment in time. It should be avoided

that Bodies of Knowledge become static, because stakeholders and interested parties (or so-called Community

of Interest133

) are used to keep up with innovation and evolving steps. Support will grow if IT professionals

believe that having an accurate IT BOK is important to their field. This is an essential assumption: besides

creating a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, the ways in which it will be operated, innovated and

promoted are pivotal to achieve success.

Wikipedia defines an operating model as: ‘an abstract representation of how an organisation operates across

process, organisation and technology domains in order to accomplish its function. An organisation is a complex

system. An operating model breaks this system into components to improve understanding and suggest

opportunities for improvement’.

One can say that operating models clarify organisational functions in order for anyone involved to optimally

carry out his / her role. Governance and operating models enable organisational functions to support, amplify

and accelerate the results and expected outcomes of other functions they interact with internally134

. They

clarify who, what, where, when, and why functions operate along a timeline of development. This is the

difference between operating models and business models as the latter is primarily focused externally and

defines how value is created and sustained. An essential exercise when elaborating an operating model is

133 William W. Agresti, "An IT Body of Knowledge: The Key to an Emerging Profession," IT Professional, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 18-22,

Nov.-Dec. 2008. 134 Andrew Stein, http://steinvox.com/blog/got-strategy-operating-model/

http://steinvox.com/blog/got-strategy-operating-model/



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defining stakeholders’ roles in relation to the functions within the operating model. Who does what, and why?

We will elaborate on these processes that compose the operating model in below sections.

Essential is to distinct between two primary mechanism: on the one hand the sustainable development of the

European Foundational Body of Knowledge in terms of content, on the other hand the promotion of its use to

ensure take-up in Europe and other parts of the world.

5.1.2 Goals of the operating model

Defining functions of the operating model needs to start with the objectives, the vision it aims to achieve. We

defined the ultimate aim of the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge as: ‘a recognised and supported

European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge that facilitates communication and understanding of ICT

professionals in Europe, thereby reducing risk and strengthen ICT Professionalism’.

In our view, this implies the following:

With the aim of creating a sustainable model:

Coordination: ‘If everyone is involved in doing everything, no one does anything’. There is a

continuous need to have a stable engine driving the various activities and bringing the various

stakeholders together, facilitating the development of the European Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge. Continuity should be ensured and further development needs to be coordinated.

Funding: ensuring continuity and sustainability in a longer term perspective requires stable funding

that allows the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge to grow and mature over time.

Maintenance & innovation through consensus building: it is necessary to remain responsive to new

developments within ICT to keep the model relevant, i.e. translating new ideas into accepted good

practice, using an open approach that stimulates open communication. The version 1.0 needs to be

further developed in the coming years, and so processes need to be in place how changes are made

as regards the contents, the frequency of updating and the continuous need for broad stakeholder

commitment.

With the aim of promotion and to stimulate take-up:

Communication: to jointly develop and create support by aligning and collaborating with relevant

European stakeholders and their initiatives. The promotion of the Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge requires mobilisation and collaboration at a national and European level. Communication

is all about addressing understandable and meaningful messages to the right target groups. In

particular the involvement of champions and leading practice would support promotion of the

European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. Language issues and translation need to be taken into

account

International collaboration: to ensure European developments and global initiatives not only are

aligned, but also benefit from each other. The operating model should describe a regular routine to

bring together stakeholders from across the globe and facilitate knowledge exchange and

experiences.



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5.1.3 Clarifying stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities

The report on ICT Professionalism135

defined value streams for each stakeholder group. These provide the

basis to further detail roles and responsibilities within the operating model.

ICT professionals: Defining a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge will provide a common knowledge that all

ICT professionals should possess. This will allow them to understand the domains within (and outside of) the

profession, to identify personal and professional development opportunities and to improve the

communication between professionals.

Businesses: A European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge will provide clarity on the knowledge and

capability of the workforce. It will be a fundamental base for competency models and thus provides a useful

utensil to improve recruitment and workforce development. A common understanding of ICT Professionalism

will also benefit international companies, which operate across borders.

Education providers: A Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge can help educational providers design their

curricula in order to provide a comprehensive coverage of all technical, research, and leadership principles and

practices needed to make students effective professionals. It will help to better match curricula with business

needs.

Governments: Thanks to the defining and clarifying function of a European Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge, (inter)national mobility of ICT professionals and the visibility of the profession will increase.

Reducing the e-skills gap has obvious economic and social benefits. And governments themselves are also

increasingly in need of ICT professionals. Failing to take steps to mature the ICT profession, will likely lead to

potential risks and costs for society.

ICT Associations: A Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge provides associations the opportunity to mature the

ICT profession, to better align communication, and to more successfully promote the interest of their

stakeholders.

Society: A Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge will contribute to the better recognition of the ICT profession.

It will be easier to find trustworthy ICT professionals to help them with their needs for designing, locating,

retrieving, using, configuring, programming, maintaining, and understanding computers, networks,

applications, and digital objects. Furthermore, it will ensure that there is an appeal to ICT education that could

attract non-ICT professionals to know more about the ICT profession.

5.1.4 The CEN ICT Skills Workshop contributes to the EU e-Skills Agenda

One particular stakeholder that requires to elaborate on is the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN).

It positions itself as a business facilitator in Europe, removing trade barriers for European industry and

consumers. Its mission is to foster the European economy in global trading, the welfare of European citizens

and the environment. Through its services it provides a platform for the development of European standards

and other technical specifications.

CEN / ISSS (Information Society Standardisation System) was created in mid-1997 by CEN as the focus for its

ICT activities. Within CEN / ISSS there are a number of different ICT workshops which are based on an open

process combining the tried and tested backing of the formal standardisation environment with a fast, market-

driven approach. The establishment of the CEN Workshop on ICT Skills was proposed by CEPIS, CEDEFOP and

the ICT industry. CEPIS continues to be heavily involved in the CEN Workshop on ICT Skills which has been

chaired by CEPIS for more than a decade.

135 See http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/eskills/ict_professionalism_report_en.pdf

http://www.cen.eu/




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The Workshop has contributed to the long-term development of the e-Skills Agenda of the European

Commission since. It aims to address e-skills shortages, gaps and mismatches as well as the persistent digital

divide that affects productivity growth, competitiveness, innovation, employment and social cohesion in

Europe. The CEN Workshop on ICT Skills has resulted in the creation of numerous CEN Workshop Agreements

(CWA). These are deliverables that may take the form of best practice agreements, codes of conduct or pre-

standards, with the formal backing of CEN. One of the most well know achievements is the European e-

Competence Framework (e-CF).

This framework was approved (through consensus) by the ICT Skills Workshop, which is composed of a broad

range of experts from various stakeholder groups. It is the CEN who decides on stakeholders to be involved, in

close collaboration with the European Commission. The steering committee of the ICT Skills workshop receives

proposals from its members and coordinates the processing of these, and fulfils a steering role in reaching

consensus on a proposal. CEN holds the copyright of any output from the workshop and this is only to be used

by CEN and its members at national level (national standardisation organisations).

Through this model, which has already proven its value, the Body of Knowledge could be further developed in

the coming years. Building on the experience with drafting and maintaining the e-CF, and the network

involved, but also to establish a close relation between both documents that are two of the key elements of

the Framework for ICT Professionalism.

5.1.5 Creation of a collaborative network is a critical success factor

We are convinced that one of the success factors of promoting ICT Professionalism is the establishment of a

collaborative network bringing about all relevant stakeholders. While a collaborative platform is open to all

interested people, it is basically positioned as offering new insights and opportunities to key stakeholders, by

opening up another, EU-wide dimension to their current activities. Such a dimension is critical for boosting ICT

Professionalism across Europe. The key message here, is to offer all relevant stakeholders at a national,

regional or local level a ‘European dimension’ to their activities, complementary to their current practices.

The success of a collaborative network is dependent on several factors which closely relate to the identified

risks of a Europe-wide profession and the guidelines for any proposed solution set forward in the ICT

Professionalism report136

:

Collaborative networks must matter. To be relevant, a collaborative network must matter to any stakeholder

and must help them do what they need to do. To this end, it is necessary to formalise a clear operating model

with a suitable governance structure that allows it to grow in a sustainable way while providing value for its

users. Value can be created and ensured by centring the platform on its users – the community of ICT

Practitioners. The platform must be designed in such a way that practitioners embrace and contribute to what

is the aim of the network, moreover to Europe as a whole: to promote ICT Professionalism, inspire potential

new practitioners, encourage educational institutions to offer syllabi that respond to future challenges, and

industry to deliver the right certifications and qualifications to their staff.

A collaborative network increases in value as the network expands. Having more potential connections will

lead to greater access to resources, contacts, and support from fellow ICT practitioners. For professional

networking, this has obvious benefits. Only when many people have access, it becomes a powerful tool. As

Metcalfe’s law states: ‘the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number

of connected users of the system’137

. In other words, for the collaborative network to create value, it must

expand rapidly. This can for example be done targeting communication activities towards the large community

136 Report “e-Skills and ICT Professionalism: Fostering the ICT profession in Europe”, by IVI and CEPIS, pages 179/180. 137 Available at: www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Metcalfe_s_law.html


http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_network

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadratic_growth

http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Metcalfe_s_law.html



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of ICT Practitioners, managers, human resource managers and policy makers involved in national / regional

initiatives. This is something that could be further detailed in the Task 3.2 of this work package and in liaison

with the e-Skills campaign.

A collaborative network must be a lively entity. By merely allowing key stakeholders to connect in a single

mass – for example being individually listed in an online directory – neutralises the potential of the network to

grow. Maximum growth and value is only achieved through others in the participation in forums or creation of

groups, tailored services, forums, large-scale events, marketplaces. Users that actively participate in by means

of specific facilities and topics and services they are interested in, tend to increase the volume of possible

interactions on the platform.

A collaborative network is open to the external world. Today, social networks have a multiplying effect: an

individual connected to multiple networks allows a cumulative effect that extends to all networks. Connecting

to external networks would increase the value (e.g. LinkedIn, Facebook, Yammer and other professional and

social network platforms) and the intersections can be used to drive structured data into the platform, make

ICT Professionalism ‘discoverable’ for possible new practitioners outside of the community.

5.1.6 Establishing a synergy between mechanisms for sustainability and promotion

In summary, a successful collaborative network must: have clear ICT Practitioner-centred objectives; grow

quickly to achieve a critical mass of users and keep a constant growth. It must furthermore be a dynamic

platform offering tailored services and features, allowing also outsiders to tap in. The figure below represents

our view on this matter.

Figure 12: Collaborative network as platform for sustainability and promotion

There is a need for a platform, a community, where the discussions take place, and where knowledge,

experiences and practices are shared. A place that provides incentives for the CEN Workshop on ICT Skills to

consider and where the Workshop can put out consultations and collect feedback at the same time. Building

on the existing agreements as regards the e-CF, this provides the opportunity to reach and involve a large

audience, opening up opportunities to consult a broader range of experts and involve ‘fresh faces’ to

discussion.



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As good examples will be closely followed, determining leading practices as ‘champions’ is an effective means

to drive take-up in European countries. These ambassadors should promote the Body of Knowledge and

convince others to follow. Representatives from highly respected organisations such as CEPIS, European e-

Skills Association, and (at national level) CIGREF are well equipped for that purpose, as well as various

academic networks. This would provide an impulse to the promotion of the European Foundational ICT Body

of Knowledge and boost growth of the collaborative network. The latter is essential because achieving a critical

mass of users is required to make this a success. The champions are likely to take this role supplementary to

their current occupation and will need to organise their efforts efficiently. For both reasons the platform

should be further supported by the European Commission and cooperation mechanisms during the first years

in order to realise this. This should be done in close connection to the CEN Workshop.

Before detailing how mechanisms for sustainability and promotion could be operated in practice, the following

section presents insights derived from analysing existing Bodies of Knowledge. These insights lead to questions

that are answered in the specific sections on sustainability (5.3) and promotion (5.4).

5.2 What can be learned from other Bodies of Knowledge?

Analysing existing Bodies of Knowledge provides insights into the (aim of ensuring) sustainability (origination,

use, funding) and attempt to promote and stimulate take-up.

Bodies of Knowledge are used to disseminate knowledge to practitioners and provide a basis for enhanced

breadth and depth of understanding by educators, employers and professionals on a particular topic.

However, the fragmented landscape from an ICT professional perspective means that practitioners, employers

or educators must consult several of these to provide a general training base for ICT practitioners.

Professional associations also use Bodies of Knowledge as a basis for their professional development

programmes and as a basis of evaluating membership grades. Bodies of Knowledge in turn drive proficiency

standards against which certifications and qualifications can be issued. They can also act as the syllabus for

courses and provide a definition of the core content of the knowledge. Further, as BOK’s become more

established, Standards bodies can use them as a basis for industry standards.

Funding obviously is critical to ensure long-term development, with sufficient quality impulse.

Many Bodies of Knowledge have international support. To compose an operating model for this EU

Foundational ICT BOK, it makes sense to study and learn from comparable initiatives around the globe.

Analysing other existing generic ICT BOK’s also provokes questions as to how this European ICT BOK would

need to operate. We have looked at several Bodies of Knowledge, but in particular the following ‘generic’

ones:

The Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) developed an Information Technology Body of

Knowledge (IT BOK)138

in 2005 which is updated in 2012 in the form of a Guide to the Common Body

of Knowledge for Computing and IT (CBOK)139

.

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is the principal society for ICT Professionals in Australia. In

2008, its Professional Standards Board developed an ICT Profession (Core) Body of Knowledge (CBOK)

which was updated in 2012.

138 www.cips.ca/?q=system/files/BOK.pdf 139 www.cips.ca/sites/default/files/CBOK%202012.pdf


http://www.cips.ca/sites/default/files/CBOK%202012.pdf



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Japanese ICT BOK: the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA) in Japan aims to contribute to

the growth and advancement of Japanese economy by providing the strategic technological and

human resource infrastructures.

The analysis is presented in the following sections clustering the following elements:

Development is a collaborative exercise involving stakeholders and experts (further elaborated in

paragraph 5.2.1)

Designing governance (5.2.2) & Stable funding to ensure sustainability (5.2.3)

Innovation is essential to keep relevancy (5.2.4)

Adaption at national level to increase take-up (5.2.5)

International collaboration to enable synergy (5.2.6).

The sections 5.2.1 – 5.2.5 refer to the aim of ensuring sustainability of a Body of Knowledge, and sections 5.2.5

– 5.2.6 present insights about stimulating take-up of the model.

Each section provides analysis, leading up to key questions that need to be answered.

5.2.1 Development is a collaborative exercise involving stakeholders and experts

As previous research shows, Bodies of Knowledge are used extensively in practice140. They consolidate a

current understanding in a particular field and are often based on accepted good practice. Previous research

by IVI / CEPIS141

showed that the existing Bodies of Knowledge were generated for the most part by

practitioners who felt a need to document knowledge relevant to the specific field of ICT they work in, in order

to create clarity and a common understanding (‘written proof’).

Bodies of Knowledge can be initiated by special interest groups or communities of practice working on

advancing and standardising specific areas. Likewise academic research can lead to the development of Bodies

of Knowledge, as can government initiatives. Combinations of all three contributors will often work together to

produce and maintain Bodies of Knowledge. New Bodies of Knowledge are typically developed around new

competences or technologies that lack a standards approach to language, scope, proficiency levels,

certification or qualifications142.

Involvement of stakeholders is essential. The Canadian CBOK was developed by a committee of CIPS members

from across Canada, and involved extensive public consultation with over 170 IT and computing professionals

from a wide variety of industries. The development of the Australian CBOK also included several industry

workshops as well as analysing content overlap with international curriculum documents.

It appears that involving practitioners and academics is not always easy. One of the challenges they have at the

EA BOK is that a lot of the actions in what you could and should be doing is known by the practitioners but

they do not have time to contribute to the BOK. Academics do have time but they might not want to get

involved. A contributor to the IEEE BOK mentioned a similar issue: academics are driven by publishing and

getting quoted, and so many set other priorities than contributing to a Body of Knowledge.

Involving stakeholders and experts clearly is pivotal. How to involve them efficiently and effectively is the key

question. Europe is much more diverse than Australia and Canada. It consists of 28 autonomous Member

States, 25 languages and many cultural and historical elements that define context. An European initiative is

140 Report “e-Skills and ICT Professionalism: Fostering the ICT profession in Europe”, by IVI and CEPIS, p 199. 141 Report “e-Skills and ICT Professionalism: Fostering the ICT profession in Europe”, by IVI and CEPIS, p. 124 142 Report “e-Skills and ICT Professionalism: Fostering the ICT profession in Europe”, by IVI and CEPIS, p. 198.



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nothing without support from the nations itself, and the organisations involved in e-Skills developments for

which this Foundational ICT BOK should have added value. In this context it is important to actively manage

cultural biases out of a BOK. It is necessary to actively involve practitioners from culturally different

backgrounds working together143.

The operating model for the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge should hence make clear:

Which stakeholder groups should be involved to compose a balanced European representation;

How this representation can be organised and with which frequency;

5.2.2 Designing governance

In terms of governance, by looking at existing ICT-related Bodies of Knowledge it shows that a possible

operating model includes:

Steering Committee: it is responsible of approving knowledge areas and producing the Body of

Knowledge

Sub- or technical committee: it is responsible of producing drafts of specific Knowledge Areas and

revising them

ICT Communities: they are responsible of providing feedback, both through presentations at

conferences and direct review requests. Community input are collected and processed by the Steering

Committee

In particular of relevance to the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, is to consider its governance

in close relation to the other pillars of the Framework for ICT professionalism of which the e-Competence

Framework (e-CF) should create most synergy.

5.2.3 Stable funding to ensure sustainability

Existing Bodies of Knowledge were generated for the most part by practitioners who felt a need to document

the Body of Knowledge. Funding in many cases came from the practitioners but also from large companies or

government agencies (e.g. CMMI / Prince2). They appear to be well funded, perceived as delivering value by a

sufficient number of practitioners to ensure their continued viability into the future.

It is evident that further development of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge will continue in

years to come. Stable funding hence is critically important to facilitate that journey. Where other BOK’s are

funded through membership and education activities (CIPS, ACS, BCS), this EU BOK will need to find a different

scheme.

In the case of the e-CF, the European Commission provided the funding through the ICT Annual Work

programme to the CEN. Funding is only a minor source of income to the CEN (about 5%), with memberships

from national standardisation organisation covering for the large part of its budget. These national

standardisation organisations in turn profit from CEN approved documents that they can publish and sell at

national level.

The operating model for the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge should indicate:

143 Report “e-Skills and ICT Professionalism: Fostering the ICT profession in Europe”, by IVI and CEPIS, P 127.



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How stable funding can be guaranteed to ensure long-term development, preferably a construction

that delivers on the potential synergy with the other elements of the Framework for ICT

professionalism;

5.2.4 Innovation is essential to keep relevancy

Innovation is an essential function that needs to ensure relevancy over time. The profession further develops

and hence Bodies of Knowledge need to adapt. There is a need to be responsive and adapt quickly to change.

However, not every new fad or idea will find its way to an ‘accepted good practice’. The process behind this

function is closely related to the question of how IT-companies, entrepreneurs and start-ups at the

technology-frontier can be involved to share their experiences and knowledge, for instance through

collaborative networks.

The Body of Knowledge codifies in a way the fast changing ICT field for a moment in time. It should be avoided

that Bodies of Knowledge become static, as this will affect use by practitioners, education institutes,

businesses. This is confirmed when looking at other Bodies of Knowledge.

The CIPS CBOK144 states that the ‘Guide must, necessarily, develop and evolve as the ICT profession matures.

Planning for the evolution process has started and will require approval by the CIPS Board of Directors’. The

British Computer Society (BCS) mentions that it ‘is maintaining the Body of Knowledge and it is being kept

current’. And ACS makes clear that ‘regular updating of this document will be needed, because of ongoing

change in ICT, and will require continuing discussion among the many stakeholders’. But how does this work?

Who is involved and responsible? And how can we define ‘regular’ or ‘current’?

In Canada the CBOK was updated after 7 years (launched in 2005, updated in 2012), in Australia 4 years passed

for the first update (launched in 2008, updated in 2012) and we know that BCS ‘has dropped knowledge areas

in 2010 and added some new ones in 2010 and 2011’ and seems to have a more flexible approach. The

development of the BOK for bachelor programs at several educational institutes in the Netherlands (HBO-I)

started more than 15 years ago and has seen 4 iterations so far. Innovation is considered by HBO-I as an

iterative process with companies and experts, HR Managers and HR Developers (at national level), with

regional workshops with colleges and industry representatives, and every two years, the HBO-I initiative visits

universities and research centres outside of Europe (Tokyo, Beijing, Bangalore, New York etc.). There is also an

board of advisors with industry representatives.

Innovation could be defined as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated

needs or existing market needs. In this context, the challenge is to determine when new ideas become proven

ideas, good practices so to say, and could be included in the BOK. We see new technologies emerge and

adoption rise (for instance could computing, mobile devices, sensors). Practitioners develop skills to

understand these new technologies and being able to apply them (trained by companies or education

institutes). Somewhere along the line, it should be considered whether this implies new knowledge areas

should be included, old ones should be dropped or adjusted.

Not only is it important to make this process transparent, it should also be clear who is responsible for any

decisions concerning the BOK. Many of the BOK’s we looked at are owned by the professionals association,

who have assigned a committee or board to take on the process of updating the BOK. The development of the

European BOK is of course in close collaboration with the European user’s association (CEPIS is part of the

steering committee) – but the creation itself is assigned by the European Commission and a service contract

has been awarded to a partnership of Capgemini and Ernst & Young after an open call for tenders published in

144 See: http://www.cips.ca/CBOK



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2013. The transfer of the deliverables to the future organisation that will maintain the BOK (‘owner’) should

also be taken into account.

The need for continuous innovation is clear. The key question hence is: how, who and with which frequency.

The operating model for the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge should provide clarity on:

How the process of adding, updating or removing of knowledge areas is organised;

Who is responsible for final decisions and which stakeholders are consulted;

When is the right moment to incorporate innovation (regular updates or a more flexible, open approach?)

In the case of the e-CF, the CEN ICT Skills Workshop is end-responsible for taking decisions as regards adding,

updating or removing elements of the Body of Knowledge. There is a role for the steering committee of this

Workshop to coordinate and steer towards consensus.

There is an obligation to consider updating of the document after three years (five years in case of standards),

but the Workshop is free to decide to implement changes at an earlier stage. It should however avoid too

frequent updates as this can cause confusion for the public and decrease the value of the publication.

As members of the CEN ICT Skills Workshop are responsible for updates, and the decision when an update

should be considered, it is hence of vital importance to ensure all relevant stakeholders are part of the

workshop.

Finally, the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge is aimed at people orienting to enter the ICT

profession and to support them fulfilling that ambition. The European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

should hence also be owned by the greater community, not just the (paying) members of the Workshop.

Transparency and an open, collaborative approach to further development is critical to realise success.

5.2.5 Adoption at national level to increase take-up

An important step towards promoting the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge requires mobilisation and

collaboration between the different stakeholder communities at a national and European level. Initiatives

aimed at communicating and promoting its use, are also needed, in particular to show involvement of

champions and leading practice to engage national level. Language issues and translation need to be taken

into account. This section consists of analysis of what other BOK’s have shared on this topic, and an

introduction to our approach to drive adoption of the BOK at national level in Europe.

A key element of any business plan is promotion and communication. How do you make your ‘product’ known

to the world and stimulate people / organisations to actually use it? Who do you target?

The CIPS is ‘working on ensuring that the CBOK has widespread adoption in the community of stakeholders.

Presentations are made to the academic community, which is encouraged to use the CBOK in academic

papers. Consultation is also taking place with the international community’. To ensure wide distribution,

the CIPS Guide to the Common Body of Knowledge for Computing and IT (CBOK) may be copied for non-

commercial purposes in whole or as part of any form or by any means provided that CIPS is identified as the

source of the CBOK.

Communication revolves around the audience, or target groups: who do you want to address and also how?

In this European context, language is consequently a challenge to deal with. English is only one of the 25

languages in Europe. IVI / CEPIS already signalled that in their report: ‘translations take time and thus, the



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availability of Bodies of Knowledge in other languages is delayed. These delays vary from months to years’145.

The type and nature of the BOK significantly impacts the linguistic translation effort. As the current EU

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge will identify the areas and nature of expertise required (like a syllabus),

rather than defining the actual content therein, the effort could remain low.

Besides language, it is very important to design a robust, comprehensive communication plan that sees to

create awareness and involvement of stakeholders across Europe (and beyond). Focus, i.e. segmentation of

target groups, is required as it is not feasible to directly address everyone.

The operating model for the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge should articulate:

Who is responsible for communication and promotion activities, aimed towards increasing take-up of

the BOK;

Whereas the CEN can play an important role in coordination, maintenance and consensus building, it might

not be primarily equipped for communication and promotion activities to achieve uptake of the model. We

have seen that national standardisation bodies will publish the document for national purposes. Question is

whether this is sufficient to achieve our end-goal: to foster the growth of digital jobs in Europe and to improve

ICT Professionalism by creating a “go to – ICT reference” that will function as an international authoritative

source that defines and organises the core knowledge of the ICT discipline and so contributes to increasing its

maturity.

Mere publication is likely not enough and complementary actions are required to achieve this goal. Following

previous initiatives, such as the e-CF or the Digital Champions initiative, we know that a good example will be

keenly followed. Determining leading practice or ‘champions’ is an effective means to drive uptake in other

European countries. Leading practices that could champion the BOK and convince others to follow – in

particular to increase uptake in the various European countries. Also, we have seen slow take-up of the e-CF

and other European initiatives. The v1.0 of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge has gained great

attention over the past months, as more and more people from across Europe and the world are aware and

involved in the process. Next steps should build on this ‘momentum’ and ensure it does not slip away but

remains high on priority lists of stakeholders.

5.2.6 International collaboration to enable synergy

An important function of the operating model needs to ensure European developments and global initiatives

not only are aligned, but also benefit from each other. Process should describe a regular routine to bring

together stakeholders from across the globe and facilitate knowledge exchange and experiences.

At the moment, the IPA in Japan has just announced a new iCompetency Dictionary – which is a very detailed

piece of work and could be of value for the development of the European Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge.

The IEEE is working on framework document outlining the Guide to the Enterprise Information Technology

Body of Knowledge (Enterprise ITBOK Guide). IEEE Computer Society’s Enterprise ITBOK Guide will be a

compendium of high-level descriptions of knowledge areas that are generally required for the successful

operation of enterprise information technology (IT) services.

Enterprise IT is a huge area, and much work has already been done in specialized BOKs. Thus, the goal is to

provide an umbrella document that delineates a “map” of the territory of enterprise IT and points to the most

145 Report “e-Skills and ICT Professionalism: Fostering the ICT profession in Europe”, by IVI and CEPIS, p. 127.



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relevant, objective, and impartial information the team could identify—not to write a textbook detailing how

to perform enterprise IT’s multiple tasks.

Reaching out to the international community is important as maturing the ICT profession is a global concern.

Some other relevant existing initiatives (outside of Europe) are mentioned below.

The International Professional Practice Partnership (IP3) vision under the auspices of the International

Federation of Information Processing (IFIP) is a global partnership that will define international

standards of professionalism in ICT; create an infrastructure that will encourage and support the

development of both ICT practitioners and employer organisations; and give recognition to those who

meet and maintain the required standards for knowledge, experience, competence and integrity.

Amongst its members are organisations that have experience in developing Bodies of Knowledge,

such as ACS.

The Seoul Accord146 is a multi-lateral mutual-recognition agreement among agencies responsible for

accreditation or recognition of tertiary-level computing and IT-related qualifications.

– Membership (called being a signatory) is voluntary, but the signatories are committed to development and recognition of good practice in Computing and IT-related education. The number of signatories is expected to grow, and the activities of the Accord signatories are intended to assist growing globalisation of mutual recognition of Computing and IT-related qualifications. The Seoul Accord principles are that:

– There will be transparency to the accreditation systems of the signatories and to the educational systems to which the accreditation systems are oriented.

– The Accord should avoid any perception that it is arbitrary and capricious in its practices and policies, including admitting members and applying rules of membership.

– The Accord should work to become recognised as the international authority on quality assurance for education in the Computing and IT-related professions.

– The Accord will promote and develop best practices for the improvement of education in Computing and IT-related disciplines.

– The Accord should continually review its policies and procedures to ensure that they are relevant and reliable indicators of the future of Computing and IT-related technologies.

The operating model for the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge will make clear:

How the EU BOK aligns with other international initiatives to jointly collaborate on further maturing the ICT

Profession;

5.3 Sustainability

Sustainability is a key goal of the operating model and consists of the following functions: coordination,

funding and maintenance and innovation through consensus building.

We have involved and engaged as many stakeholders as possible in this project to promote the development

of an European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. It involved 200+ interviews with stakeholders across

Europe, 4 workshops, an online survey, a conference and 2 expert-review rounds. The project was monitored

by a steering committee including CEPIS, EeSA, BCS and CIGREF. We reached out to existing associations and

organisations for feedback and review. In doing so, and due to the crucial importance of stakeholder

146 www.seoulaccord.com/accord/index.jsp

http://www.seoulaccord.com/accord/index.jsp



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involvement, each activity was aimed at promoting the active collaboration of stakeholders. Interviews and

workshops are not only used to collect information and preferences from different stakeholders but also to

assure their full commitment and sense of ownership in relation with the BOK.

During the workshops as well as in the survey, various stakeholders indicated that it would be most efficient to

use the existing approach and procedures that are operational in the development of the European e-

Competence Framework – which are guided by the CEN ICT Skills Workshop. With standardisation as eventual

future scenario the Workshop would also be the most logical organisation / network to take up this role. It

could be considered to re-name to the ‘Workshop for ICT professionalism’ as per suggestions made during the

e-Skills conference 2014.

5.3.1 Description of sustainability functions

Coordination

The Workshop is coordinated by a project manager from CEN, who is responsible for operational matters as

regards planning, organisation and reporting on meetings. It is an important role which requires a pro-active

attitude to ensure chair and / or steering committees are well facilitated and can focus on the content and

process. In the case of establishing supporting mechanism to drive promotion and take-up of the BOK, it would

also require to ensure efficient coordination.

Funding

It is evident that further development of the EU Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge will continue in years to

come. Stable funding hence is critically important to ensure sustainability. Building on the existing procedures

as regards the e-CF, the BOK should be funded in a similar way which is through the ICT Annual Work

programme to the CEN.

Maintenance through consensus building

There are different causes that could lead to reconsideration of (elements of) the BOK:

Emergence of new areas of knowledge based on (debates on) common practice, relevant

publications, industry developments and similar – either pro-actively proposed for discussion

(instigated by a certain expert or stakeholder organisation in the broader community) or passively

(signalled by members of the CEN workshop);

Update of existing job profiles or competences in the e-Competence Framework;

Update, emergence (or disappearance) of an existing specific Body of Knowledge;

Proposals derived from collaboration with international partners, such as IPA Japan and their very

detailed iCompetency Dictionary that describes 8000 elements of knowledge as well as various job

profiles (amongst which ‘data scientist’);

The general process to follow is:

Any proposal for change should be submitted to the steering committee of the CEN Workshop on ICT

Skills. This committee coordinates the processing of proposals, and fulfils a steering role in reaching

consensus on a proposal. Usually these proposals are submitted by members of the Workshop.



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If the Workshop reaches agreement on a proposal for change, this proposal needs to be further

elaborated and integrated into a new version of the BOK. This is usually done by a sub- or technical

committee with experts in the involved area that is subjected to change. Obviously it is important to

involve well-known experts in drafting the proposal, but also the wider community.

This proposal should be shared for review with the broader ICT community – not just the Workshop.

the open platform that drives the promotion of the BOK should be ideally suited for this purpose. It

would allow to gather broad feedback – both through quantitative (% of supporters) as well as

qualitative measures (text suggestions and such).

After review decision should be made final and published. Outcomes should also be communicated

with relevant parties, for instance owners of specific Bodies of Knowledge.

Some aspects to take into account when implementing the process above:

Any change to the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge implies a change to the Framework

for ICT professionalism (being one of the 4 pillars). Hence any change should be carefully considered

and be seen in relation to the other pillars, in particular the e-CF.

It is advisable to not directly publish a new version after a single change, but to do this periodically.

For instance at the end of the year and preferably with similar timing as updates of the e-CF will be

made known.

The open platform should also be used pro-actively to interact with the community and gather advice

on possible changes, e.g. based on current developments. This could be done through polls – but also

by inviting experts to share views by issuing short papers or points of view. The latter could stimulate

online discussion and consequently feed into discussions at the Workshop’s meeting. It could provide

members of the Workshop with ‘ammunition’ to submit proposals.

The BOK provides references to specific Bodies of Knowledge. For both documents it is important to

remain aligned and up to date, and provide proper referencing. The platform could provide a basis for

ongoing communication, if it would also allow messages from these organisations to be published.

This way the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge and specific Bodies of Knowledge can

complement and support each other.

Proper communication is vitally important to timely inform stakeholders on consultations and

changes (new versions).

5.4 Promotion and stimulating take-up

This second key function of the operating model for the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

includes communication and international collaboration.

5.4.1 Communication

General objectives

A successful communication provides direction to develop and encourage commitment to the promotion of

ICT Professionalism. The goal of this stream is to promote the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge by

constantly seeking support from the relevant stakeholder and, establishing commitment. Important to achieve



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this goal is to take into account the message, the target group, the chosen channel, timing and the desired

effect.

The goals for the communication strategy should therefore be as identified below:

Build trust, engagement and collaboration with the right messages communicated to the right

stakeholders at the right time and delivered by reliable and influential messengers.

Establish and sustain momentum with communication that recognises milestones.

Promote enthusiasm by creating a ‘brand management’ atmosphere designed to create awareness

and excitement.

Gain acceptance by developing commitment with stakeholders so that they understand and are ready

to do what is required to implement and sustain the change.

Deliver consistent messages and reinforce messages over time to demonstrate that the initiative is

staying the course.

Proactively manage the changing communication needs of stakeholders over time (different phases

and development of the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge ).

A European Body of Knowledge will affect numerous stakeholders. The potentially impacted stakeholders need

to be aware and understand the benefits of this Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. The goal of

communication and dissemination activities is that they become actively involved in the defining of the

content while at the same time demonstrate support and commitment. To this objective, a repository of

stakeholders should be maintained and updated regularly. Preferably this should be an open database to allow

people to find expertise and connect.

At every stage of the communication, the message and the stakeholder groups are defined. Developing

opportunities for stakeholders to provide feedback and become involved in decisions, will enable stakeholders

to continue to focus on the critical elements of their job during the development and the dissemination of the

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

Fostering Adoption of the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

Essential to the further development and the embedding of the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge in

practice, is gaining a deep understanding of the different e-Skills and / or ICT Professionalism policies in

Member States. The national key drivers of ICT Professionalism differ, being public or private drivers or a

combination of both. Moreover, it is essential to have a clear view on the influential stakeholder groups to

make a Body of Knowledge ‘stick’.

Following previous European initiatives, such as Digital Champions and the dissemination and uptake of the e-

Competence Framework, we know that a leading practice is a successful vehicle to promote adoption in other

European countries and stakeholder groups. Therefore, we have determined which countries are the leading

countries when it comes to ICT Professionalism. On the basis of the criteria below, have made a selection to

identify these countries:

The country has served as an example for other countries when it comes to ICT Professionalism147

The country has an elaborate digital strategy / agenda, under the responsibility of one ministry.

The country has a high level of policy and stakeholder activity in the e-skills domain148

147 Input in Steering Committee on 12 June 2014. 148 Empirica, Country Reports ‘e-Skills: Monitoring and Benchmarking Policies and Partnerships in Europe’, see: http://eskills-

monitor2013.eu/results/

http://eskills-monitor2013.eu/results/

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The country uses the e-CF, or another skills framework at governmental or departmental level.

The country has made a national or local coalition pledge in the context of the Grand Coalition for

Digital Jobs.149

The country is listed in the top 25 of the World Economic Forum Network Readiness Index150

Based on these criteria Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden and The United Kingdom

have been indicated as leading countries. These ‘champion’ countries can play an important role in promoting

the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge and stimulating its usage.

Based on these prerequisites, it is important to further identify the national stakeholders such as the

responsible ministries, multi-stakeholder initiatives and the professional associations that are at the

foundation of ICT Professionalism. A relevant example is the one of Estonia, where the Estonian Ministry of

Economic Affairs and Communication is a driver of ICT Professionalism.151 The Ministry is in charge of the

funding professional ICT associations and moreover has taken the initiative to potentially create a Nordic ICT

Body of Knowledge. With this initiative the Nordic countries aim to cooperate more to enhance the connection

between academia and the ICT industry. This example makes clear that any communication activity should be

‘customised’ to ensure message comes across correctly, in the right context and to the relevant audience.

However, there are more specific stakeholders that can support promotion of the BOK. In particular,

associations that represent ICT professionals, Industry and (networks of) educational providers. Organisation

such as CEPIS are of vital importance to promote the BOK amongst its members. Educational providers are

most close to potential beneficiaries of the BOK, namely students. Industry representations can promote the

BOK in particular amongst the SME community – as this might be the category of companies that could use

support more than larger firms.

We believe based on results from the interviews conducted, that the input and updates from the European ICT

community are essential, also to overcome the possible cultural differences regarding a sustainable European

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. Respect for the national and local differences is extremely important

however also, a challenge.152 To have the community contribute to the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

could be a means to steer clear of the cultural bias. In the end it should be about the community, and the BOK

is a means to strengthen that community.

Therefore, it is recommended to create an open and interactive online platform. To guarantee a continuous

flow of information and innovation, the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge should be accessible for anyone

and serve as an online repository.153 As mentioned, the maintenance and the responsibility of keeping an

online platform up to date need to be addressed by the European Commission within efficient cooperation

and coordination mechanisms (at least on the short term).

149 Member States are now launching national coalitions in the context of the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs launched by President Barroso in March 2013 (e.g. A Greek coalition was launched on 6 May 2014 and a Bulgarian coalition was launched on 10 June 2014. It is expected that an Italian coalition would be launched this year). We will continue to monitor these important developments.

150 World Economic Forum, Global Information Technology Report www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf Network Readiness Index measures the performance of 148 economies in leveraging information and communications technologies to boost competitiveness and well-being

151 Republic of Estonia, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication www.mkm.ee/en and Nordic Digital Agendas Day http://e-estonia.com/nordicday/ June 2014

152 Information received through an interview with a representative of IEEE on 5 May 2014 153 Information received through an interview with a representative of the EABOK on 2 July 2014

http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf

http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf

https://www.mkm.ee/en

http://e-estonia.com/nordicday/



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5.4.2 International collaboration

The ICT profession is a profession that has had a different development than most professions. Neither

companies nor individuals are restricted by national borders. The unique challenge in the development of the

profession is that ICT practitioners are increasingly working in global teams, however, educational and

professional standards (national and international) have not yet been defined.154 An European Foundational

ICT Body of Knowledge to which all ICT professionals can relate, regardless of their nationality, could support

this process.

The base-level knowledge about ICT can be considered as international155. Also, several specialised existing ICT

Bodies of Knowledge that contain more specific knowledge are already used internationally156. For Europe as a

continent, it requires reaching out to ‘global’ stakeholders, to learning from their experiences, exchanging

knowledge and aligning with similar initiatives (many of which have already been mentioned in this report). It

is therefore desirable to exchange information and to continue to seek international cooperation to ensure the

best quality and relevance of the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

During desk research, many international examples of Bodies of Knowledge have been analysed and in the

past months we have conducted interviews with experts all over the world. Examples of the expert

organisations we have spoken to are amongst others, the Australian Computer Society, the Institute of

Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IFIP IP3, the Canada Association of I.T. Professionals, the British Computer

Society, IT Promotion Agency Japan, the Association of Enterprise Architects and Multimedia Development

Corporation (MDEC) Malaysia. These in-depth interviews have been useful to learn about the existing

initiatives and to build upon their experience on how to develop an ICT Body of Knowledge and a sustainable

organisational model. Multiple stakeholders have already expressed their interest in the initiative and wish to

stay up to date.

Examples of further collaboration could be:

The IPA in Japan has developed a very detailed iCompetency Dictionary. This includes 8000

knowledge elements, which could possibly enrich the current European Body of Knowledge. Their

work also includes new job profiles for Cloud manager and Data scientist that could be of interest.

Possible collaboration could take form in exchanging knowledge to help further mature the European

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. On the other hand, the experience in Europe with drafting

statistics and benchmarks for IT Workforce and Skills development could provide an incentive for IPA

and would contribute to the development of a representative global index. IPA has also developed

statistics around this. All would benefit by being able to compare on indicators and derive good

practice for all to benefit from.

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has developed a IT Body of Knowledge which served as

example for the European Foundational ICT BOK. Exchanging experiences on how to increase uptake

and further mature the model will be of value to both organisations, independent of cultural / societal

/ other differences.

The IEEE Computer Society is governing the development of the Guide to the Information Technology

Body of Knowledge, and is at this moment defining ‘a basis for a (...) common language to facilitate

communication between IT professionals with individuals in the organisations that IT serves.’

Exchange of information and consultation should be sought in order to create synergies.

The experiences in Malaysia with the development of a register for ICT professionals have proven

valuable lessons learned, which stimulate the debate here in Europe and other parts of the world.

154 Interim Report "e-Skills: the International Dimension and the Impact of Globalisation", IVI, IDC, Empirica and CEPIS, 2013 155 Information received through an interview with a representative of ACS on 14 March 2014 156 Report "e-Skills and ICT Professionalism, Fostering the ICT Profession in Europe", IVI & CEPIS, 2012



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Moreover, research on the possibilities of international alignment with initiatives such as the Seoul

Accord are desirable157.

It is however important to determine some principles of collaboration, when putting more flesh on continuing

the international collaboration and preparing concrete meetings or small projects. These principles could be

formalised in a short note, a gentlemen’s agreement almost, that can also be made public to ensure further

promotion. It should include general goal of the collaboration and some leading principles on referencing,

transparency, possible limitations and such.

5.5 Way forward

The European Commission has expressed the ambition to develop the European Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge into a standard. Standards can support and improve competitiveness, increase efficiency and

facilitate innovation and could provide a benchmark against which businesses can measure the quality and

performance of their own resources or of the resources they are hiring. Standards can also be used to diffuse

knowledge throughout the market. The CEN has defined a standard as:

‘a document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and

repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the

optimum degree of order in a given context. Standards may include requirements and / or recommendations

in relation to products, systems, processes or services. Standards can also be used to describe a measurement

or test method or to establish a common terminology within a specific sector’158.

Each proposal for a standard should be prepared by a technical committee of experts. It will then be shared

with members of the Workshop for consultation. National standards bodies will be involved. Consensus is

required to approve the standard. Maximum duration of this process is 3 years.

There are a few guidelines to take into account when developing the BOK into a standard159:

The BOK should respond to a market need: it is not the CEN who decides to develop a new standard,

but an actual need expressed by industry, education, associations, government or other stakeholders.

In this case previous research has already indicated the need to develop a Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge, and the Commission and members of the steering committee expressed the need to

further develop it into a standard.

The standard should be based on global expert opinion. This means that the CEN Workshop, and / or

the technical committee that will draft the proposal, will need to also consist of experts from beyond

Europe. This is a logical consequence of the ambition to intensify international collaboration and the

fact that ICT knowledge is not limited to borders. The aforementioned scheme on sustainability and

promotion of the BOK shows the connection to international standards through the CEN Workshop.

Development of the standard should be based on consensus from diverse stakeholder: professional

associations, industry, educational providers, government and other relevant parties. The ICT

community covers all, and all will have to deal with the standard in one way or another.

The CEN has described the process of standardisation very clearly in their brochure ‘hands on

standardisation’160, to which we refer for further details.

157 The Seoul Accord is a multi-lateral agreement among agencies responsible for accreditation or recognition of tertiary-level

computing and IT-related qualifications. See: http://www.seoulaccord.com/accord/index.jsp 2014 158 http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards_development.htm 159 With reference to key principles in standard development by ISO http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards_development.htm 160 http://www.cen.eu/news/brochures/brochures/Handsonstandards.pdf

http://www.seoulaccord.com/accord/index.jsp

http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards_development.htm

http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards_development.htm

http://www.cen.eu/news/brochures/brochures/Handsonstandards.pdf



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5.5.1 A Body of Knowledge as basis for certification and accreditation

In the more established professions of engineering and accounting, the accreditation of post-secondary

curricula and the certification of practicing professionals are taken very seriously. These activities are seen as

key to the constant upgrading of professionals and the improvement of the level of professional practice.

Recognising a common Body of Knowledge is pivotal to the development of a profession. Most generic BOK’s

pursue defining the certification rules and accreditation policies for post-secondary education curricula.

ACS delivers a world leading certification framework that provides business, government and consumers with

assurance that specialist expertise has been independently assessed and validated. The ACS CBOK is used for

the accreditation of universities. CIPS is now working with the Certification Council, which initially developed

the criteria for the CIPS Professional Certification (ISP and ITCP), and the Accreditation Councils to reconcile

the CBOK with these Councils’ respective criteria. Many colleges recognise the BCS based certification as

qualifying criteria for further training at university.

We see that after finalising the BOK itself, the organisations responsible for the BOK determined the criteria

for certification and accreditation161. Although being only a future step for now, whilst developing the BOK into

a standard, it should be considered already now and discussed if / how certification and accreditation can be

established. We also heard back that ‘certification will add value to the BOK only if the certification is highly

viewed. However, this is only if the certification is based on a good BOK (‘I scratch your back, you scratch

mine’)’.

An interesting development that seems to win ground in Europe is EQANIE. That programme accredits

university degrees and awards a label which says they meet specific standards. For countries where there is

e.g. a professional body which already does that at the national level, EQANIE has looked to accredit the

professional body to do award the Euro-Inf label on their behalf. To-date, it has approved ASIIN in Germany

and BCS in the UK to award the label. The Spanish quality assurance agency might be next. It could be valuable

to explore if EQANIE could define degrees being accredited if their content is in or a specific percentage of the

degree is conform the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge. The UK uses a similar mechanism for

judging accreditations.

5.5.2 Exploring additional elements of the operating model: a register for ICT

professionals

One step further than certification and accreditation is the issue of licensing individuals to practice a

profession. This is common use in health and law profession, though not undisputed as regards ICT. Such a

Register of ICT Education should then contain qualifications and certifications held by a certain ICT

practitioner. This could increase transparency and ability of employers to understand what competences and

proficiency levels have been achieved by a certain professional, and which are needed for certain titles. It also

empowers the professional with the right qualifications to find a job, and to be found. And of course, it would

contribute to ethical behaviour and increase success rate of ICT projects.

There are however numerous significant concerns as regards such a register, which at the moment diminish

the chances of successful implementation. The debate however is more and more part of any e-Skills

deliberations.

161 CIPS CBOK: http://www.cips.ca/AboutCBOK

http://www.cips.ca/AboutCBOK



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Most concerns raised include the following (based on previous research162 and case study of Malaysia’s

government who are in the process of realising such register):

It could restrict recruitment and act as barrier to entry for foreigners unless mutual recognition could

be established;

A broad variety of certifications and qualifications on offer which makes it difficult to compile a

complete register;

It is expected that Education providers might be prepared to share their database with current and

future courses, however might lack desire to compile and submit data retrospectively. This would

then be up to individual professionals;

The demand of practitioners for such a register is unclear. The value of such a register should be very

clear for them, otherwise they won’t contribute (e.g. as required in previous bullet). Even worse,

when approaching implementation of a register for IT professionals too much as a top-down exercise,

this could create societal unrest amongst ICT professionals, as was seen in Malaysia where many took

to the streets to voice their concerns. Introducing legislation that forces professionals to achieve

certain levels of certification for specific roles might very well be considered as a negative.

Data protection laws could conflict with situations where education providers want to submit their

data to a commercial company developing the register (as proposed in previous research163).

ICT projects are often complex and involve many stakeholders. If licensing contributes to ensuring a

certain liability for these projects, the question remains who to hold responsible, and consequently

who to license (just the project lead or the complete team?).

Enforcement might be challenging and resource intensive.

And of course, a register does not guarantee competences – but is aimed at increasing likelihood.

The Malaysian case study shows that establishment of such a register can be best initiated through a bottom-

up approach, by forming an alliance with industry and practitioners that will draft the framework required to

set up the register. While time is not an issue per se, the complexity here is that this would consequently need

to be a national initiative in the first place. It would require countries to work out this option, and find a way to

establish a national register (through bundling many existing registers within each education provider). That

could then possibly be unlocked at European level.

MCS Malaysia is an organisation that facilitates cooperation between the Malaysian government and the

industry. They are working on a national register for ICT professionals to professionalise the ICT sector. A

driver to create such a register is the failing of big ICT projects and the financial overrun. At a current state,

MCS encounters that there is no ownership and accountability when these ICT projects fail. With this

initiative they want to incite professionalism.

Board of computing of Malaysia together with the board of engineers work together as the latter is very

regulated and the MCS thinks the ICT profession could learn from this example.

An overview of steps in the process in Malaysia to realise formal regulation of the ICT profession:

Firstly, MCS looked for an independent association that could certificate ICT professionals, to

create transparency and uniformity in certifications. They did not find an appropriate body as the

field was too diverse, there were too many players.

162 With thanks to professor Liz Bacon, BCS President and Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Greenwich, London. 163 Report “e-Skills and ICT Professionalism: Fostering the ICT profession in Europe”, by IVI and CEPIS, p 184.



Page 99 of 129

Secondly, MCS initiated a legal act to form the board, but the industry players and freelancers

voiced out their concerns (in the streets!) that regulation would jeopardise their work. The legal

act was then put on hold.

Subsequently, they went back to the industry to ask what they wanted to regulate concerning ICT

professionals and currently the MCS is forming an alliance such as the ACS. The forming this entity

will take another 2/3 years, they started in December 2012. With this alliance they will map

competencies and try to create a framework of necessary competencies for a national ICT register.

Ideally the government will set up the register. First subscription will be free, on the long run ICT

professionals will be a fee. They are trying to make it attractive to get certified and they try to make it as

easy as possible to get registered. There should be a very clear benefit for the ICT professional.

Besides Malaysia, there are other countries who have experimented with licensing164:

Nigeria: where a license is mandatory and non-licensed professionals will be prosecuted. In this

country obviously many societal challenges hamper proper implementation (large number of IT

professionals are not registered) and enforcement, but there also is a lack of ensuring sound

government IT policy.

South Africa: is proposing a mandatory professional membership of the Institute of Information

Technology Professionals South Africa which brings CPD’s, a code of conduct, and a code of ethics and

practice. At the moment the precise implementation and implication remains unclear as it is in its

early stages of development.

Other countries have seen initiatives starting and / or discussion continuing. Obviously there is much to discuss

before taking any measures, but the discussion about accountability is valuable in itself.

164 Based on the contribution of prof Liz Bacon during the e-Skills Conference 2014, 2& 3 November in Brussels.



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6 Recommendations

It is an inspiring process to collaborate with so many people that are truly engaged with maturing the ICT

profession and facilitating this step towards a version 1.0 of the European Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge. This project enabled the development of an European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, by

investigating the requirements and expectations on ICT professionalism from many different perspectives. It

constructed a framework that addresses the needs of multiple stakeholders across different EU Member

States (and even beyond Europe). At this stage we have designed a version 1.0 that defines Foundational

Knowledge to be understood by all ICT professionals.

The process of maturing the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge however will take multiple years, reflecting

the same path that other professions have taken, and in fact it will basically never end as ICT will continue to

develop and impact the model. There is thus no time to rest on our laurels. Dedicated action is required to

drive the development of this framework, in terms of content, collaboration, promotion and usage, and

international collaboration.

To this end, we propose the following observations and recommendations to increase the impact of this

initiative and make it a success on the longer term.

Concerning the content development of the Body of Knowledge:

It is necessary to define levels of depth within the included knowledge areas, according to existing

guidelines such as the EQF. This could be guided by a dedicated committee to ensure coherence with

existing EU initiatives (EQF, ECF, SFIA etc.). Validation should also be done with owners of relevant

specific Bodies of Knowledge, academia and industry.

It is necessary to ensure a regular maintenance of the link between the BOK and the e-CF. It has to be

carried out in order to ensure a clear and complete alignment between ICT core knowledge and

competences. Moreover, explicit reference to e-CF is required to relate the Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge to the existing frameworks (e-CF, CWA job profiles). One of the most relevant statements

designing the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge is its direct link to e-CF. e-CF 3.0 was adopted as a

reference framework to define the meta model. The Knowledge included in e-CF 3.0 was assessed,

selected and clustered in order to draft the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

Considering the fast evolution of ICT, a regular update is required of the foundational knowledge list

per knowledge area, indicative job profiles, and relevant specific Bodies of Knowledge and

certificates, to ensure the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge to be exhaustive and up to

date. An option would be to collect up-to-date information about current and future ICT job profiles,

for instance by running a survey amongst organisations that could enrich the current set of commonly

accepted job profiles and consequently feed into the European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

This initiative would provide an overview of required competencies and knowledge for certain

profiles, from which different levels of proficiency could be derived in order to develop and further

specify knowledge required of ICT professionals. This would also be beneficial to the ICT Job Profile

family tree and e-CF.

Developing the ICT Body of Knowledge requires a continuous and collective effort to identify and

adopt best practices at local and international level in order to ensure content application. Drafting

the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, best practices exemplified across a number of leading

tertiary institutions in the delivery of ICT training have been assessed and taken into account to

design the meta model and define content.



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It is recommended to maintain a balance between technical and non-technical knowledge along the

broad spectrum ICT Foundational knowledge: given the growing demand and importance of the so-

called “dual-thinkers, it is important that ICT professionals also understand non-technical aspects of

organizations in order to deliver value successfully. With this aim, the current structure of the

European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, creating a breadth of knowledge from Business and

Technical elements, should be maintained although further development and changes are required.

Given the breadth and variation of knowledge required within the ICT community, any attempt to

generate detailed content across the whole of ICT would be unsustainable. For this reason, a high-

level meta-model approach is applied resulting in a guide to facilitate the on-going maintenance and

relevance of the Body of Knowledge to stakeholders. Developing the Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge, scope and nature of the framework have to be clearly defined in order to ensure self-

consistency and sustainability. Moreover, particular attention has to be paid to terms and concepts

used to define the Foundational ICT knowledge in order to avoid risk of ambiguity.

Concerning the process of development and collaboration:

It is needed to ensure coherence between the BOK and the other elements of the framework of ICT

professionalism and other existing initiatives (EQANIE) glue these projects together to create synergy,

but also to increase clarity for users and help them understand how they can benefit. The appearance

of a European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge begs the question how this model related to other

existing frameworks and initiatives in Europe (and beyond). The e-CF and a Code of Ethics of course,

as pillars of the Framework for ICT Professionalism. But also to other relevant developments such as

the EQANIE initiative that awards quality labels.

A balanced approach is required to ensure all stakeholders are involved, engaged and able to

contribute to the process of further development. A new review round should be the starting point of

any follow up to this project. This review round should then also gather views on how the key

recommendations listed here can be followed up, when, and by whom.

The user-perspective should have priority in all further developments. How can we ensure (potential)

ICT professionals will use these models to their advantage? How can it be made ‘practical’? Some

examples that should be considered:

o Self-assessment tools to help people design their path to enter the profession and / or

further specialise,

o Use cases or case studies that explain for different personas how these models can be

applied,

o Clear online guidance through one platform, avoiding diffusion of various documents across

different web pages.

o Training tutorial or open online course to explain how to start a job in ICT: what do certain

jobs require in terms of knowledge, competences and skills – and where and how can you

obtain these?

Thought should be given to possible scenarios for certification or quality labels:

o For educational institutions that design curricula that include the elements in the European

Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge, for instance through a quality label (similar to, or



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better: in collaboration with EQANIE165) that would also give ‘proof’ to the student to show to

future employers that his education is in line with European guidelines around knowledge

development.

o For practitioners that want to enter the profession and would benefit if they can proof that

they have the required foundational knowledge to start a career in a specific area of their

interest. That would require from the next version of the European Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge to include levels (as suggested above) possibly allowing to (self-)assess

individuals.

As regards ensuring sustainability and promotion:

An European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge is a document that concerns the whole ICT

community – being in education, government, industry, associations etc. – and it should hence be

‘owned’ by all involved. Realising an open platform that presents the document, and allows for

continuous interaction and feedback loops will contribute to that. We found that many different

interpretations exist as regards what a Body of Knowledge is and where it should aim for. For further

communication and promotion activities, clear and uniform messaging is critical to ensure the ICT

community understands the objectives and values of this Foundational Body of Knowledge and is able

to use it for their benefit.

Promotion concerning ICT professionalism needs to address the younger generation, and use

innovative ways that technology nowadays offers. In this regard any practical tool that supports a

potential ICT professional to orient on a future career, such as an online tutorial or MOOC would be of

huge benefit. It will also require to create awareness amongst professors and teachers that interact

frequently with this younger generation and convince them to advise to use the Body of Knowledge.

Multi-party stakeholder initiatives at national level should be created. Collaboration between

government, education and industry at national / local levels are most effective and will directly

influence e-Skills challenges. This could be stimulated at the European level through sector-specific

hubs, initiated and driven by the aforementioned champions, that would be responsible for bringing

the relevant stakeholders together, and facilitating the initiation of that process as well as sharing

knowledge and experiences.

With the purpose to increase international collaboration:

The challenge of closing the e-Skills gap and maturing ICT professionalism is a global challenge and

requires intensifying collaboration between Europe and other parts of the world. Various initiatives

have been launched across the globe on development of Bodies of Knowledge and other elements of

the ICT profession. Direct value add can be obtained from excellent work that has been done in for

instance Japan (IPA), Canada, United States and Australia. And these countries and organisations

could benefit vice-versa. The examples mentioned in paragraph 5.4.2 could serve as starting point.

165 http://www.eqanie.eu/pages/about-eqanie.php



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Appendix A: Interview Report

1 Objective and methodology of interviews

The objective of the first interview session was to identify the requirements and the expectations as well as

the scope, nature and characteristics of a European Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge.

Interviews have been conducted by interviewers fully aligned on the survey topic and instructed on the

objectives, on the expectations from the survey and next steps.

The interviews have been streamlined in a standard interview guideline to ensure consistency of approach

across countries and comparability of findings.

The format used for the interviews is semi-structured. We preferred semi-structured interviews since they

allow the respondent to express him / herself freely, rather than being confined to a strict template. Semi-

structured interviews made it possible for interviewees to elaborate on certain questions and for interviewers

to ask additional clarification questions. This does justice to the explorative character of the interviews. The

interviews were based on written protocols and an online tool that set the basic questions that needed to be

answered. During the interviews, the respondent was invited to develop the relevant topics in his / her own

way (the interview template has been shared with the interviewee before the interview).

The interviews were telephone-based, carried out prior to an agreed set appointment, and lasting an average

of 1 hour each. Only few interviews, when preferred by interviewed, have been compiled online directly by

stakeholders.

The interviews were generally in the English language, managed directly by the core team.

Experts from different stakeholders’ categories were interviewed to identify the requirements and the

expectations as well as the scope, nature and characteristics of a European Foundational ICT Body of

Knowledge.

The interviewed stakeholders have been clustered in the following categories:

Industry

Research & Development

Consultancy

Educational institution

Certification and accreditation body / Training provider

Standardisation body

Association (business representatives, etc.)

Trade Union

Local, regional, national governments

Individual expert

We realise that within each group diverging views exist, that each group can be further broken down in sub-

categories and that our sample does not allow getting statements that are statistically representative for an

entire group. Such an approach would not fit available resources and time. But even more important: it would

not add much more value to the results. However, qualitatively, the stakeholders we interviewed represent

experts and organisations that care about maturing the ICT profession, who have very relevant opinions and

are willing to contribute. They were selected and advised by others we interviewed. They are likely to engage



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and participate, and can fulfil an important role as regards the promotion of ICT Professionalism. And that is

why their opinion counts.

The data from interview have been elaborated and analysed both in an aggregate way, to get general figures

from all stakeholders, and separately, comparing the different answers by each stakeholder category. Figures

and pictures of the analysis by categories are provided only when it is significant for understanding the

phenomenon. In other words when answers do not change significantly when analysed by category, only

aggregate data are provided. If On the contrary if the analysis by category gave some interesting evidences,

those evidences are illustrated..

Hereby we provide the full set of information from interviews, when possible elaborated in tables and graphs.



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2 The Sample

In this first interview session, 113 stakeholders have been interviewed. Considering that 255 had been invited

and contacted, the overall ratio of participation is 44%.

This ratio is adequate to the level of expectations. In fact the interviews where peculiar for at least two

aspects:

The extensive duration of the interviews – The interview required an average of one hour.

The level of responsibility of interviewed people – The majority of invited stakeholders have a high

level of responsibility within his organisation (21% Of interviewed are CEO / Director). This ensures a

high level of quality and representativeness of information gathered from interviews.

2.1 Sample composition and representativeness

The following table illustrates the composition of the interviewed stakeholders, in terms of categories their

organisation belongs to.

The sum of number of interviewed people for each category is higher of the total of interviewed. This is due to

the fact that some interviewed indicated their organisation belonging to more than a single category (e.g.

Consultancy AND certification and accreditation body)

Category Number of interviewed % of total

Educational institution 29 26%

Association (business representatives, etc.) 28 25%

Consultancy 19 17%

Research & Development 18 16%

Certification and accreditation body / Training provider 17 15%

Industry 15 13%

Local, regional, national governments 8 7%

Standardisation body 8 7%

Trade Union 3 3%

Individual expert 2 2%

Table 3: Category composition of the stakeholders’ sample – Absolute numbers and percentages

The following graph allows one to notice a proper balance in terms of representativeness of the sample

respect to the different categories of stakeholders.



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Figure 13: composition of the stakeholders sample in terms of categories

If we look at roles of interviewed within their organisation, the sample has the composition showed in the

following table.

Again, the sum of the number of interviewed people for each role profile is higher than that of the total

number of people interviewed. This is due to the fact that some individuals interviewed indicated their

belonging to different roles at the same time (e.g. Project / Program manager AND Professor)

Category Number of interviewed % of total

Project / Programme manager 41 36%

CEO / Director 24 21%

Policy officer 16 14%

Professor / researcher 16 14%

Consultant 14 12%

CIO / ICT manager 13 12%

Expert 12 11%

HR manager 8 7%

ICT Practitioner 4 4%

Individual expert 2 2%

Trainer 2 2%

Table 4: Role profiles of interviewed – Absolute numbers and percentages

The following graph allows one to see the balance in terms of representativeness of roles of interviewed

stakeholders.

Educational institution 26%

Association (business

representatives, etc.) 25%

Consultancy 17% Research &

Development 16%

Certification and accreditation body/Training provider 15%

Industry 13%

Local, regional, national

governments 7%

Standardisation body 7%

Trade Union 3% Individual expert 2%



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Figure 14: Role profiles of interviewed

Project/Programme manager 36%

CEO/Director 21%

Policy officer 14%

Professor/ researcher 14%

Consultant 12%

CIO/ICT manager 12%

Expert 11%

HR manager 7%

ICT Practitioner 4%

Individual expert 2%

Trainer 2%



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3 Need perception and present behaviours of stakeholders

The perception of stakeholders has been captured in terms of following aspects:

Gaps perception between ICT graduates and / or practitioners and the demand from the industry and

related activities to close the gaps

Evaluation of present ICT accreditations and certifications

Awareness and usage of the existing Bodies of Knowledge

Knowledge and usage of the common e-Competence Framework

For each aspect both close and open questions have been asked to stakeholders in order to have the highest

possible level of information on the perception of the present e-Skills scenario.

3.1 Gaps perception between ICT graduates and / or practitioners and

the demand from the industry

Being one of key elements of the present work, an open question on interviewees’ gaps perception has been

asked during the interviews. The interviewers took notes of the following discussion and analysed all the

results in order to get some key findings.

82% of interviewed agreed that a gap exists and had a personal idea about it. Answers gave two different

orders of information:

Gaps referred to specific technical contents of ICT profession

Gaps referred to general aspects or differences of approach between ICT graduates / practitioners

and the demand from industry

The first perspective showed a substantial alignment between different categories of stakeholders. In practice

there is a common view, within different categories of stakeholders, of the main technical skills that represent

a gap. Using the second perspective (general aspects), it is instead possible to see some differences, in terms

of perceptions of different stakeholders categories.

In the two following tables key findings from the above different perspectives are summarised.

The most recurring themes when speaking of technical Gaps

Cloud Computing

Big Data

Networking

ICT security

Agile Methods

Software development tools

Data Analytics

Linux

Table 5: Gaps referred to specific technical contents of ICT profession



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Associations and Trade Unions

Business and management skills


Mainly specific technical skills

Consultancy and Industry

Too much theory in the University studies

Communication and Soft skills

ICT governance

Educational institutions

Communication, leadership and soft skills

Individual experts

Business skills


Permanent and structural gap due to obsolete curricula


Too much silos. There is a very little view of other ICT roles

Table 6: Gaps referred to general aspects or differences of approach between ICT graduates / practitioners and the demand from

industry

3.1.1 Activities to close the gaps

The vast majority of stakeholders (90% of interviewed) is undertaking specific activities in order to close gaps

between ICT graduates and / or practitioners and the demand from the industry.

Possible actions have been categorised in three clusters:

External ICT Training on specific skills and knowledge areas

Internal tailored Training on specific skills and knowledge areas

Career and certification paths for key roles

In the next figure it is possible to notice how only 13% of interviewed does not take any action to close the

gap. The remaining 87% sees the majority of stakeholders taking all the 3 possible actions (33%), then a

combination of two actions (17%, 12% and 9%) and a low percentage of stakeholders take only one action (6%,

6% and 5%)



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Figure 15: activities to close gaps between ICT graduates and / or practitioners and the demand from the industry

Moving to analyse the actions by categories of stakeholders it is possible to notice that industry and

educational institute are the most active categories in trying to reduce the gap between ICT graduates and

demand.

This is an interesting result, considering that industry and educational institute often have different

perspective of the “gap”, but with the same interest to “close” it.

NO action 13%

career and certification paths + external training + internal

training 33%

career and certification paths + external training 17%

external + internal training 12%

career and certification paths + internal training 9%

external training 6%

internal training 6%

career and certification paths 5%

87%



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Figure 16: Are stakeholders undertaking any activities to close gaps between ICT graduates and / or practitioners and the demand from

the industry?

3.2 Evaluation of present ICT accreditations and certifications

Some differences exist in stakeholders’ perception of current Certification and Accreditation provided by

different categories of institutions. 44% of interviewed thinks that Certification and Accreditation provided by

different publicly funded training associations are below expectations. The best perception is referred to

professional associations that for 59% of interviewed meet expectations, for 14% exceeds the expectations

and only for 27% performs below expectations.

The following figure gives the full picture stakeholders answers, sorted by highest to lowest percentage of

“below expectations” answers.

44%

57%

67%

88%

65%

71%

82%

86%

61%

71%

61%

50%

38%

59%

76%

41%

43%

75%

86%

50%

54%

100%

50%

63%

47%

76%

86%

79%

71%

Consultancy

Association (business representatives, etc.)

Trade Union


AVERAGE


Certification and accreditation body/Training provider

Standardisation body

Educational institution

Industry

My organisation facilitates external ICT training on specific skills and knowledge areas

My organisation develops internal tailored training on specific skills and knowledge areas

My organisation promotes career and certification paths for key roles



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Figure 17: Accreditation and certification is a means to formalise the qualifications of an ICT Professional. How stakeholders evaluate

the current ICT certification and accreditation provided by the following bodies

3.3 Knowledge and usage of the common e-Competence Framework

On Average 76% of stakeholders are aware of e-Competency Framework and the majority is using it.

Looking at the different categories of interviewed comes to evidence that Consultancy has the lowest rate of

knowledge (45%) and usage (27%) of e-CF, while Industry and R&D have the highest rate of usage (both 60%).

During the interviews different kinds of possible usage are referred. In many cases the e-CF is used to “inspire”

further elaborations or considerations. Sometime it is not clear to stakeholders how it is possible to use, in

practice, the e-CF.

The following pictures illustrate the percentages of awareness of stakeholders.



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Figure 18: Awareness and usage of e-Competency Framework

On average, 76 of interviewed knows the e-CF and 70% of them is also using the e-CF (that is 53% of

interviewed). Consultancy and education are under the average in terms of awareness. On the contrary,

Industry and R&D sector have higher rates of awareness and usage of e-CF

Not aware 55%

Aware and using 27% Aware NOT

using 18%Other 45%

Consultancy

Not aware 30%

Aware and using 60%

Aware NOT using 10%

Other 70%


Not aware

26%

Aware and using 53%

Aware NOT

using 23%

Other 76%

Average (all Categories)

Not aware 20%

Aware and using 60%

Aware NOT using

20%

Other 80%

Industry

Not aware 13%

Aware and using 50%

Aware NOT using 38%

Other 88%

R&D



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3.4 Awareness and usage of the existing Bodies of Knowledge

Stakeholder’s level of knowledge and usage of existing Bodies of Knowledge has been assessed in order to

understand the existing scenario.

Moreover the answers allowed to build a map of the importance of existing documents.

Figure 19: Stakeholders awareness and usage of existing Bodies of Knowledge

THAT FUNCTION AS AN OVERARCHING FRAMEWORK

4%

4%

8%

9%

9%

10%

10%

10%

11%

11%

12%

13%

19%

12%

22%

37%

20%

25%

16%

22%

23%

22%

30%

18%

30%

27%

84%

75%

55%

72%

66%

75%

69%

68%

68%

59%

71%

57%

54%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Advanced Composite Structures Australia (ACS-Australia)

Graduate Software Engineering 2009 (GSwE2009)

British Computer Society (BCS) Diploma Syllabus

Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate (IT2008)

Computing Curriculum – Computer Engineering (CE2004)

Foundation Skills in IT (FSIT)

CIPS Guide to the Common Body of Knowledge for Computing and IT (CBOK)

IS 2010 Curriculum Guidelines

Information Technology Capability Maturity Model (IT-

CMF)

Information Technology Certified Professional (ITCP)

Skill Standards for IT Professionals (ITSS)

Computer Science Curriculum 2013

Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI)

Awareness and usage of existing Bodies of Knowledge

I know it, and I use it I know it, but I don’t make use of it I don't know it



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Figure 20: Stakeholders awareness and usage of existing TOPIC SPECIFIC Bodies of Knowledge

5%

9%

12%

13%

14%

17%

24%

17%

25%

28%

42%

32%

28%

34%

78%

67%

60%

45%

54%

55%

42%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

ICT Security Essential Body of Knowledge (US-CERT)

Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBoK)

Control Objectives for Information and related Technology

(COBIT)

Prince2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments)

The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF)

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK)

Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)

Awareness and usage of existing Bodies of Knowledge

I know it, and I use it I know it, but I don’t make use of it I don't know it



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4 Expectations from a Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge

4.1 Model

From the analysis of the interviews it is possible to get some key indications from Stakeholders as regards the

expectations in terms of model and key functions of ICT Body of Knowledge.

Some differences between different categories regard the elements that stakeholders consider highly

important and that have to be provided in the foundational Body of Knowledge.

Figure 21: Stakeholders have a different perspective on highly important elements that have to be provided in the Foundational ICT

Body of Knowledge in Europe

4.2 Targets

Stakeholders of different categories seem to have a quite similar position on the identification of the main

targets of the Body of Knowledge

The next table shows the answers of all stakeholders. In the following graph the same answer is analysed

referring to different categories.

ICT Practitioners 51%

Employers 49%

Non-ICT Practitioners / Society 13%

Local, Regional, National and European government entities 8%

Professional Associations 6%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Core skills, common for all ICT

professionals

regardless their position/domain

Specific knowledge areas or sub

domains

Non-ICT knowledge areas

Maturity level of knowledge

Ethics Qualification & Standards

Accountability History and status of discipline

Highly Important

Educational institution European Commission and Related Agencies Individual expert

Local, regional, national governments Association (business representatives, etc.) Industry

Standardisation body Research & Development Trade Union

Certification and accreditation body/Training provider Consultancy



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Standardisation Bodies 4%

Table 7: Who should benefit from an ICT Body of Knowledge?

Figure 22: Main target of an ICT Body of Knowledge in stakeholder perception

4.3 Usage and content of ICT BOK

Stakeholder’s expectations have been assessed both in terms of “main function” of ICT and in terms of most

important elements to include in the BOK.

The aspects to consider in the design of the ICT BOK have been listed and prioritised in terms of importance

and are:

33. Define the base-level knowledge required for all ICT practitioners

34. Be a reference for education and training providers to map their curricula

35. Be used to improve the quality of the ICT professional in general

36. Facilitate growth in digital Jobs by attracting non-ICT professionals

37. Reflect requirements for new technical skills like mobile, big data and cloud

38. Provide access to knowledge instead of a description of knowledge

The following pictures give the percentage in terms of priority. From this figures it is possible to understand

that stakeholders are first of all interested in having a reference for education and training.



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Figure 23: Elements BOK should consist of (overall)

Figure 24: Elements BOK should consist of (by priority)

Associations

Behavioural and managerial skills, the so-called “soft skills”, must, also, be part of the ICT Body of

Knowledge.

Dissemination is important. References should be constantly updated. It should be easy to find.


Common language is very important. European BOK where we all agree on; ideally knowledge

areas and skills.

Many companies still have no or very few knowledge of Open Source business models and

licensing like e.g. the Creative Commons license. Those business models can facilitate the access to

knowledge in general. Information campaigns for Open Source business models are needed to

improve the situation.

The structure of a BOK is critical to ensure the information can be used by many different

audiences such as for career path, job role definition, IT department definition and growth,

professional development and training.

Need to ensure that academia teach students how to deal with new technologies and innovations.

Consultancy and Industry

An ICT Body of Knowledge should be used to know the ICT market. Where are more vacancies than

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

provide access to knowledge instead of a description of knowledge

facilitate growth in digital Jobs by attracting non-ICT professionals

reflect requirements for new technical skills like mobile, big data and cloud

be used to improve the quality of the ICT professional in general

define the base-level knowledge required for all ICT practitioners

be a reference for education and training providers to map their curricula

An ICT Body of Knowledge should…..

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

provide access to knowledge instead of a description of knowledge

reflect requirements for new technical skills like mobile, big data and cloud

facilitate growth in digital Jobs by attracting non-ICT professionals

be used to improve the quality of the ICT professional in general

be a reference for education and training providers to map their curricula

define the base-level knowledge required for all ICT practitioners

An ICT Body of Knowledge should…..

FIRST MOST IMPORTANT SECOND THIRD



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workers and on what competences.

Promote online screening tools and ongoing education / constant reskilling more.


A way for ICT-industry AND other industries in need of ICT-competences, to describe in some detail

which types of skills, they are looking for. This could contribute to bridging the gap between

unfilled positions and unemployed people.

“Sustainability is missing. The ICT professional should have the possibility to learn a lifelong so that

the professional stays competitive. This is not in the regular university but in honours programs

and this is what she has developed. There are three learnings:

– Looking further that the own curriculum

– Communication with other disciplines

– See the weak points of own discipline and find strong points of other disciplines.

This is something we do not find in current BOK’s. The new ICT professional is going to replace the

traditional business administrator. The new ICT professional will enhance innovation.

Yes, you have to learn how to learn


A BOK could be useful to enhance mobility of ICT workers. Stronger the quality of universities and

raise the quality of professors, thus enhance mobility.

Table 8: Other aspects to take into consideration, by category

In terms of priorities of elements to provide in the foundational European ICT Body of Knowledge,

stakeholders gave a big preference (70% of interviewed considered the first priority) to the aspect of

Qualification and standards.

Figure 25: Best practices and suggestions (overall)

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Specific knowledge areas or sub domains

Accountability

Ethics

History and status of discipline


Core skills, common for all ICT professionals regardless their position/domain


Qualification & Standards

Most important elements for the foundational ICT BoK in Europe



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Figure 26: Best practices and suggestions (by priority)

Awareness and involvement on e-Skills initiatives or policies in their Countries

Only 26% of interviewed stakeholders say he doesn’t know any initiative related to e-skills theme.

We have asked also asked to interviewed stakeholder if they have been involved in national or EU e-Skills

activities and initiatives to enhance the ICT profession. 19% have never been involved in similar initiatives

Partnerships and suggestions from stakeholders

Interviewed confirmed that barriers exist when trying to establish partnerships on ICT. These barriers are

mostly economic and cultural, as illustrated in the following figure.

Figure 27: Stakeholders’ perception of barriers in establishing partnerships on ICT

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Specific knowledge areas or sub domains

Accountability

Core skills, common for all ICT professionals regardless their position/domain

Ethics

History and status of discipline



Qualification & Standards

Most important elements for the foundational ICT BoK in Europe

FIRST MOST IMPORTANT SECOND THIRD



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During the interviews, stakeholders have been asked to provide suggestions and sources of information for the

study on ICT Professionalism. In the following table are summarised the main suggestions.

Rebranding Faculties

The Open Group’s skills and experience based programs as a way to complement the BOK

IT2Rhine Study, which was published 2012

www.worldsmartcollge.nl

2 Ken Robinson talks at TED: “School kill creativity” and “Changing education paradigms”

“Yes. Please visit these sites:- http://www.didasca.it http://www.didasca.org http://www.didaspedia.it

http://www.PianoAlfabetizzazioneDigitale.it – http://www.PianoAlfabetizzazioneInformatica.it

The Open Group CITS, the professional certification

The big data report

Ikanos.blog.euskadi.net

The missing initiatives mentioned: e.g. IP3, SFIA, EUCIP, CIGREF, AITTS, HBO-I.

“UK information economy strategy:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206944/13-901-

information-economy-strategy.pdf

Information economy council: https://www.techuk.org/about/information-economy-council”

Education to employment by McKinsey

The reference model

Look at the academy offerings from the vendor community.

www.academy-cube.eu

Table 9: Other Sources of information, suggested by stakeholders

http://www.didasca.it/

http://www.didasca.org/

http://www.didaspedia.it/

http://www.pianoalfabetizzazionedigitale.it/

http://www.pianoalfabetizzazioneinformatica.it/



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Appendix B: Survey report

1 Objective and methodology of interviews

The objective of the second round interviews was to assess stakeholder’s views on the possible governance,

operational and funding models for the promotion of ICT professionalism at national and EU level and also to

discuss with the stakeholders the interest and benefits of a European Body of Knowledge. In addition,

information gathered via interviews were used to validate preliminary findings drawn from desk research. The

information gathered serves as a knowledge base for WP 3 Outreach and dissemination activities.

Interviews have been conducted by interviewers fully aligned on the survey topic and instructed on the

objectives, on the expectations from the survey and next steps.

The interviews have been streamlined in a standard interview guideline to ensure consistency of approach

across countries and comparability of findings.

The format used for the interviews was the same adopted in the first round interviews: semi-structured

format in fact allows the respondent to express him / herself freely, rather than being confined to a strict

template. Consequently, quantitative input can be enriched by qualitative information.

Based on the list of stakeholders used in the first interview session, 200 stakeholders were selected and invited

to the second round in order to achieve at least 100 interviews. The main target group involved in interviews

were ICT professionals and those involved in the CEN ICT Skills workshop of the European Standardisation

Committee. Those include experts from the government, academic, and private sector that are able to provide

key insights governance, operations and funding of a Body of Knowledge.

2 Foundational ICT BOK Value Statements

One of the success factors for the Foundational ICT Body of Knowledge is the establishment of a collaborative

network bringing about all stakeholders. It is necessary to formalise a clear operating model with a suitable

governance structure that allows the collaborative network to grow in a sustainable way, while providing value

for its users. For this reason value statements for each stakeholder have been drafted.

In order to capture stakeholders views on this topic the following question has been asked:

“To what extent do you approve / recognise the following value statements associated with each stakeholder’s

group?”



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Table above shows that respondents generally agree with the proposed value statements. In particular

91% of stakeholders think that ICT BOK provides a common knowledge that all ICT professionals

should possess. This will allow them to understand the domains within (and outside of) the

profession, to identify personal and professional development opportunities and to improve the

communication between professionals

82% of respondents think that ICT BOK helps educational providers design their curricula in order to

provide a comprehensive coverage of all technical, research, and leadership principles and practices

needed to make students effective professionals. It will help to better match curricula with business

needs.

This perception results fully aligned with the defined purpose and audience of Foundational ICT BOK:

The target audience defines for whom the Body of Knowledge has been developed. First of all, it consists of

anyone interested in working in ICT and / or in understanding how to approach the ICT profession:

Students and individuals who want to enter the ICT profession, to orient them to possible future

careers;

Individuals moving to ICT from other professions, to improve their awareness of the ICT domain.

The potential users are those interested in using the Body of Knowledge as a point of reference for their

own mission. This requires looking at how the Body of Knowledge can be used by education providers and

training institutes, professional associations and the industry. A few examples of different uses of the Body

of Knowledge can be provided to explain this concept:

Education providers: as a source of inspiration for curricula design and development;

Professional Associations: to promote the Body of Knowledge to their members, ICT professionals;

9%

9%

9%

18%

18%

18%

36%

55%

55%

45%

64%

73%

18%

27%

27%

36%

9%

9%

27%

9%

9%

9%

9%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

... leads to economic and social benefits by reducing the e-skills gap. It will also ensure that there is an appeal to ICT education that could

attract non-ICT professionals to know more about the ICT profession

... provides the opportunity to mature the ICT profession and promote the interest of their stakeholders

... provides clarity on the knowledge and capability of the workforce. It will be a fundamental base for competency models and thus provides a useful utensil to improve recruitment and workforce development.

... increases (inter)national mobility of ICT professionals and the visibility of the profession

... helps educational providers design their curricula in order to provide a comprehensive coverage of all technical, research, and

leadership principles and practices needed to make students effective professionals. It will help to better match curricula

... provides a common knowledge that all ICT professionals should possess. This allow them to understand the domains within the profession, to identify personal and professional development

opportunities & to improve the communication between professional

Foundational ICT BOK ...

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree



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HR Department and Managers within industry with a need to understand the range of knowledge

and the entry level required by ICT professionals in order to improve recruiting and people

development processes (together with skills and competencies).

In order to understand the perception relating to the effective benefits of the Foundational Body of

Knowledge, stakeholders have been asked to tell who, in their opinion, is having the main benefits from the

first Foundational BOK. When asked to sort the stakeholders group using the criteria of the specific benefit

from the BOK, emerged that the European Commission and Related Agencies have the main advantages from

the document.

When asked to provide an explanation, some stakeholders say that in their opinion, at this stage the

Foundational Body of Knowledge is more useful as a mean to standardize between different countries within

the EU. This value added regards both the aspect of knowledge classification and language standardization.

In the following picture all answers regarding the benefits have been sorted to give the idea of the relative

importance given to the different categories.

Industry

Professional Association and Trade Union

ICT practitioners

Academia and Educational institution

Certification and accreditation

body


Standardization body

European Commission and Related Agencies

INDEX CALULATED ON THE BASIS OF THE SORTED ANSWERS

Who will benefit more of the Foundational ICT BOK



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3 Maintenance process

Given the fast evolution of technologies and related ICT knowledge, a Body of Knowledge should be operated

in a way that allows to be responsive and adaptive to change. However, not every new fad or idea will find its

way to an ‘accepted good practice’. In order to establish a proper maintenance process different operating

models and processes have to be considered and assessed.

In order to capture stakeholders views on this topic the following questions have been asked:

What is the best approach to assure the Foundational ICT BOK maintenance?

Considering two alternatives - a regulated approach and a collaborative approach – respondents expressed

their preference to the regulated approach. As a matter of facts:

46% of stakeholders agree with a regulated approach: several examples and success stories have

been provided by respondents to support this approach (i.e. the SFIA governance)

23% of stakeholders agree with a complete collaborative approach

31% of stakeholders suggest other approaches (i.e. Market approach)

A complete collaborative

Approach, based on the "wiki" model, in order to position the

BOK as an "open" framework , 23%

Other, 31%

A "regulated" approach that assures

the ICT BOK will be mantained in a

balanced way giving the correct weight to different stakeholders

and ICT representatives , 46%

Best approach to assure ICT BOK mainteinance



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To what extent do you agree with the represented process?

Given the proposed process to further develop, review and update the Foundational ICT BOK:

45% of respondents agree with key steps and roles

18% of respondents show a neutral position

36% of respondents disagree with key steps and roles

This percentages, considering the prescriptive kind ok question and the complexity of the model, can be

summarized as a sign that represented process goes in the right direction, but still needs some refinements.

Qualitative comments on this topics put in evidence the need of simple, quick and end users friendly process.

Moreover one of the key success factors for effectively implementing this process concerns roles and

responsibilities.

9% 36% 18% 27% 9%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree



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Appendix C: Example country factsheet – The Netherlands

The Country fiche shown below is an example of a country fiche for the Netherlands. Similar country fiches

have been made for other EU Member States.

Netherlands Click to return to TOC

Political Policy Rationale Design Deployment Impact (ex ante, ex post)

Ministries

Ministry for Economic Affa i rs Digi ta le agenda To promote ICT for the benefi t of bus inesses and customers Fol lows European Digi ta l Agenda; EU e-Competency Framework i s used; a lega l act Other agencies :ECP Ongoing process , Action taken so far: Based on the findings of Task force, propagating ini tiatives such as Digivaardig & Digivei l ig

Minis try of Internal Affa i rs Covenant Dutch Government with ICT Sector To improve the qual i ty of ICT projects and mainta in and improve ta lent among the ICT profess ionals Qual i ty Framework for Information Management i s developed by the Dutch government based on the e-CF, a lega l act Other agencies : Nederland ICT Action taken so far: 'Innovation den' to reduce the gap between government and SME's

Minis try for Education, Culture and Science Innovation in education To make the education related information ava i lable at the right time at right place Encouraging innovation and digi ti zation in education;EU e-Competency Framework i s not used; a lega l act Other agencies : The Department of Education (DUO) for a secure digi ta l data exchange Ongoing process ; Action taken so far: 158 primary and secondary schools receive funding during the grant period 2011-14

Ministry of Securi ty and Justice National Cyber Securi ty Centre To enhance the defens ibi l i ty of the Dutch society in the digi ta l domain Developed National Cyber Securi ty Strategy;EU e-Competency Framework i s not used; a lega l actOther agencies : the Minis tries of Economic Affa i rs , Agricul ture and Innovation, the Interior and Kingdom Relations , Foreign Affa i rs and Defense Ongoing process , Actions taken so far: Establ ished ICT Response Board to advise on measures to counteract IT dis ruptions

Agencies/Bodies Rationale

Public Bodies

AWT The Advisory Counci l for Parl iament and Government on Science and Technology Pol icy

Centre for Expertise & Network Organization Setup by Mediawi jzer to provide a framework for ci ti zens to become media l i terate so that they can participate ful ly in society

Private Bodies

WTR A cooperative organization in which univers i ties and research insti tutes work together on groundbreaking ICT innovations .

SURF A cooperative organization in which univers i ties and research insti tutes work together on groundbreaking ICT innovations .

NGN IT profess ionals , mostly managers of computer networks

CIO platform Independent association of CIOs and IT di rectors of private and publ ic organizations in the Netherlands

Chambers of Commerce Rationale

KvK To enable entrepreneurs to s tart their bus iness and success ful ly innovate their services and products by providing quick access to right information

Trade Unions Rationale

CNV Trade union that makes agreements between labour and employers about work and income. CNV is a member of key advisory bodies such as the Economic and Socia l Counci l and the Labour Foundation

FNV Trade union that negotiates with employers and government on behal f of employees , sel f-employed and pens ioners

MHP Trade union federation in the Netherlands and defends the common interests of a l l secondary and higher education profess ionals

Policy initiatives Rationale

Public Initiatives

Digi ta l Future Aims to s trengthen the ICT Sector, in l ine with the European Commiss ion’s Grand Coal i tion for digi ta l jobs

Digivaardig & Digivei l ig Publ ic-private partnership to promote digi ta l l i teracy and the impact of digi ta l society and digi ta l securi ty, Involved in the implementation of e-CF ( part of Digi ta lagenda.nl )

Media Li teracy Programme To promote the use of ICT and increase awareness among the publ ic ( ini tiative of Minis tries of Education, Culture and Science, Youth and Fami ly )

e-CF NL Ini tiative of Digivaardig & Digivei l ig to adapt the European e-competence framework to the Dutch s i tuation

Private Initiatives

NA

Educational & training Programme discription e-skills defined Certification Students enrolled Teachers involved

Qualification framework

NVAO Dutch profess ional association for ICT; appl icable for both ICT and Non ICT related bodies NA NA NA NA

Kwal i tei tsraamwerk IV The Qual i ty Framework Information (IV), in accordance to e-CF framework; appl icable for both ICT and Non ICT related bodies NA NA NA NA

Certification bodies

EXIN Ini tiative of Minis try for Education, Culture and Science to dis tribute Exams for IT Profess ionals ; Involves ICT related courses ICT practi tioner ski l l s EXIN Cloud;EXIN ITSM based on ISO/IEC 20000;ITIL®;PRINCE2®;EXIN Agi le Scrum;EXIN GREEN IT;EXIN Information Securi ty;USMBOK NA NA

ECABO Centre of Expertise setup by Minis try of Education, Culture and Science on Vocational Education, Tra ining and Labour Market for the economic/adminis trative, ICT and securi ty profess ionals ; Involves ICT and Non-ICT related programmes ICT user ski l l s E-User Certi ficate NA NA

ECDL Netherlands The international ly recognized European Computer Driving License, which indicates the level of knowledge in computer ski l l s , Involves ICT a related programmes ICT user ski l l s ECDL 13mi l l ion(Worldwide) NA

HBO-I Foundation Cooperation of ICT players within Higher Profess ional Education; Involves ICT related programmes ICT practi tioner ski l l s Bachelor in ICT NA NA

Loket MBO-ICT Ini tiative of ECABO to develop and mainta in framework of qual i fications in ICT;Involves ICT related programmes ICT practi tioner ski l l s APL-Experience Certi ficate NA NA

Accreditation bodies

NVAO Organization that independently ensures the qual i ty of higher education in Flanders and the Netherlands ; appl icable for both ICT and Non ICT related bodies NA NA NA NA

Hobéon Group Consultancy for s trategic i ssues of educational and research insti tutions , industry associations , profess ional associations and government agencies ; appl icable for both ICT and Non ICT related bodies NA NA NA NA

Certiked Independent eva luator operating under the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation organization; appl icable for both ICT and Non ICT related bodies NA NA NA NA

NQA Netherlands Qual i ty Agency B.V. assesses s tudy programmes and advises educational authori ties ; appl icable for both ICT and Non ICT related bodies NA NA NA NA

SocietalGovernment s tructure: Parl iamentary democracy ICT Practi tioners as % of tota l employment in 2012: 4.03

Population (in 1000): 16834 Unful fi l led ICT jobs (2011): 8600

Unemployment rate(2013): 9.5% Growth of the core ICT workforce (2011-2012): 20,7%

Labour force(in 1000 as on 2013) : 11577 Amount of fi rs t degree graduates in Computer Science, 2011: 1119

Population of labour force with tertiary education (%): 32 Graduates per 1000 population aged 20-24 (2011 %): 3.4

Ratio (% of workforce) of people working in the field of ICT education: NA % individuals that have used the internet in the last 3 months (2011/2012): 89

Economic factorsGDP (mi l l ion €, 2012): 599,338 Overal l ICT expenditure (in % as on 2010): 5

GDP per capita (in € as of 2013): 35900 Forecast excess demand 2015:23,000

GDP growth: -1.3% (2012) Forecast excess demand 2020:34,000

Share of ICT in GDP (% in 2008): NA

Standards and technological Specifics Solution Governance model Open source/proprietary solution

Professional bodies

SNIR Dutch Foundation for regis tered informatics – monitors qual i fications and profess ional ism of ICT members . Standard ISO/IEC 17024 NA Open

GIA Society for Information Architects VRI s tandard job descriptions NA Open

ISOC ISOC is a not for profi t organization for developing and promoting Internet s tandards and protocols for the benefi t of a s table internet Standards Works in association with Internet Engineering Task Force , the Internet Architecture Board , the Internet Engineering Steering Group , and the Internet Research Task ForceOpen

NEN- Normal ization insti tute Netherlands eCompetence Framework to improve functioning of ICT market by promoting supply and demand transparency e-CF NA Open

Nederland ICT Trade association for ICT, telecom, internet and office companies in the Netherlands to improve ins ight on ICT labour market

NVAO The Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organization which ensures qual i ty of higher education in The Netherlands and Flanders Assessment frameworks NA Open

Private companies Speci fics

Capgemini Academy IT Tra ining

Bra inport Development NV Works with representatives from industry to s trengthen the Bra inport top technology region

IT Staffing Association of highly experienced Freelance IT Profess ionals in the Netherlands . Uses the European Competence Framework in their recrui ting and matching systems for better transparency and qual i ty

IT Performance House A network of IT organizations to innovate together with focus on IT and technology by sharing knowledge and expertise

SAP Offers courses and training in IT field

Industry association

ECP Knowledge platform where government and industry can exchange their knowledge & experience.

Communication Policy and value story Stakeholders Channels used Reach Evaluation

Public Initiatives

NA

Private Initiatives

Let's Connect Promotes use of e-portfol ios in order to s timulate the employabi l i ty of worker in the Bra inport regionMulti -s takeholder partnership between industry partners , publ ic education & research insti tutions and government at regional levelNA NA NA

Ethics Specifics Stakeholders Reach

NGI Dutch profess ional association for ICT NA NA

VRI VRI i s an Association of Regis tered Information Scientis ts . NA NA

NOREA Profess ional association for IT-auditors in the Netherlands NA NA

LegalAuthori ty for Consumers and Markets Works together with minis tries , other regulators , government agencies , scienti fic insti tutions , compla ints boards , and organizations that protect the interests of bus inesses and consumers

Telecommunications Act Act guarantees free Internet access across the Netherlands

The Dutch Personal Data Act

The Government Information (Publ ic Access ) Act (amended in 2005)



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Appendix D: List of references

ACM (2013), Computer Science Curricula 2013. Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Science. Available at: http://www.acm.org/education/CS2013-final-report.pdf

Agresti, William W. “An IT Body of Knowledge: The Key to an Emerging Profession,” IT Professional, vol. 10, no.

6, pp. 18-22, Nov.-Dec. 2008

Attwel, Graham (2013), ‘Thinking about a career in developing apps?’. Available at: http://careerstalk.org/blog/2013/09/16/thinking-about-a-career-developing-apps/

Australian Computer Society (2012), The ICT Profession Body of Knowledge. Available at: http://www.acs.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/7792/The-ICT-Profession-Body-of-Knowledge.pdf

Beckers, Mischa (2013), BOKS HBO-ICT. Available at: http://www.nioc2013.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/NIOC2013-BOK-hbo-ict-BeckersMischa.pdf

Bourque, P. and Fairley, R.E., eds. (2014), Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge, Version 3.0, IEEE Computer Society. Available at: http://www.computer.org/portal/web/swebok

Career Space Consortium (2001), Curriculum development Guidelines. New ICT Curricula for the 21st

century: designing tomorrow’s education. Available at: http://people.ac.upc.es/toni/papers/CurrITEng.PDF

CEN ( (2013), European e-Competence Framework. Available at http://www.ecompetences.eu/

CEN Workshop Agreement CWA 16458- (2012) - European ICT Professional Profiles

CIPS (2005), CIPS IT Body of Knowledge. Available at: http://www.cips.ca/?q=system/files/BOK.pdf

David Ing (2008). T-Shaped professionals, T-shaped skills, hybrid managers. Available at: http://coevolving.com/blogs/index.php/archive/t-shaped-professionals-t-shaped-skills-hybrid-managers/

Denning, Peter J (2001), When IT Becomes a Profession. In: Denning Institute. See at:


European Commission (2007), Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions ‘e-Skills for the 21st Century: Fostering Competitiveness and Growth. (online) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52007DC0496&from=EN

European Commission (2008), European Qualifications Framework. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/ploteus/en/content/descriptors-page

European Commission (2010) Digital Agenda: ICT for Jobs. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/themes/12_digital_agenda_ict.pdf

Ezer, Jonathan (2006), India and the US: A comparison through the Lens of Model It Curricula. In: Journal of

information Technology Education, Volume 5, 2006. See at: http://www.jite.org/documents/Vol5/v5p429-

440Ezer133.pdf

Greenwich University (2014), Project Management Undergraduate Course: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/ug/bus/n106/courses?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZuZWxzb24uZ3JlLmFjLnVrJTJGcGxzJTJGY3JzZSUyRnVvZ3dlYnNpdGUucF9jcnNlSW5mbyUzRnRlcm0lM0QyMDUwMDAlMjZzdWJqJTNEQlVTSSUyNmNyc2UlM0QxNTk1JTI2Y29kZSUzRCZhbGw9MQ%3D%3D)

Guest, David (1991). The hunt is on for the Renaissance Man of computing. In: The Independent, September 17, 1991

Held, Gilbert (2000), Understanding Data Communications, From Fundamentals to Networking, 3rd Edition


http://careerstalk.org/blog/2013/09/16/thinking-about-a-career-developing-apps/

http://www.acs.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/7792/The-ICT-Profession-Body-of-Knowledge.pdf



http://www.computer.org/portal/web/swebok

http://people.ac.upc.es/toni/papers/CurrITEng.PDF



http://coevolving.com/blogs/index.php/archive/t-shaped-professionals-t-shaped-skills-hybrid-managers/




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