Discuss whether professional engineers should be certified in the same way as doctors or lawyers.

What will be an ideal response?


These are possible discussion points - any discussion on this will tend to be wide
ranging and touch on other issues such as the nature of professionalism, etc.
Advantages of certification
• Certification is a signal to employers of some minimum level of
competence.
• Certification improves the public image of the profession.
• Certification generally means establishing and checking educational
standards and is therefore a mechanism for ensuring course quality.
• Certification implies responsibility in the event of disputes. Certifying body
is likely to be accepted at a national and international level as ‘speaking for
the profession’.
• Certification may increase the status of software engineers and attract
particularly able people into the profession.
Disadvantages of certification
• Certification tends to lead to protectionism where certified members tend
not to protect others from criticism.
• Certification does not guarantee competence merely that a minimum
standard was reached at the time of certification.
• Certification is expensive and will increase costs to individuals and
organisations.
• Certification tends to stultify change. This is a particular problem in an area
where technology developments are very rapid.

Computer Science & Information Technology

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