ISEB Professional Award

The ISEB Professional Award recognises individuals who have achieved qualifications both inside and outside their speciality. It is for people who can demonstrate a commitment to their professional development through both breadth and depth of knowledge and experience.

Holders of an ISEB Professional Award will have proven ability in the following areas which together demonstrate their professionalism:

• Formal qualifications (breadth and depth)
• Experience in a specific area
• Commitment to professional ethics and codes of conduct
• Evidence of leadership and mentoring of other professionals.

Gaining the award therefore involves both formal qualifications and also being able to provide evidence of relevant professional workplace achievement.

Possession of an ISEB Professional Award is highly regarded by the BCS panels that consider applications for chartered status, the award of the Chartered IT Professional (CITP) designation.

Although the general requirements for an ISEB Professional Award are broadly similar whatever the candidate's main specialism, the detail varies and there is considerable flexibility in the scheme to cater for people with a variety of professional backgrounds.

In the case of the ISEB Professional Award in Business Analysis, the main criteria are:

• Higher-level qualifications in business analysis
• This means that the candidate has gained the ISEB Diploma in Business Analysis.
• Qualifications in other supporting disciplines at foundation and/or practitioner level
• This means that the candidate has demonstrated breadth of experience through gaining at least a foundation-level qualification in another area of the ISEB portfolio. Other relevant professional qualifications may also be admitted here, for example a PRINCE2^TM Practitioner qualification would count within the project management area.
• Experience in own discipline
• The amount of experience is not specified as it is felt that the quality, rather than the duration, of such experience is more relevant in assessing professionalism.
• Coaching and mentoring
• The candidate must, in the course of their work experience, be able to produce evidence of coaching and mentoring less-experienced professionals.
• Commitment to professional ethics and standards
• This is usually demonstrated through membership of a recognised professional institution, which involves agreeing to abide by codes of professional conduct and ethics. Many candidates are members of the BCS but membership of others bodies, for example the Service Management Institute and the Institution of Engineering and Technology, is recognised as well.
• Interpersonal skills
• This is assessed through attendance at an interview with members of the ISEB accreditation panel.

Training support

We can provide advice and mentoring to people who wish to achieve the ISEB professional award.