Those who want formal privacy qualifications and are bemused
by the range of certificates on offer, will shortly be able to choose between
two more.
The IAPP has announced a new Certified Information Privacy
Technologist (CIPT) certification. The text book will be published in July,
while the first accreditation exams will be held in the US in mid-September. If
you are an IT professional who needs training on how to embed privacy into a
company’s IT programme including establishing privacy practices around data
collection and transfer, understanding consumer privacy expectations and responsibility,
as well as developing privacy notifications, then this could be of interest to
you.
This qualification compliments the IAAP’s other privacy certifications
– the Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) which focuses on
addressing privacy laws and regulations, and the Certified Information Privacy
Manager (CIPM) which focuses on how to operationalize privacy throughout an
organisation.
The British Computer Society, on the other hand, has just
announced that it will soon launch its Foundation Certificate in Data Protection –
which appears to be of a standard equivalent to that of the IAAP’s CIPP
qualification. If you apply for the BCS’s Foundation Certificate, you’ll sit an hour
long exam, dealing with 40 multiple choice questions. No mini essays to write.
Just tick 40 boxes. The pass mark is 65% (26 out of the 40 questions).
Candidates that successfully complete the BCS’s exam will then hold a recognised qualification in data protection, appreciate
the way in which the Data Protection Act and the PECR (marketing) regulations
work, understand individual and organisational responsibilities under the DPA,
and generally be better placed to support organisations in managing and
handling customer data properly.
The Foundation Course will also provide a stepping stone for
those who decide at a later stage to undergo more rigorous training to obtain
the BCS’s Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection. This is the famous ISEB,
the gold standard of data protection qualifications. Beware – the ISEB exam does
require candidates to write mini and longer essays, as well as complete a set
of multiple choice questions.
So what factors might influence a candidate who was faced
with a choice of the IAPP’s CIPP qualification or the BCS’s Foundation
Certificate?
Cost might be a factor, as I understand that the BCS is keen
to ensure that its fees are extremely competitive. The public exam fee is just
£145, and accredited trainers (if you decide to seek the support of any accredited
training, that is) are likely to charge reasonably low fees, too, as the BCS
estimates that candidates only need undergo some 16 hours of study before sitting
the exam.
But unlike the IAPP, I understand, there is no requirement to
undertake continuing professional education to keep the certification up to date. In other
words, Foundation Certificate holders won’t be required to spend a minimum
number of hours attending data protection courses – or conferences – throughout
the year, or to pay an annual association membership fee. That might well appeal
to some cash-strapped employers who are interested in paying for their
employee’s professional qualifications, but don’t want to tie themselves or
their employees into longer term financial commitments.
As far a as the exam format is concerned, both the IAAP and the BCS will require candidates to visit an exam venue, sit in front of a computer screen, and tick various boxes. There is no need for candidates to display
any of their poor handwriting, spelling or punctuation skills.
Whatever certification you go for (or whatever certification
you go for first), I do wish you all the best. Let’s hope that employers will
find the certificate to be of sufficient value that it suitably enhances the
earning potential of certificate holders.
Note:
While I’ve referred to the BCS and the IAAP in this blog, privacy
certificates are available from other providers. Google will help those who
need to understand who’s selling what. I’m not aware of any independent work
that has been carried out on the relative value of these certificates.
Buyer, beware!
Sources:
Image credit:
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