New chief for the ICS

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Following Frank Cronin’s departure in January from the Irish Computer Society (ICS), where he was the CEO for the last two years, Jim Friars, who was chief executive of ICS Skills (formerly ECDL Ireland), has taken over as CEO of both the ICS and ICS Skills.

Friars says that ICS Skills has become the leading ICT skills company in Ireland over the last seven years and last year launched the ICS Skills Cert and ChooseIT programmes on behalf of the ICS. ‘Through Skills Cert, the ICS has extending its role in the continuing professional development of ICT professionals,’ he says. ‘Skills Cert will ultimately standardise how we describe job roles and define the skills required to perform them in the ICT industry.’ Friars says that in recognition of the synergies that exist between the two ICS arms, the society’s Council has decided ‘to leverage the success of ICS Skills by extending its responsibilities to cover all ICS activities.’

He points out, however, that the mission of the ICS remains the same: to advance, promote and represent the interest of ICT professionals in Ireland; to advance and promote computer literacy throughout the Irish population; and to advance and promote Ireland’s economic, educational and cultural participation in the worldwide information society.

Although Cronin conceived the idea of the ICT Stakeholders Group and was the main driving force behind trying to get it up and running, Friars says that the ICS is still committed to this initiative. ‘We are currently meeting with the organisations that have expressed an interest in joining the group to assess how best we can co-operate,’ he says.

22/03/04

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