Geo Message (February 2012)

Inside SSSI

Message from the Chair

A reminder for February to register for our upcoming GIS Program Management workshops in Canberra and Perth, details in Upcoming Events!

GISP-AP Certification is a highly regarded qualification which says to employers and peers in the industry that not only have you reached a high skill level in the GIS and Cartographic professions, but that you strive to maintain that skill level through ongoing training and professional development. Many of our regions will be running tailored workshops over the coming months, which will step you through the process of filling out the forms and submitting an application, it’s really not as time consuming as it first looks! Check out some of our previous ‘Certified or Certifiable’ articles to read what others have thought of the process, and talk to your local SICC rep about certification.

The Certification panel and the SICC have been working on the certification renewal process, as 2012 marks five years since the GISP-AP certification was introduced to the Asia-Pacific region. The group is discussing transition to an annual renewal, rather than renewal every five years. This would bring GISP-AP certification in line with the renewal periods of other SICC certification programs, and would reduce the need for record keeping for extended times. Annual renewal may however remove some of the flexibility of spreading professional development activities over a longer time frame, allowing for career breaks and changes. We want to know what our current GISP-AP’s think about this, and will be seeking your opinions over the coming month.