Whilst Tim's poll was a straight yes/no and very limited in scope, this
debate for me has drawn out the differences between generic structured
approaches focused within particular fields and more tailored approaches,
both of which have value. An ongoing debate itself seems inevitable as
qualifications of various sorts are sought for a number or reasons by both
individuals and organisations. e.g. barrier to entry, a simple measure.
Odd that the debate so far seems to have mainly revolve around
legal/moral/ethical/financial issues and that records management, security,
general management or the proliferation of other skills/knowledge which it
is necessary for rounded data protection/information management
practitioners to possess were not drawn in.
This raises some questions with me:-
Is there a growing preference for DP now to take a structured legal route
possibly providing what could be a minutiae of definitive answers which must
be adhered to for short periods of time until/or if changed?
Or;
Has the existence of a formal qualification left those without it less
confident in their knowledge base and therefore less likely to openly
contribute to the discussion? Does the philosophical divide itself promote
separation rather than inclusion.
And;
Is there any inherent danger of some rigidity of thought and action as a
consequence of the initial baseline qualifications being a sole measure?
It does rather seem from the recruitment factors used in many sectors that
in depth knowledge of certain other skills are more prized than the ISEB DP
qualification. After all the recruit can simply be trained to acquire the
ISEB, thereby gaining the acknowledgement of organisational training which
the ICO's historical interpretation of the DPA principles require. (Training
cost could be seen to be more of a determinant factor than the qualification
itself.)
Ian W
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