Kim Gill RITTech Advanced MBCS, Business Assistant to Arup’s CTO, explains how employers can use the Chartered IT Professional (CITP) framework to improve tech talent retention.
Founded in 1946 by Sir Ove Arup, Arup has grown to become one of the most storied global consultancy firms. The practice’s work includes the Sydney Opera House, France’s Centre Pompidou, the London Lloyd’s building and The Shard. City-defining architecture has been Arup’s stock-in-trade for over half a century.
‘It’s a great place to work’, says Kim Gill. ‘I’ll be on holiday with my partner and we will see a building Arup has worked on. They have worked on so much and it's cool to think that I’m associated with it because of where I work.
‘I’m a Business Assistant at Arup’, she says. ‘I support Dai David, who is our CTO. He is very focused on development and learning so I support with that a great deal. And, we’re very involved with BCS — helping our people become Chartered IT Professionals (CITP)… I have Advanced RITTech myself and I’d like to become chartered in the future.’
Speaking about the Chartered IT Professional Pathway, Arup’s CTO, Dai David explained: ‘Chartered IT Professionals (CITP) are integral partners to chartered engineers, jointly leading the safe, secure and ethical use of AI as we advance innovation in the built environment.’
Kim goes on to say: ‘Our firm works in the built environment, and I sit in the digital technology team. Our team is digitally focused, and that’s why we like CITP — it’s a digital based chartership.’
Skylines and the Chartered IT Professional Pathway
Returning to Arup’s famous buildings, Kim is keen to point out that digital also plays a huge role in shaping our cities’ skylines.
‘Digital technology is in everything we do’, she smiles. ‘We all work on laptops and Teams every day. Even if you’re not in a digital team, you’re using digital technology. Our team supports the rest of the business so they can deliver their work even more effectively.’
And this support of the wider business is huge. The digital team collaborates with the rest of the business to create solutions to support civil engineering, fire engineering and water, and many of the other services and systems that all combine to make buildings or cities liveable and usable.
A workforce development strategy in technology
‘We input into all of that by making sure that everyone in Arup has everything they need’, she says. ‘Arup is very people driven and digital people are invaluable’.
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Arup, as a business, has been a BCS Chartered IT Professional Pathway partner for three years. So, what brought the two organisations together? Was Arup looking to address a challenge or was it looking to address a new opportunity?
Kim begins, ‘At Arup, we have a lot of engineers who are chartered in their own way. But, there was nothing similar for digital people. We felt like everyone should be appreciated for the work they do and given the same level of accreditation.’
Talking more about Chartered IT Professional (CITP) specifically, she explains: ‘CITP gives people a boost in their confidence and a boost in their careers. It’s validating to have an external provider say you’re able to do this and that validation boosts confidence.’
Career progression in IT roles
Kim explains that CITP also brings even more of a human level value to the business. ‘It makes [colleagues] feel appreciated in their work’, she explains. ‘Their employer — Arup — is funding CITP. It shows that they are willing to invest in their staff and help people go further in their careers. Filling in the application form gives people a real sense of everything they have achieved.’
The Chartered IT Professional Pathway also helps Arup in areas like tech talent retention and culture. Kim explains that the business is — as a global company — naturally very diverse but it works hard to do better. Arup actively encourages women to become chartered. To support this, the business holds events designed to inspire and support women in not only their careers but their chartership journeys as well.
Speaking directly about diversity, Mark Davis, Arup’s Head of Strategy & Architecture, says: ‘Supporting women working in technology to become formally recognised as Chartered IT Professionals (CITP), helps validate their expertise, build professional credibility and ensure their contributions are valued on an equal footing. It also creates visible role models and strengthens the profession through more diverse leadership and perspectives.’
Professional registration benefits
Turning to the future and Arup’s plans for the Chartered IT Professional Pathway, Kim feels that, though business metrics like ROI are important, it’s really about people. ‘It’s about seeing that growth in confidence’, she smiles. ‘The numbers are important, it’s nice to see how stats have increased over time, but really, that just gives people more encouragement to go for it too.’
And what advice does she have for other organisations considering chartership? ‘Just go for it’, she says. ‘You really see the benefits it has for the staff and for people. People want to talk about it… They want to celebrate it… It’s about people and people wanting to be a part of Arup.’
Finishing, she says: ‘People have pride in being CITP.’
Take it further
Interested in becoming a Chartered IT Professional? Explore your eligibility and how to apply on the BCS website.
