Lady on the BCS Council “Rubi Speaks”: A new blog by BCSWomen’s Rubi Kaur

This year I was elected onto the BCS Council for a 3 year term. I was really touched by the number of people who kindly voted for me and responded to my “Vote for Rubi” Campaign.

How apt that it was during International Women’s Week when I heard the results from the BCS Annual Elections; I did for one brief moment feel like a modern day Tech Suffragette. We have a place at the table now. A place for a collection of strong diverse voices to be heard.

But we still need more strong vocal voices to ensure we have a modern progressive BCS. Diverse voices who will always challenge the status quo and ensure our Society’s aims are forever inclusive, modern and in touch with an ever changing digital landscape and its societal impacts on all our lives.

The 2017 BCS Elections are here again. Please do consider joining me on the BCS Council. We are making progress and with your help we can make greater and even more impactful progress than ever before.

So what happens on the BCS Council?

Here’s a quick look.

• We are accountable for challenging the BCS Strategy. Is it fit for purpose? Is it in step with the vision and inclusive for us all?
• We are accountable for agreeing and challenging the BCS Accounts and Committee Reports: membership, L&D etc
• We vote in key people onto boards: trustees, vice presidents etc
• We hear from key speakers on topics affecting us: Health, cyber security, Digital Democracy etc
• We agree how to take new policies forward
• We represent our member’s views by raising their issues and debating them.

There are some things we really need to change and I am working hard on the BCS Council to raise these points.

• Our Communication and Impact

Too many times I have heard that few people know who the BCS are and what they do. This really needs to change and it starts by better communication both written and presented. When I browse the BCS web site, the Who are We and Annual Reports, I see news of past deceased presidents straight away. Does that tell me and leave me with the impression the BCS is modern and progressive?

• Communication is a two way channel

We desperately need a way for Members to raise items/Issues to be discussed at the BCS council and for outputs from the BCS council to be fed back to members.

• Making our BCS Qualifications Matter

We have worked hard for our BCS Chartered and/or Fellow status so we want to feel proud that these professional qualifications matter and are to be valued by the outside world, by recruitment companies etc.

Let the BCS Council Debate begin.

If you have any other points you want to raise – please feel free to drop me a line.