This learned IT group dates all the way back to Truman. Based in Illinois, the organization joins Internet professionals and students nationwide. Chances are good that there is a local chapter of the AITP near you.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Associate Editor [May 4, 2001]

The organization grew and in 1962 it became involved in establishing educational standards for data processing professionals. The group went on to found the Certificate in Data Processing (CDP) professional examination program and changed its name to the Data Processing Management Association (DPMA). In 1970, it established the Registered Business Programmer (RBP) examination in order to continue to set the educational standards for basic computer programming.

In 1976, the seven professional organizations including the AITP established a separate entity to administer certifications.

The Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP) was founded in 1976 when seven professional organizations, including the AITP, set up shop in Des Plaines, IL. The ICCP was tasked with administering three different certification programs—the Certificate in Data Processing (CDP), Certified Computer Programmer (CCP), and Certified Systems Professional (CSP).

Today, it works with other professional associations to administer one certification program called the the CCP—short for Certified Computing Professional.

AITP now
The AITP is a diverse, national organization with more than 6,141 members active in its 200 student chapters and 4,875 IT professionals participating in its 149 business chapters.

The group's mission is to "provide avenues for all their members to be teachers as well as students and to make contacts with other members in the IS field," all in an effort to become more marketable in rapidly changing, technological careers.

The AITP is involved with curriculum design and degree structures at U.S. colleges and universities and its institutional chapters are part of its real-life program, where students and professionals meet to learn from each other.

The AITP is funded with money from membership dues, charitable donations, and affiliated sponsors. The group is lean, operating with just six paid staff members from its Des Plaines, IL headquarters as supported by its all-volunteer board members.

A professional membership in the AITP costs just $80 per year, which is something that Nita Adams, AITP national president is pretty proud of.

"We've held our dues steady for 11 years," Adams said., "How many IT organizations can say that?"

Local chapters of AITP can also receive funding from sponsors and can also charge dues, as can AITP regional divisions. For example, the AITP Capitol Chapter has sponsors which range from Computerland to the Memorial St. John's Hospital, and therefore does not charge professionals any additional membership dues.

Students
The AITP provides scholarships to students selected by local professional chapters and the national organization holds IT contests that award prize money. Scholarships are administered through a 501(c) foundation established in 1975, known as the Foundation for Information Technology Education. Applications for the 2001-2002 academic year's Betty Stevens-Frecknall Scholarship can be submitted through June.

The AITP's most recent conference was held in March, where the group awarded $30,000 in prize money to students who participated in IT-related contests.

The group is also working to establish a High School Student Chapter program. The AITP wants to create more than a "computer club" in each member high school. Instead, it wants local chapters, supported by the institutions administration, to teach professionalism and ethics to future IT professionals.

There are already a few high school chapters in operation today. They foster interacting between students and local IT professionals, allowing both groups to learn from each other. The first High School Chapter of the AITP was founded in 1999 at Springfield High School.

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