LONDON, United Kingdom — [Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on BusinessGreen, and is used with permission.]
The British Computer Society (BCS) yesterday unveiled a new Green IT qualification aimed at IT professionals working to reduce the environmental impact of their operations.
The trade body, which is in the process of rebranding itself as the Chartered Institute of IT, said that the new Foundation Certificate in Green IT would provide industry workers with a valuable introduction to some of the core principles governing the development of environmentally sustainable IT policies.
Speaking to BusinessGreen.com, BCS chief executive David Clarke said that the three-day course that people have to undertake to receive the certification will cover a range of issues, including relevant legislation, carbon reporting and guidance on how to develop a green IT strategy.
"There is a lot of interest in green IT, but people are still unclear on what they have to do to cut emissions," he said. "This certificate will provide people with a formal understanding of what can be done."
The new certificate was launched alongside a pilot qualification based on the EU's recently launched Code of Conduct for green datacentres and is expected to be the first in a range of new green IT certificates.
Rich French, product manager for green IT at the BCS, said that the organisation was aiming to formally launch the new Code of Conduct qualification next January and then follow its new Foundation certificate with a series of more advanced green IT qualifications.
[For another look at green IT degrees, see also "IBM Launches First Two-Year Green Data Center Degree."]