Professional Institutions
Most long-standing professions are self-governing. The institution codifies the standards required by the professional and, in general, governments delegate the regulation of the profession to those bodies.
Lawyers, for example, have the Law Society, which "is the governing body for Scottish solicitors. The Society promotes the interests of the solicitors' profession and those of the public in relation to the profession."
Doctors have the General Medical Council, which exists to "to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine."
In both cases governments have recognized that the professionals, with their knowledge of the field, are best placed to police that field.
Computing, on the other hand, is not yet at the stage where it is self-governing. In this section we will examine some of the bodies that exist and that are attempting to move computing onto a professional level.
