Update on the championing professionalism campaign
In early June, Memcom shared a positive update on its Championing Professionalism campaign.
Earlier this year, Memcom coordinated a joint letter to the Minister for Skills, signed by more than 60 professional bodies and membership organisations, calling for closer collaboration between Government and the professional body sector. The letter highlighted the vital role that professional bodies play in supporting economic growth, workforce development, productivity and public service reform.
The response from the Minister for Skills, Baroness Jacqui Smith, welcomed the proposals and acknowledged the significant contribution that professional bodies make in supporting the UK's economic ambitions.
Importantly, the Minister expressed her support for:
- Further discussion on how professional bodies can contribute to skills policy and workforce planning.
- Exploring a structured cross-sector working group to strengthen engagement between Government and professional bodies.
- Collaboration on targeted skills programmes aligned to priority growth sectors.
- Greater consideration of how professional accreditation can support workforce reform and industrial strategy objectives.
Memcom thanked the Minister for her positive engagement and requested a meeting with officials to explore these opportunities further. As a member of the Memcom network, ITI looks forward to contributing to these discussions in due course.
This response from the Minister demonstrates the growing recognition of the value that professional bodies bring to Government, employers and the wider economy, and reinforces the importance of a strong collective voice for our sector. It also shows that positive change can be achieved through our engagement in a powerful network of professional bodies and associations. Being part of this larger collective offers ITI opportunities to influence policy, as well as a platform to collaborate on the issues that matter most to professional associations.
