Latest News

PARN Manifesto Update: Acknowledgement from Government
In May this year PARN developed a Manifesto for the new government, calling upon it to create a single point of contact for the professions to recognise and support the crucial role the professions play in society and ensure the expertise and advice they offer does not go unused. We sent the draft manifesto to the whole

PARN welcomes new members Institute of Physics and Dyslexia Action Guild
Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. It has a worldwide membership of more than 36,000 and is a leading communicator of physics-related science to all audiences, from specialists through to government and the

New Member Enquiry summaries: Payment to President, Mutual Recognition
PARN members have access to all past Member Enquiries through the PARN Members Area. Alternatively, email dyon@parnglobal.com for an electronic copy. Enquiry respondents may also request the full response document.  Recent enquiries include: Payment to the President, Mutual Recognition of Professional

New vacancy: Business Manager, Young Professionals - The IET
The IET is advertising for a Business, Manager, Young Professionals. Interested? More information is available at http://www.parnglobal.com/business-manager-young-professionals.htm

Spotlight on Member Enquiries
Looking to update policies, review current practice or introduce new procedures, but not sure where to start? Want to know whether your ideas are in line with current practice? Can you offer practical tips to other professional bodies based on your experience? PARN's Member Enquiry service helps prevent 'reinventing the

Diversity SIG announces September workshop on Support Networks
Diary marker Support networks: how they can help your members and your profession The next Diversity SIG Workshop will take place from 10.00 to 14.00 (including lunch) on 29 September in central London.  It will look at the experiences of professionals from under-represented groups, and how professional

Equally Professional publishes report "Like minds on different journeys"
A report was released today - "Like minds on different journeys" - on the work of Equally Professional, a network of 20 professional bodies committed to providing equality and diversity in and through their memberships, and thereby widening access to the professions. The report looks at what these

PARN and EP FREE Equality Act workshop rescheduled for 13 July
The Equality Act: Its impact on professional bodies has been rescheduled for the 13 July. This FREE Diversity SIG workshop will be held from 10-14:00 (including lunch) at the Royal College of Nursing in London. For further information, click here. If you would like to register to attend this workshop, please email

PARN releases Diversity Fast Facts from 2009 IBS
PARN today released a Fast Facts report focusing on diversity aspects of our 2009/2006 International Benchmarking Survey (IBS). Embracing E&D: What are UK professional bodies doing to embed equality and diversity into their organisations? can be downloaded by clicking here. This Fast Facts report looks at the

PARN's going digital with our new professional networking site, PARNPeople
PARN is excited to announce the imminent launch of a new online professional networking site, PARNPeople, for professional body sector. PARNPeople is an opportunity for individuals working at professional bodies in the UK and abroad to engage in discussions and debates around their job roles or areas of

26 May Member Networks Round Table brings out examples of interesting practice
PARN and i-Publishing Consultant’s first Member Networks Round Table generated an interesting and thought-provoking discussion and debate, and we’d like to thank our participants from IET, CIMA, GTCE, CIoB, RICS, BIFM, BMA and IoP for sharing their ideas, interesting practice and concerns. Below we share

New Member Enquiry summaries available!
The following Member Enquiry summaries are now available: o Foundation Degrees o Disciplinary Procedures o Measuring, and Increasing Readership of, E-communications o Member Satisfaction Survey Response Rates PARN members can email dyon@parnglobal.com for a copy of the above summaries.

TotalProfessions achieves over 250,000 hits since launch…but we need your views!
Since the soft launch of www.totalprofessions.com on 19 April 2010 the site has achieved 269,387 hits, although the main promotion of the site is not planned until the start of the new academic year in September 2010! We have had a great deal of positive feedback, and look forward to increasing the visitors to the site

First meeting of PARN regulation SIG to be held 22 June in London
Through a recent Member Enquiry on Disciplinary Procedures, PARN found significant interest among members in forming a Special Interest Group (SIG) focusing on regulatory issues. We are therefore excited to announce the formation of a regulation SIG, which will be open to both members and

PARN welcomes new member The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an international membership organisation that exists to promote and advance civil engineering around the world. About us ICE was founded in 1818 by a small group of idealistic young engineers and was granted a royal charter in 1828. ICE ensures that the professional high

Programme now available for The Three Pillars of Professional Standards event
A programme for PARN's 20 October event, The Three Pillars of Professional Standards, is now available here. PARN's second conference of 2010 will look at how professional bodies can prove the effectiveness of the things that they do to set and maintain professional standards - through entry, ethics and discipline,

Join PARN and i-Publishing Consultants 26 May for a Member Networks RoundTable
Join PARN and i-Publishing Consultants on 26th May for our re- scheduled Member Networks Round Table. Our vision: A meeting of minds, where professional bodies with some existing experience of building professional networks for their members engage in sharing ideas and experiences facilitated by research and

PARN undertakes further professional standards research for FSA
PARN is currently working on an interesting project for the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in which we are trying to identify clear evidence of a causal link between changes in professional standards (entry qualifications, CPD and ethical codes) and improved outcomes for consumers/patients/clients. If your

PARN welcomes new member IAB
So what is the IAB? A leading professional and awarding body.... The International Association of Book-keepers (IAB) was founded in 1973 and until approximately ten years ago it focussed purely on being a professional and examining body for book-keepers.  Building on this, today the IAB is the leading UK

PARN's new Social Networking publication now available for purchase
PARN today published a new book, Social Networking: Its benefits and challenges for professional bodies, based on original research. Delegates attending the 24 March conference, The Future of Member Networks, will receive a free copy of the book. PARN members will also receive a free copy by post. Non-members,

Sneak peek into PARN's upcoming publication on social networking
PARN's new publication, Social Networking; its benefits and challenges for professional bodies, will be released at the 24 March event "The Future of Member Networks: Embracing Social Networking Technologies". Click here for a sneak peek at the contents of the publication. Excerpt from the Executive Summary of

30% discount offered to PARN members at Westminster Briefing 17th March
Changing Careers Education: Information, Advice and Guidance that Motivates All Young People  Wednesday 17th March 2010 Commonwealth Club, Westminster   TotalProfessions.com is set to feature as part of an upcoming Westminster Briefing on the subject of careers education. The professional bodies’

New consultancy: Developing Stronger Professional and Member Networks Online
Drawing on the detailed findings from our recent Web 2.0 research project, PARN has partnered with i-Publishing Consultants to offer a new consultancy service for professional bodies looking to develop stronger professional and member networks online. Together, PARN and i-Publishing can offer access to a range of

PARN welcomes new member IIRSM
PARN is pleased to introduce our new member, the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management. The International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) is a professional body for health and safety practitioners and specialists in related fields who have a health and safety remit.  It was set up to

New Member Enquiry Summaries: Competency Frameworks and Computer Based Exams
Summaries for two new Member Enquiries: 'Competency Frameworks' and 'Computer Based Exams' are now available for PARN members. The 'Competency Frameworks' enquiry covers: Names and the development process of competency frameworks already developed by professional bodies The amount of time the framework has been

PARN joins Twitter to share information on our social networking research
PARN has joined Twitter. In the lead up to our March event, The Future of Member Networks, we will use Twitter in order to share with you our extensive research resources on social networking, keeping you up-to-date on developments and ideas in Web 2.0.

PARN member networks publication to be released at 24 March event
PARN's new publication, Social Networking; its benefits and challenges for professional bodies, will be released at the 24 March event in London. All event delegates will receive a FREE copy of the publication. Excerpt from the Executive Summary of Social Networking; its benefits and challenges for professional bodies:

PARN Lay Member case study: Janette Gulleford shares her motivations and rewards
Janette Gulleford, Managing Director of Professional Solutions, has a long history of service in the professional body sector. She has worked for the Royal College of Midwives, as technical director in the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, and currently sits on the Board of the Institute of Association

PARN Member Networks Fast Facts report
PARN's Member Networks Fast Facts report, "Professionals 2.0: Are professionals using new social networking technologies?", presents a selection of our findings from data collected on 7,338 professionals' use and perception of Web 2.0. PARN's research on social networking sought to understand how today's

PARN to exhibit at CHASE 2010
PARN has been invited to exhibit at the eighteenth Charities and Associations Exhibition, taking place at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London N1 on 23 -24 February. CHASE has an extensive programme of free educational seminars offered to delegates, and we hope to see as many of our members

PARN e-publishes Stan Lester's Advanced Designations and Awards
PARN has published the latest research by Stan Lester, author of Routes and Requirements for becoming professionally qualified (2008). "Professional Bodies' Advanced Designations and Awards" is a complement to this previous work, and together is important for professional bodies because it is a step

PARN welcomes Government response to Fair Access final report
PARN welcomes the Government’s response to The Final Report from the Panel on Fair Access, published today on the BIS website, and which has prompted comment and debate across the media.* The BIS response recognises the necessity of increasing access to the professions and removing barriers which stop people from

PARN offering consultancy workshops based on professional standards research
Following from PARN’s recent research into professional standards for the Financial Services Authority (FSA), PARN will be offering consultancy workshops to organisations interested in learning more about the research and how its findings can be applied to their organisation. Click here for further information on

PARN and EP host free Diversity SIG Workshop
On 26 January 2010, PARN and EP (Equally Professional) hosted 'How to get started? Sexual orientation and religion and beliefs'. This free Diversity SIG workshop was held at the ICAEW offices in Central London, and included presentations from the EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission) and the Employers Forum

PARN publication investigates number of professionals in the UK undertaking CPD
PARN’s latest publication, Extent of CPD: The lifelong learning of millions, attempts to begin a general conversation about the importance of CPD by providing an indication of how widespread it is in the UK. Authors Andy Friedman and Natasha Afitska consider two questions: • How many professionals are

PARN research on professional standards informs FSA consultation paper
PARN’s research on professional standards has informed a Financial Services Authority (FSA) consultation paper, ‘Delivering the Retail Distribution Review: Professionalism; Corporate pensions; and Applicability of RDR proposals to pure protection advice’, published today on the FSA’s website. The

Access over 150 past Members Enquiries on the PARN website
The new Member Enquiry section is up and running, providing PARN members with access to over 150 past enquiry summaries on topics from membership subscriptions to examinations to governing body evaluations. We have categorised all of our past enquiries to enable you to find information on topics of interest quickly and

Final proposals for Why Join and Compulsory CPD projects
Following our 18 November meetings in London, proposals for PARN's 2010 Member Consortium Projects, "Why Join" and "Compulsory CPD", have been amended based on input from our members. Final proposals can be downloaded by clicking on the links below. Why Join a Professional Body? Compulsory CPD The

Payment to Lay Members summary now available
The summary for PARN's most recent Member Enquiry, Payment to Lay Members, is now available for PARN members. The enquiry addresses the following facets of remuneration to lay and institute/association members: The capacity in which lay and institute/association members are used The payment, including amount, provided

The Future of the Professions Toronto - presentations now available!
On 28 October, PARN held The Future of the Professions: Toronto. PARN Director Andy Friedman gave two presentations, "Chapters and Social Networking" and "Raising the Profile of CPD". John Matheson, Principal at StrategyCorp, discussed "Media and Public Perception: Do size and number

PARN helps SOCITM recruit Head of Membership
PARN HR Officer Sarah Ward recently assisted the Society of Information Technology Management (SOCITM) in recruiting a new Head of Membership. The successful recruit, Ellen Jessett, will take up the position on the 1st November.   Bernard Gudgin, Board Advisor at SOCITM, stated, “Sarah was superb throughout

PARN welcomes new member Devon & Somerset Law Society
PARN is pleased to welcome our newest member, Devon & Somerset Law Society. The principal activity of the Devon & Somerset Law Society consists of the promotion of the interests of the legal profession generally and particularly of solicitors practising in Devon and Somerset. To learn more about Devon &

PARN Director presents model of stakeholder engagement at OPRPN conference
PARN Director, Professor Andy Friedman, presented a model of stakeholder engagement on 26 October at the Ontario Profession Regulators' Policy Network (OPRPN) 2nd annual policy conference, "What's at stake? Engaging stakeholders in regulatory policy development". Professor Friedman's presentation,

Responses to the Recession Snapshot now available
PARN recently published Responses to the Recession, our third in the unique Snapshot series, which are aimed at providing you with easily accessible information in a basic and easily digestible format. Responses to the Recession aims to provide your body with a 'menu' of interesting and innovative recession-related

PARN in the final stage of examinations project for CIPA’s JEB
PARN is writing the final report for an examinations project commissioned by the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA)’s Joint Examination Board (JEB). The report looks at a variety of professional bodies’ examinations processes and procedures.  PARN has found the project very interesting, and