British Computer Society Young Professionals Group
The British Computer Society Young Professionals Group (YPG) was formed in 1986 (although, its roots date back to around 1983) to provide representation and support to younger members of the IT profession. Today the group is one of the largest and arguably one of the most influential young professionals groups in the UK, with over 26,000 members. The group organises events and provides services from lectures and debates to networking evenings, various competitions, college bursaries and awards. Whilst support is provided from the British Computer Society, the group's leadership is run primarily by  volunteers from the younger membership of the British Computer Society which form the YPG's Executive Committee and network of regional representatives. Young IT Practitioner of the Year. The YPG judges, promotes and awards the Young IT Practitioner of the Year Award along with naming annual British Computer Society Medal Winners. This underlines one of the YPG's key roles to nurture and applaud individual ingenuity and entrepreneurial success that have made the British IT industry a leading global player. The awards mark the vital contribution made by young people to the IT profession. 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005  2004 2003 SkillCentre. The YPG run an event series called 'YPG SkillCentre' these events tend to help attendees still in the earlier stages of their career explore and develop skill areas that are typically untaught and/or neglected in the IT industry, such as advice on body language and tips on how to negotiate a pay rise. The series established by YPG Chairman, Andrew Brown in 2003, has since trained hundreds of IT professionals. Past events have included popular speakers such as the author of the Naked Leader, David Tayor, Chris Croft and Craig Goldblatt. ProNetworking. ProNetworking is an event series  established by YPG Chairman, Christopher Moxon in 2006 an expansion to the YPG SkillCentre event series and comprises events with two parts; offering attendees the opportunity to network whilst the second part brings together a top panel of IT professionals to share their secrets of success with the audience. YPG OneTeam. YPG OneTeam was a project run by the YPG to consolidate the YPG's representation efforts at national and local levels. WorkLink. Worklink was an online interactive database that allowed students to search for IT work placements. Notable employers using the service included, Buckingham Palace. History of the group . The YPG was originally established by students from Thames Polytechnic (now the University of Greenwich) in 1984. By 1985, the group had over 250 members and in 1986 on 23 April the YPG's Constitution was ratified and the group held its inaugural conference organised by Barbara McManus.