Professional association
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A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession and the public interest. In the United States, such an association is typically a nonprofit organization for tax purposes.[1]
=ticular profession and represent the interests of [their] members" and which "may offer registration or certification of unregulated occupations on a voluntary basis."[2]
Most professional organizations of global scope (see List of international professional associations) are located in the United States. The USA has often led the transformation of various occupations into professions, a process described in the academic literature as professionalization.[citation needed]
Many professional bodies are involved in accrediting degrees, defining and examining the skills and competencies necessary to practice a person, and granting professional certifications to indicate that a person is qualified in the subject area.[3] Sometimes membership of a professional body is synonymous with certification, though not always. Membership of a professional body, as a legal requirement, can in some professions form the primary formal basis for gaining entry to and setting up practice within the profession; see licensure.
Many professional bodies also act as learned societies for the academic disciplines underlying their professions.[1]
See also
- Advocacy
- Bar association
- Guild
- Inter-professional association
- Learned society
- Syndicate
- Trade association
- Trade union
- Working group
References
- ^ a b Speight, James (2014-12-10). Educating Scientists and Engineers for Academic and Non-Academic Career Success. CRC Press. p. 59. ISBN 9781466553576. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ "UK Quality Code for Higher Education: Part A: Seeing and Maintaining Academic Standards" (PDF). Quality Assurance Agency. 2018. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Professional bodies and professional qualification". Target Jobs. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
External links
- List of Professional bodies in the United Kingdom
- List of Professional bodies in Australia
- List of Professional bodies in Canada
- Anders Kjellberg Union density and specialist/professional unions in Sweden, Lund University: Studies in Social Policy, Industrial Relations, Working Life and Mobility. Research Reports 2013:2