A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to
further a particular
profession
A profession is a field of Work (human activity), work that has been successfully professionalized. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, professionals, who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are ...
, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and the
public interest. In the United States, such an association is typically a nonprofit business league for tax purposes.
In the UK, they may take a variety of legal forms.
Roles
The roles of professional associations have been variously defined: "A group of people in a learned occupation who are entrusted with maintaining control or oversight of the legitimate practice of the occupation;" also a body acting "to safeguard the public interest;"
organizations which "represent the interest of the professional practitioners," and so "act to maintain their own privileged and powerful position as a controlling body."
Professional associations are ill defined although often have commonality in purpose and activities. In the
UK the
Science Council defines a professional body as "an organisation with individual members practicing a profession or occupation in which the organisation maintains an oversight of the knowledge, skills, conduct and practice of that profession or occupation". The
Quality Assurance Agency distinguishes between statutory bodies and regulators that "have powers mandated by Parliament to regulate a profession or group of professions and protect the use of professional titles" and professional bodies that "are independent membership organisations that oversee the activities of a particular profession and represent the interests of
heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
members" and which "may offer registration or certification of unregulated occupations on a voluntary basis."
Many professional bodies are involved in accrediting degrees, defining and examining the skills and competencies necessary to practice, and granting
professional certification
Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply ''certification'' or ''qualification'', is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task. Not all certifications ...
s to indicate that a person is qualified in the subject area.
Many professional bodies also act as
learned societies
A learned society ( ; also scholarly, intellectual, or academic society) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and sciences. Membership may be open to al ...
for the
academic disciplines underlying their professions,
See also
* Advocacy
Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...
* Affinity group
* Bar association
A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence.
* Guild
A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...
* Inter-professional association
* Licensure
* List of international professional associations
* List of professional associations in the United Kingdom
* Professional order
* Regulatory college
* Syndicate
* Trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. Through collabor ...
* Trade union
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
* Working group
A working group is a group of experts working together to achieve specified goals. Such groups are domain-specific and focus on discussion or activity around a specific subject area. The term can sometimes refer to an interdisciplinary collab ...
References
External links
List of Professional bodies in the United Kingdom
List of Professional bodies in Australia
List of Professional bodies in Canada
* Anders Kjellber
''Union density and specialist/professional unions in Sweden''
Lund University: Studies in Social Policy, Industrial Relations, Working Life and Mobility. Research Reports 2013:2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Professional Association
Types of organization