The Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) is a non-profit organization intended to support people in or looking into the Information Technology (IT) field. It was founded in 1951 as the National Machine Accountant Association (NMAA) by a group of machine accountants using TAB punch card systems. This year marks the organizations 50th Anniversary. Today AITP has 5,000 professional members in 200 chapters and 6,000 student members located in college student chapters throughout the US and Canada. .
The AITP organization is structured so that each chapter belongs to a region. There are currently 12 regions in the US and Canada. Each region has a representative on the Executive Council. A chapter may also sponsor one or more student chapters. A parent chapter is required to form a student chapter and every new member must have a sponsor. .
AITP is dedicated to continuing the education of its members. They do this through several ways. They publish monthly and quarterly publications, encourage members to obtain specialized certifications, form Special Interest Groups (SIG) and hold many local, regional and national conferences. AITP holds two annual national conferences: The AITP National Conference for Professional Members and The National Collegiate Conference. These conferences provide excellent opportunities for members to stay abreast of the latest technologies, see and use new products presented by vendors and network with other IT individuals. .
Membership in AITP holds many advantages. Some benefits include discounts on equipment and services, access to Resume-Link, group rates on health and life insurance, discounts on travel arrangements and various financial services. Networking with other Information Technology professionals is an additional fringe benefit. IT people can get together to help each other solve problems and educate each other in unfamiliar technologies.