Our History

The ITP is proud of our history. For more than a century, we have represented the views of the telecoms industry at a strategic national and international level, supporting both businesses and individuals achieve their goals. Here we take a look at the heritage of the ITP.

1906: The Institution of Post Office Electrical Engineers (IPOEE) was founded. The purpose was to promote the advancement of electrical and telegraphic science and its uses, and to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas on these subjects amongst the members of the Institution. The organisation remained in place for decades, evolving alongside the telecoms industry.

1907: The first series of Read Papers, 'The Telegraph Act' was published and ITP lectures were introduced. The papers were presented at lectures in local centres. Within 2 years 75% of eligible staff from General Post Office were members of the Institute.

1908: The first edition of The Journal was published and has continued to be printed quarterly.

1982: The Institution of Post Office Electrical Engineers was renamed the Institution of British Telecommunications Engineers, following the formation of British Telecommunications.

1991: A further venture into publishing with the Structured Information Programme. A series of papers issued, setting out current knowledge on a wide range of telecoms subjects, designed to be valuable source of reference.

1999: The Journal prepared and published the proceedings from the FITCE Congress, for the first time.

2001: The Institution of British Telecommunications Engineers took the decision to become an independent organisation, providing information and educational services to anyone interested in the field of telecommunications.

2002: The Institution became The Communications Network (TCN). TCN continued to encourage and support the personal development of people working in the telecommunications sector. Through its publications, lectures and other services, TCN helped its members to understand developments within the telecommunications and related industries, to develop their professional skills and to build their network of contacts.

2006: Members have access to electronic issues of The Journal via the website including it’s archive index dating back to 1908.

2007: The organisation undertook a name change - this time going back to its roots. The Institute of Telecommunications Professionals (ITP) continues to fulfill its rich heritage as the independent authority for the telecommunications industry.

2013: We launched our apprenticeship scheme, the first of its kind in the industry, to recruit, train and mentor apprentices on behalf of our partners.

2016: ITP Fellowship was established and select members of industry were invited to become honorary fellows of the ITP.

2020- The Covid -19 Pandemic hit and like many others, we went fully digital. We took our events online and dove into webinars with our first Virtual Seminar on AI, continuing to recruit and onboard apprentices via remote assessment days, taking members on Insight Visits from the comfort of home and for the first time ever, our Annual Awards Ceremony was conducted online.

2021 – The ITP Apprenticeship scheme continues to grow and evolve to meet the increasing demand for skilled telecoms workers.

2022 – Charlotte Goodwill is appointed CEO and commits ITP to focus on bridging the skills gap in industry whilst continuing it’s mission to support its members through professional development, coaching, knowledge sharing, mentoring and career guidance.

2023 ITP is shortlisted for, and Wins award for Apprentice Champions of the year

2024 – ITP establishes a career framework for the Telecommunications and ICT industry with support from government and major industry players.

In collaboration with industry trailblazers, ITP supports the development and delivery of a new Apprenticeship Standard, The Cellular Network Field Engineer (CNFE).

Today – We continue to reaffirm our commitment to bridging the skills gap through supplying outstanding apprenticeship candidates to Telecoms and ICT employers.