Education

Continuing Professional Development

Maintenance of professional service and competence: guidance on Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Introduction

The Architects Act 1997 requires the Architects Registration Board (ARB) to issue a code and to keep the code under review. Standard 6 of The Architects Code: Standards of Conduct and Practice requires the following:

Architects should maintain their professional service and competence in areas relevant to their professional work, and discharge the requirements of any engagement with commensurate knowledge and attention.

The fact that an architect has not maintained their professional competence may count against them in the event of that competence having to be investigated.

This guidance note sets out the Architects Registration Board’s requirements for architects to maintain their professional service and competence in areas relevant to their professional work. It gives guidance on the types and content of CPD activity that you may wish to consider undertaking in order to meet the Board’s requirements, and is intended to be helpful to the profession.

The Board recognises that many architects are already learning through their professional practice, and those registrants who are members of the RIBA, RSUA, RIAS and RSAW already have in place a CPD regime. Architects who follow these regimes are likely to fulfil the Board’s requirements.

The Code was reviewed in 2002. Consultations undertaken with professional bodies as part of this review did not raise any objections to Standard 6. The majority of architects surveyed in the market research commissioned by the Board in 2001 supported CPD.

What is CPD?

ARB uses the following widely used definition:

Continuing professional development is the systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of knowledge and skill and the development of personal qualities necessary for the execution of professional and technical duties throughout the practitioner’s working life.

The knowledge, skills and competence that you develop during your initial architecture education and training are likely to become outdated, for example by the development of new technologies or changes in legislation. You have a responsibility to keep up-to-date with the practice of architecture as it is today. As in many other professions, you will need to develop a culture of lifetime learning in order to maintain competence and also to maintain employability.

The Board’s policy is in keeping with the government’s lifelong learning policy and the requirements of other architecture bodies, including the RIBA. It reflects requirements being considered in the draft Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications. It is in keeping with both the UIA recommended guidelines for Accord Policy on CPD and with Article 5 of the Accord on Cooperation and Professionalism in Architecture between the ACE, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and the American Institute of Architects.

Content of CPD

What you do in your CPD should:

The following guidance focuses on architecture-related CPD activity, rather than other activities which may also be a part of your personal development.

A starting point when deciding what to do is the ARB document Criteria for the Prescription of Qualifications (April 2002). Architects coming onto the Register now need to have achieved at least the minimum standards set out in this document (available on the ARB website www.arb.org.uk). The changing role and responsibilities of the architect, especially in relation to the modern construction industry, and changes in the nature of practice have led to significant changes in the following areas where updating your knowledge and competence might be necessary:

The nature of the built environment and hence planning policy Urban and neighbourhood regeneration/ urban design
Health and Safety legislation New technology
Management Design
Sustainable development Construction best practice
Procurement methods Accessibility
Working with others in an integrated way Building legislation
Enhanced performance measurement  

Suggested topics for updating within these broad areas include: graphics and modelling IT programmes; energy conservation and management; the use of new materials; and management-related legislation such as employment, equal opportunities, and the Working Time Directive.

You should also refer to the Architects Code: Standards of Conduct and Practice. A summary of the obligations as set out in the Code is in the box below. Some specific areas where you should be keeping up to date, for example ‘technical and professional standards’ (Standard 4), are included. New legislation is usually reported in the architecture and construction press, such as the RIBA Journal, Building, Building Design, Architects Journal and Architecture Today. Suggested areas where you may benefit from updating include:

An Architect’s Obligations

Under the Architects’ Code, an architect’s obligations are to

  • Act with integrity at all times
  • Provide adequate resources when undertaking professional work
  • Promote their professional services in a truthful and responsible manner
  • Carry out their work faithfully and diligently, with due regard to the relevant standards
  • Have regard both to their clients’ interests and to conserving and enhancing the quality of the environment
  • Maintain their professional service and competence in areas relevant to their work, and execute the requirements of any contract with due care, knowledge and attention
  • Ensure the security of moneys entrusted to their care
  • Hold adequate and appropriate professional indemnity insurance
  • Manage their personal and professional finances prudently
  • Promote the standards laid down in the Architects Code
  • Organise and run their professional work responsibly, and have regard for the interests of their client
  • Deal promptly and appropriately with disputes or complaints relating to the professional work either of themselves or their practice

Very few architects face disciplinary action from ARB’s Professional Conduct Committee (PCC). However, the reasons why architects come before the PCC may give you some guidance about where your CPD activity could be focussed. These areas are summarised in the ARB’s Annual Report and on the regulation pages of the website. In general, many of the complaints relate to architects not adhering to Standards 11 and 12 of the Code. These tend to suggest that some architects might benefit from CPD which covers the following areas:

You may also find it helpful to refer to the ARB’s guidance note What constitutes serious professional incompetence and unacceptable professional conduct available via the regulation page of the ARB website.

Types of CPD

You are encouraged to think laterally. CPD need not necessarily be expensive and it is not restricted to formal training courses, seminars or workshops, although much value may be gained from investment in such activities. Structured informal learning in everyday practice situations, such as learning from your peers, can provide valuable CPD. The following list is not intended to be exhaustive but offers some suggestions:

During the course of practice – on the job learning

Internal discussion meetings
Adviser/consultancy positions
Training another member of staff
Supervising a student’s professional practice experience
Secondment to another department
Planning and running an in-house training event

Externally

For those not in teaching, involvement with a School of Architecture (as mentor, lecturer or external examiner)
Preparing presentations for colleagues, client, faculty groups
Membership of architecture-related committees/working groups
Membership of groups such as historic building groups
Studying for a further professional qualification or academic award
Undertaking short courses for example to update computer skills at Adult Education Colleges
Attending conferences, seminars, workshops to enhance a skill or knowledge
Participating in competitions

Self-directed and informal learning

Keeping abreast of new government policies, new technical reports
Research for and writing articles for publication
Reading the architecture press and journals (as long as this is within a structured framework of CPD)
Open and distance learning

Maintaining and improving practice requires an involvement in various types of activity, and will be influenced by your field of work. ARB is not a provider of CPD, but recognises that you may find it helpful to participate in CPD activities organised by professional bodies. Those providing CPD for architects include: RIBA, RSAW, RIAS, RSUA, ACA and others such as SCALA - the Society of Chief Architects in Local Authorities.

There are new alliances being established between architects and other professions in the construction industry, and CPD offered by other professions may be useful additional sources of CPD for you. Suggestions include:

Principles for CPD activity

It is for you to decide on the CPD most appropriate to your own particular needs and situation. Unlike the RIBA, ARB does not set minimum requirements in terms of number of hours per year. You are not required to send to ARB a record of what you have done. However, there are certain principles to bear in mind:

1. A key objective of CPD is an assurance for the public that all those on the UK Register of Architects have up-to-date skills and knowledge, and remain competent to practise in the sphere in which they are working.

2. It is widely acknowledged that it is the output of CPD that is key to it being of value, not the input in terms of hours spent per year. Reflecting on learning is key in order to identify what was learned from the experience, how that supports practice and how it enables development of competence.

3. Undertaking CPD that is appropriate, relevant and of high quality offers increased professional satisfaction for architects.

4. When choosing what is appropriate for you, it is important for you to target much of your CPD activities at meeting your own particular professional needs at that time, and to be strategic by having clear outcomes in terms of enhancing your competence, perhaps in the short, medium and long term. The value of CPD is increased when it is regular and structured.

5. It is widely considered that it is helpful to relate CPD to a professional development plan and/or job appraisal, so that individuals are taking responsibility for setting their own goals.

6. Undertaking CPD can be important in developing your business. Good employers regard supporting colleagues who are undertaking properly planned CPD as good practice and of benefit to both the individual and the practice.

7. It is important to keep a record of your CPD. If at any time you decide to come off the Register and then apply for re-instatement after a period of two years, re-instatement will depend on you being able to show that you have kept yourself up-to-date. Further, if you appear before the ARB Professional Conduct Committee to face a complaint, you may benefit from being able to provide evidence that you have kept yourself up to date in the area(s) under investigation. (Those who delay entry onto the Register for more than two years after completion of their Part 3 qualification will also be required to show that they have kept themselves up-to-date.)

Summary

Architects are bound by Standard 6 of the Code – to maintain their professional service and competence in areas relevant to their professional work

CPD is personal to you and will probably involve you in a mix of different activities

Its value is increased when it is regular and structured

It should meet your needs at the time

CPD should enhance your skills, knowledge and competence

It need not be expensive; there is much of value in informal learning situations

ARB does not prescribe the number of hours of CPD you must do each year nor the topics that you must cover

Related documents

You may find it helpful to refer to the following ARB documents:

The Architects Code: Standards of Conduct and Practice (November 2002)
Criteria for Prescription of Qualifications (April 2002).
Guidance Note on serious professional incompetence and unacceptable professional conduct (April 2003)
ARB’s Annual Report – the section on Regulation
ARB’s website pages on Regulation – www.arb.org.uk/regulation

Your views

From time to time this guidance may be updated and your views on this note or on CPD in general are welcome. Please respond by email to info@arb.org.uk or in writing to ARB, 8 Weymouth Street, London W1W 5BU