ARB Publishes Market Research Findings

ARB Publishes Market Research Findings (03/09/2001)

"The profession wants evidence that its regulator has teeth" - Architect

The Architects Registration Board, the statutory regulator for the architects'profession, has today published the findings of its in-depth research into the views of architects, consumers and corporate clients about the role and operation of the Board.

The findings will be used as a basis for ARB's planning and policy-making, and the recommendations arising from the findings are being incorporated into the Board's five-year plan. ARB now has robust information against which to evaluate and benchmark the delivery of its statutory duties.

The research canvassed opinions on a wide range of issues. Some of the key findings are as follows.

EDUCATION

"Current architectural education does not gear students for professional/business life. I am appalled by what I am hearing about the colleges at the moment" - Architect

"Courses of architecture should be more business oriented. Students leave with no idea of commercial pressures" - Architect

* The profession wishes ARB to monitor practical training experience, and has given ARB firm views on what it believes to be important in architectural education.

* Respondents felt strongly that there should be a core basic curriculum for Parts I and II, and that inspecting syllabus content was the best method for validating courses in schools of architecture.

* Most of the profession feels that architectural education does not meet the needs of practices or clients. It recognised the primacy of creating asethetically and technically satisfying designs, but also felt that education should focus more deeply on the financing of projects and the management of client relationships.

* It was strongly felt that lecturers should be able to demonstrate recent, real projects and that practitioners of repute/experience should be encouraged to teach.

* Respondents felt that ARB should measure graduates' satisfaction with their courses, and also measure employers' satisfaction with the knowledge and skills of recent graduates.

"From an openness point of view, it is good to publish validation reports" - Consumer body

* The profession's understanding of the current validation of architectural courses is patchy. It provided views on a number of methods for validation that it believed would be effective which are not currently used.

* The profession strongly supports Continuing Professional Development as an essential part of its fabric.

REGISTRATION

"The Register is important" - Architect

"There is comfort and reassurance for consumers to know that they are using the services of a registered architect" - Consumer body

* Architects want the register improved by having business telephone numbers and e-mail addresses added to it.

"ARB's logo on architects'correspondence would reinforce registration" - Consumer body

* Registered persons want to be allowed to show their registered status on their business stationery and contracts.

* Architects wish ARB to issue certificates of registration for display at their business address.

"Protection of title is important, and worth protecting" - Architect

* The profession believes overwhelmingly that protection of title is important.

* A strong desire was expressed for ARB to pursue instances of title abuse with vigour, and that it publicise more widely its success in doing so.

* 90% of the profession, however, when coming across instances of misuse of title, had not reported those instances to ARB.

REGULATION

"People who complain need to feel that something is being done about it" - Architect

* The profession feels that regulation helps safeguard its reputation and that procedures currently in place work well.

* Architects feel strongly that there should be greater public awareness of the regulation of architects.

"It is difficult for an uninformed consumer to argue with an informed professional" - Consumer body

* Architects believe that it should be easy for consumers to complain to ARB, and that there should be a clear, open and transparent complaints procedure.

* There was strong agreement with the assertion that ARB's disciplinary processes were perceived to be fair. The profession does not, however, feel that ARB should have the power to award compensation to consumers.

* However, many individuals and corporate clients of architects feel that ARB should have the power to award compensation, and/or alternatively have an Ombudsman scheme, an arbitration scheme or a conciliation scheme.

* There was strong support for the proposal that ARB should identify on its website those architects found guilty of unprofessional conduct.

* Architects would welcome guidance in a number of areas where problems can arise with clients, including fee arrangements, defining responsibilities to clients, and other topics such as copyright, conflicts of interest and procurement methods.

ARB's IMAGE

"ARB seems to be doing OK now" - Architect

* When asked to choose words which they currently associate with ARB, architects most frequently selected "necessary", "remote", "invisible", "professional" and "independent".

* When asked to cite those that they would like to associate with ARB, the picture was much less clear, although "professional" and "respected" were popular choices.

* Very few consumers were able to name an organisation that they thought might regulate or monitor architects, although most believe that it should be easy for clients to complain to a regulator about an architect.

* 17% of corporate clients had had cause to complain about an architect at some juncture and, of those, most were unaware of ARB's existence.

ARB's INCOME

* The responses clearly showed that the profession feels that the £55 retention fee is a reasonable amount to pay to practise using the title "architect".

Barbara Kelly, Chairwoman of ARB, speaking after the meeting at which the Board considered the results of the market research, said:

"The Board welcomes the information brought to it from the market research; much of it is supportive of what the Board is doing, but there are major challenges to which the Board is committed to responding.

"The profession is unequivocal that it wants a more proactive regulator which the public and the construction industry know about. There is wide-felt dissatisfaction with current educational practices and the profession has clearly indicated to ARB its educational priorities and the policies that the Board should pursue to improve its educational responsibilities for registration.

"The Board has always been aware that ARB is not an organisation familiar to the average consumer or to the construction industry, and that has been borne out by the research. What it does show, however, is that the public and the profession agree on the need for regulation. We are making, and will continue to make, stringent efforts to familiarise consumers and the construction industry with our responsibilities, so that the signposting to us from, say, Citizens Advice Bureaux or Trading Standards Offices is improved.

"The Board remains committed to keeping the registration fee as low as possible, commensurate with its statutory obligations."

NOTES

The Board retained Perry Nicholls, a management and marketing consultancy, to conduct and manage the research.

The research into the profession began with a qualitative phase, comprising a series of focus groups around the UK. At the quantitative stage, building on the views expressed at the focus groups, 6,750 questionnaires were sent to a representative random cross-section of registered architects. Responses were received from some 1888 architects(a 28% response rate), providing a robust sample for gauging the views of the profession.

The views of consumers were canvassed by conducting an Omnibus Survey face to face with 1150 peope, 27% of whom had previously used architectural services. Researchers asked a range of questions relating to the Board's work to gather consumer views.

In accessing corporate clients, over 250 individuals working in organisations that had recently employed architects in various sectors were interviewed by phone. Those questioned worked in organisations of all sizes, and almost half (46%) continuously employed architects. Their views were sought on a range of issues relating to the Board's work.