From the SA Executive Director

Education is central to many of the projects that the SA Chapter is engaged in at the moment: the introduction of continuing professional development at a mandated requirement of the registration act, education of school aged students to increase their understanding of the built environment and design, standards of education in the tertiary sector and education of government so that they engage with the profession in more constructive ways and allow architects to exercise their full skill set. 

ArchiEd is one such project.  It provides a framework to support architects presenting in schools, allowing both architect and school to be well prepared.  It will also provide a growing resource for future presentations over time.  This will assist in providing meaningful architecture content to address the design curriculum.  Please contact us if you would like further information on this program – more details to come soon.

Providing clarity around the introduction of mandated CPD is another.  Information about CPD and what is required to earn formal CPD points is provided here to ensure you know what you need to do as a registered architect.  This will be updated as the Board develops the CPD rules for SA.  In the meantime, be aware that some companies are overstating the level of CPD that they can provide, which may leave architects without the requisite number of formal CPD points when they renew their registration.

It weaves into other less obvious projects as well.  For example, the Creative Industries Sector response to Growth State: our plan for prosperity response has considered issues such as the suitability and accessibility of education for architects as well as the standard of education.  Debate about the preparedness of graduates for practice is not new.  This conversation is timely however, with pressure from evolving practice models and the reliance on funding provided by high numbers of overseas students making the quality of our education more critical than ever. 

In addition, the AACA currently undertaking a review of the National Standard of Competency for Architects (NCSA), which is the benchmark for assessing the standard of tertiary architectural education, defines the knowledge required for registration and determines what is deemed suitable content for CPD.  While many architects are unaware of or have limited knowledge of the NSCA, we encourage you to take this opportunity to engage with the review and provide feedback.  Does the NSCA provide a realistic representation of current practice?  If not, where are the gaps?  Follow the NSCA link to find out more. 

Nicolette Di Lernia
Executive Director – SA Chapter

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