Continuing
Professional
Development
(CPD)
Continuing Professional Development
THE INSTITUTE STRONGLY ENCOURAGES CONTINUOUS LEARNING FOR ALL OUR MEMBERS
We offer CPD activities to help you keep pace with current trends, enhance the skills you need to consistently deliver the best service to your clients, providing more value to your practice and the entire profession.
CPD IN AUSTRALIA
Requirements for Architects and Members
Institute members are required by the Code of Professional Conduct to provide professional services conscientiously and competently. To achieve this, we encourage all our members to improve their professional knowledge and competence through participation in various CPD activities.
States where annual completion of CPD is compulsory
- New South Wales (CPD year ends 30 June)
- Western Australia (CPD year ends 30 June)
- Tasmania (CPD year ends 31 March)
- South Australia (CPD year commenced 1 Jul 2020 ends 30 June 2021)
- Queensland (CPD year ends 31 March)
- Victoria (CPD year ends 30 June)
CPD requirements for A+ Members
A+ is a commitment to best practice and the future of architecture. As such, A+ Members are also required to complete a minimum of 20 hours of CPD every year, including a minimum of 10 formal hours. All A+ CPD requirements are in line with state requirements. Western Australia requires 20 points of which at least 12 must be Core CPD Points.
Check with your local registration board for your relevant CPD requirements.
Competency Standards
CPD activities have defined learning outcomes linked to one or more units of competency defined by the National Competency Standards in Architecture.
These competency standards are occupational functions all registered architects must efficiently perform in their practice.
The Four Units of Competency:
- Design
- Documentation
- Project Delivery
- Practice Management.
Managing your CPD
CPD Type
Formal CPD
- Activities that include formal assessment or have ‘significant interaction’ between presenter and participant
- All formal CPD is self-assessed and should be kept as part of your records.
Informal CPD
- Activities that do not require formal assessment or significant interaction between presenter and participant.
Voluntary activities can also count towards CPD. Please refer to your state or territory Architects Registration Board for details about all CPD requirements.
CPD Points
Allocation
- Points are allocated on the basis of one (1) point for every hour of involvement for both formal and informal activities
- The accepted minimum commitment from registered practising architects is 20 points per annum (at least 10 formal) in a minimum of two (2) competency units.
Limits
- In some cases, limits have been applied to the number of points that can be allocated to a single activity. While these tend to apply to less structured, generally informal activities such as reading or attending meetings, some formal CPD activities also have limits.
Check with your local registration board for details.
- Points can only be allocated to the educational components of an event. Time allocated for refreshment breaks, registration, drinks or networking sessions etc cannot be claimed towards points.
Recording your CPD activities
Architects are required to manage their own CPD records and maintain records relating to each CPD activity for a period of five years.
Check with your local registration board for your relevant CPD requirements.
INSTITUTE CPD ACTIVITIES
Face-to-face Events
The Institute delivers a range of face-to-face CPD events around the country including seminars, workshops and conferences addressing all aspects of architectural practice. Events are held in regional and metro locations at both national and chapter levels.
Online CPD
In addition to local webinars we have online courses available on demand, featuring content from past National Seminar Series, National Architecture Conferences and more.
National Architecture Conference
The Institute presents Australia’s premier architectural conference, hosting over 1000 delegates each year. Featuring expertly curated local, national and international speakers from a range of practice types and sizes, the conference provides extensive networking and CPD opportunities to keep you at the forefront of practice.
pRACTICE OF aRCHITECTURE lEARNING sERIES (pals)
The Institute offers a 15-module online course combined with face-to-face tutorials for people preparing for the Architectural Practice Examination.
While this program is targeted to graduates preparing for the exam, it is also useful as a refresher course for those returning to practice following a break.
