RSUA Professional Insights Programme 2018
In partnership with Belfast’s two schools of architecture, RSUA is launching a Professional Insights Programme.
The aim of the programme is to give undergraduate students an initial understanding of the real-life work of an architect. This will help students better connect their current studies to their future professional life.
In this first year the programme is open to second year undergraduate architecture students studying at Queen’s University Belfast. Ulster University has welcomed the programme and hopes to participate in future years.
The plan is to pair two second year students with a chartered architect and for that architect to provide a minimum of 6 hours contact time to those two students during the four months from February to May 2018.
The programme aims to provide an insight into:
- On-site activity
- Interaction between client/user and architect
- Working with other professions
- Planning and/or building regulations
- Resourcing and business administration
- Winning work and/or procurement
- The process of material selection
Participating architects must be able to provide at least 3 of the 7 insights.
Why participate? Chartered architects are encouraged to participate in this programme to help students be more work-ready. It is also a useful way for architects in private practice to engage with the next generation of potential recruits. However, it should be stressed that participation in this programme is not confined to architects in private practice.
Architect eligibility: To participate, an architect must be a member of RSUA/RIBA or be a RIBA International Member based in the Republic of Ireland. The architect must be in a position to provide at least 3 of the 7 insights listed above. We are asking architects to sign up individually. Multiple architects from the same organisation are encouraged to participate.
Permission: Where appropriate, architects are advised to seek permission from their employer before committing to participate in this programme.
Pay and insurance: Neither students or architects will be paid or receive expenses for participating in this programme. As this is part of the students’ studies the universities will be covering the insurance.
CPD points and certification: Mentoring can also provide learning opportunities for architects as they reflect on their work and revisit the fundamentals. This can count towards an architect’s Continuous Professional Development (CPD) requirements. On completion of the minimum 6 hours an RSUA certificate will be issued.
Sign up: We are hoping to get 25 architects to participate in the programme. Sign up is very straightforward – you are only asked to provide your name, organisation, location, a few words on what you expect to be working on over the next few months and to tick the range of insights likely to be provided.
Click here to register to participate: Architect Sign Up for Professional Insights Programme 2018
