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Foster + Partners leads new path for British architecture apprenticeships

School's Out

Foster + Partners leads new path for British architecture apprenticeships

(Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Future British architects may not have to go through the same full-time education as their predecessors. Aspiring architects in the U.K. will now be able to participate in architecture apprenticeships to gain entry into the profession.

New standards established by 20 “trailblazer” U.K.-based architecture practices, led by Foster + Partners and developed in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), will offer students a new pathway to qualification as an architect. There are two stages: Part I accreditation, to become architectural assistants, followed by Part II and Part III qualifications which are the final stages before becoming an accredited architect. Both standards have also been approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships, an executive non-departmental public body.

Apprenticeships combine practical experience in the profession alongside academic courses, which can be delivered by any U.K. university offering an Architects Registration Board (ARB) qualification. Those who participate will be exempt from tuition fees and receive a salary. The program is meant to encourage students of different socio-economic backgrounds to enter the profession and is a step forward towards a more socially inclusive architecture profession.

“This vital initiative will help us to improve the diversity of our profession, to attract young people to study architecture and provide more accessible routes to qualification and employment opportunities,” said RIBA President Ben Derbyshire. “The new Apprenticeship Standards will help to encourage the widest talent pool and address the underrepresentation of architects from lower socio-economic backgrounds who, without parental support, face barriers to full-time education.”

Universities are expected to be ready to deliver courses starting September 2018.

The 20 participating architecture groups are:

  • Foster + Partners (Chair)
  • Lipscomb Jones Architects (Architectural Assistant standard sub-lead)
  • Hawkins/Brown (Architect standard sub-lead)
  • Seven Architecture (Architectural Assistant assessment sub-lead)
  • Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (Architectural Assistant assessment sub-lead)
  • Scott Brownrigg (Architect assessment sub-lead)
  • Pollard Thomas Edwards (Architecture Apprenticeships Guide sub-lead)
  • Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
  • ARUP
  • BDP
  • Grimshaw Architects
  • HLM Architects
  • HOK
  • HTA Design LLP
  • Perkins + Will
  • PLP Architecture
  • Purcell
  • Ryder
  • Stanton Williams
  • tp bennett

 

 

 

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