The Royal Institute of
British Architects (RIBA) has welcomed the announcement of the approval of two
Apprenticeship Standards by the Institute of Apprenticeships.
It is part of the
latest raft of approvals which has seen the Institute for Apprenticeships
approve its 300th apprenticeship
standard for delivery.
Since implementing a
new, streamlined approach, the Institute has seen a marked improvement in
approval rates for standards delivery.
In the last six
months, we have successfully supported trailblazers to develop and deliver 90
new standards alone. To date, this is the highest number of standards approved
in any six month period since the reforms began, and double the previous record
which stands at 45 standards.
RIBA President Ben
Derbyshire said: “It is with great excitement that we welcome the news of the
approval for the first ever Architecture Apprenticeships.
"For over 18
months the RIBA has been working with a Trailblazer Group of 20 architectural
practices co-ordinated by Peter Garstecki of Foster + Partners to develop two
Apprenticeship Standards: Architectural Assistant (Part 1) and Architect (Part
2 and Part 3) which have now been approved by the Institute of Apprenticeships.
"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. The exposure to contemporary
architectural business will be a major benefit for students and practices will
also benefit from the challenge of a new commitment to developing talent.
"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.
"The RIBA will
now work hard to broker relationships between practices and schools to meet the
potential of this new route to qualification and create the infrastructure for
life-long learning in practice.
"Adding this new
route to the existing range of RIBA validated full and part-time and
practice-based options for studying architecture is an excellent step in
creating a profession that’s far more accessible to young people from any
background, and I am excited to work with our practices going forward as we put
the wheels in motion and follow the journeys of the very first architecture
apprentices.”
Sir Gerry Berragan,
chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships, said: "With the
faster and better programme, we’ve been working closely with trailblazers to
get their proposals, standards and end-point assessment plans right first time,
which has led to better outcomes for all involved.
"Trailblazers
are moving through the process quicker than before. However, quality is still
very much at the centre of what we do."
The Institute is on
target to reach 400 standards approved for delivery by the end of this
financial year.
