The Architects Registration Board (ARB) has launched a public consultation on a new approach to UK registration for internationally qualified architects.
ARB is the professional regulator responsible for recognising the UK qualifications that enable people to join the architects’ profession, and setting international routes for those without UK qualifications.
Registration exists to protect the public; ARB must ensure that standards of competence are maintained however professionals join the UK Register.
Having recently reformed how it regulates UK qualifications – which included updating the competencies that architects need to demonstrate – ARB is now overhauling international routes to UK registration to align them with its new approach to UK education and training.
Alan Kershaw, Chair of the Architects Registration Board, said: “The current route open to the majority of internationally qualified architects, the Prescribed Exam, is in urgent need of a complete overhaul. The assessment methodology used in the exam is outdated and complex, and candidates often report deep frustration with the assessment format and process. Our proposals aim to improve access to the UK Register by simplifying the examination process and removing unintended complexity and barriers.”
The proposed changes include simpler eligibility requirements and a single point of assessment, which will reduce the number of exams internationally qualified architects need to take. ARB is also proposing to outsource the assessment rather than run it in-house, and is inviting potential providers to share their views on whether they could run the new exam.
In January 2024 ARB surveyed 194 internationally qualified architects. Three quarters (74%) of respondents received or sought out support or independent learning to adapt to UK practice. ARB therefore intends for the new exam to specifically target the knowledge gaps that internationally qualified architects have reported through the survey, as well as provide assurance around wider competencies.
The changes ARB is proposing would also apply to the UK Adaptation Assessment, which is the assessment undertaken by internationally qualified architects seeking to join the UK register through one of ARB’s international agreements. ARB has signed international agreements with counterparts in other countries, including, at present, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and Hong Kong. The UK Adaptation Assessment demonstrates that professionals are familiar with the UK context and ready to practise in the UK.
ARB’s consultation will close on Monday 6 January 2025, at which point all responses will be analysed and considered. The Board’s decision will be published in 2025.
All ARB consultations can be found online at arb.org.uk/consultations/
