The Architects Registration Board (ARB) has introduced new routes to registration, widening access to the Architects Register and creating more flexible pathways for competent professionals to join the profession.
The reforms are part of ARB's wider programme to modernise registration, improving access for individuals whose qualifications, experience or circumstances do not fit existing routes, while maintaining the high standards the public has a right to expect.
At the heart of these updates is ARB’s new Registration Assurance Process (RAP). This process enables applicants to demonstrate that they meet ARB's standards for registration through an assessment that reflects their individual qualifications, experience and circumstances.
The new routes will be available to individuals who:
- Hold ARB-accredited Part 2 and Part 3 qualifications but do not have an ARB-accredited Part 1 qualification
- Left the Register more than two years ago and wish to return
- Completed their ARB-accredited Part 3 or Practice Outcomes qualification more than two years ago but did not register
Alan Kershaw, ARB Chair, said: "These new routes make joining the Register more straightforward while maintaining the robust standards that protect the public.
People now enter the profession through an increasingly diverse range of educational and professional experiences. Our new approach recognises this and introduces checks that are appropriate to an individual's circumstances while ensuring they meet proper standards.
We know there are talented people whose professional journeys do not follow traditional pathways. The Registration Assurance Process enables them to demonstrate their competence in a way that reflects their qualifications and experience, while maintaining public confidence in the profession."
These changes sit alongside ARB’s wider reforms to architectural education. This involves moving towards a more outcomes-focused approach, providing greater flexibility for individuals to demonstrate their competence, alongside its proposals for a revised Prescribed Exam, which provides an alternative route to registration for people who have not followed a UK-accredited education and training pathway.
