The Way Ahead: An introduction to the new RIBA Education and Professional Development Framework and an overview of its key components

The education of future chartered architects, and the professional development of those who have already achieved chartered status, needs a sharpened focus on the core knowledge, skills and experience required to respond to the immediate and mid-term challenges facing our world, society and industry. We need to emphasise the attainment and maintenance of competencies and professional behaviours that create public confidence in the capability of chartered architects to deliver buildings and spaces that perform to the standards, and higher, that clients, building users and society rely upon. We must step forward showing leadership, accepting responsibility and demonstrating competence when asked to deal with risk and liability and to prove our expertise. Therefore the RIBA is setting out, for the first time, a single standard covering pre and post registration education and professional development. The RIBA Education and Professional Development Framework does not represent a fundamental change of direction, but rather builds upon the excellence of RIBA validated architectural education and continuing professional development requirements. It places a new emphasis on those areas of expertise and experience that impact on the quality and performance of the built environment and the health and well-being of those who use buildings and spaces, as well as our wider duties to society and the natural environment. Individuals, teams and practices will benefit from this new framework. The RIBA Education and Professional Development Framework has been developed to offer a new model for career long learning that reflects a new emphasis which responds to the major challenges and opportunities facing the profession, not least the need to address in greater breadth and depth the health and life safety, climate change and social and ethical dimensions of contemporary practice. As well as providing an essential qualification and career roadmap for chartered architects, the Education and Professional Development Framework provides assurance to clients that commission architects’ services, and the users of the buildings that architects design, that architects have the holistic range of skills in a broad range of areas, detailed knowledge in critical subjects and necessary documented professional experience to competently undertake their professional role. The Way Ahead communicates a new emphasis to both students and chartered architects and to those who provide programmes of study in schools of architecture and continuing professional development for chartered architects. It is also signposting for external examiners, RIBA visiting boards, and assessors of CPD material – and signals the RIBA’s commitment to setting standards of education and practice that reflect the ethical challenges, environmental concerns and knowledge requirements that will shape the future professional role of the architect.