Architects CPD Survey - What we learned
Architects registered in NSW have the freedom to choose from a wide variety of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities to improve their skills, maintain their knowledge and meet their annual obligations of 20 hours required by the Board.
However, very little has been known about the kinds of CPD activities that architects prefer to undertake and what activities are widely available to them – until now!
Throughout the beginning of 2018, the NSW Architects Registration Board surveyed nearly 800 practicing architects about their CPD experiences to understand how architects choose to educate themselves and how we can improve the CPD experience.
Here’s what we learned about you:
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What do architects learn most about?
When it comes to which Unit of Competency architects like to learn about the most, Design was a clear favourite. More than half of respondents said Design activities made up most of their annual CPD hours. We know every architect is different, but it's important to rememember that every architect must be competent across the full spectrum of practice. -
What can architects improve on?
Design might be a favourite competency of architects, but it's not the area which architects feel they most need to improve. Architects we surveyed overwhelmingly identified Project Delivery and Practice Management as areas of professional development that they had neglected. Architects and CPD providers should consider more Project Delivery and Practice Management CPD to overcome this. -
How do architects prefer to learn?
Now that we know which areas of CPD are lacking, how should CPD providers fill in the gaps? Architects told us that their preferred way to undertake CPD activities was through short courses or online. We also received a lot of comments about the timing of short courses and how this impacts accessibility. -
Where do architects go for CPD info?
Finally, we asked architects where they go to find information about CPD and activities. A large majority of architects said they turn to the NSW ARB to better understand their responsibilities and obligations when it comes to CPD. The NSW ARB will be refreshing their information sheets to make sure CPD is easy to understand.
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