Architecture work experience placements: information for architects
Would you like to help inspire the next generation of architects?
We're calling on practices to host young people for a work experience placement during October half term holiday (28 October to 1 November). Our aim is to help 50 young people across the country achieve their career ambitions by completing a work placement with a local practice.
Our new work experience toolkit is full of advice on how to deliver placements, activity and project plans, and information on health, safety, and safeguarding requirements.
If you would like to host a local young person for a week, RIBA Learning can put you in touch with a local school to help organise and facilitate a work placement. RIBA Learning can not only help you to plan your placement, but are on call to support you throughout the placement.
How to get involved
To join the work placement programme email sophie.draper@riba.org by 10 October 2024.
Please note that to ensure safeguarding regulations are met, only practices with at least five employees can take part in the programme. If you are a small practice or solo practitioner RIBA can put you in touch with Speakers for Schools who can help you to run digital work placements.
Programme timeline
- Expression of interest: email Sophie Draper, RIBA Learning Manager, sophie.draper@riba.org by 10 October
- Practice and school matching and introductions: 30 September to 11 October
- Free webinar on delivering successful placements with question and answer session: 8 October, 2pm to 3pm
- Delivery of work placement: 28 October to 1 November
- Evaluation interviews: 11 November to 15 November
Why take part
Our aim in delivering the programme is to help 50 young people from underrepresented communities in state schools across the country to achieve their career ambitions by completing a work placement with a local practice. This is a great opportunity for practices to make a real difference to young people lives by giving them work placements they need and struggle to organise independently.
Each year RIBA Leaning receives hundreds of requests from young people wanting help to realise their ambitions of becoming architects but cannot secure the placements they need. We want to arrange work placements for these young people.
We also want to help a diversity of practices across the UK to deliver successful placements. This project is perfect for practices who would like to offer work placements and would like support from experts who have experience of working in architectural education with young people.
RIBA Learning can manage the recruitment of a diversity of young people to participate in the programme. RIBA Learning can also assist practices who are unsure about how to comply with safeguarding and health and safety requirements or how to manage a work placement with a young person.
If you would like to help young people to launch their careers, then this is the perfect programme for you
Frequently asked questions
How will RIBA be supporting practices in organising and delivering work experience?
RIBA Learning will connect practices to a local school who will assist in recruiting suitable students to participate in placements and will ensure that the correct safeguarding and health and safety procedures are in place to achieve successful and safe placements. RIBA Learning will also help practices to plan and timetable placement activities.
Why does a practice need a minimum of 5 employees to qualify for the programme?
We are asking that practices have at least five employees because safeguarding legislation states that young people cannot be left alone and unsupervised on a one-on-one basis with an adult who does not have an enhanced DBS check in a professional setting.
To protect both young people and employees it is safest to work with young people in an open office with at least two adults at one time.
Architects are also busy and often onsite or in meetings. To ensure that at least two adults are in the same room with a young person at one time it is safest to have a higher ratio of staff. It can also be quite a big responsibility to look after a young person for 3 to 5 days and to deliver a successful placement in which young people feel safe and valued.
If you have a higher ratio of staff you can split managing the young person and their projects between colleagues to help with time management and workload.
Do practices have to use the RIBA Work Experience Toolkit?
No, this is just a guide that can help you to plan activities and to give you advice if you need it.
Will the impact of the work experience be measured in some way?
RIBA Learning will be completing post placement interviews with practices and students to evaluate the impact of placements. Results will be shared on RIBA Learning’s webpages.
Where can I find out more about work experience if I'm a student?
Please note that RIBA Learning is a very small team and can only secure work placements in architect practices for 16 to 18 year olds who are attending school or college.
If you are younger then 16 or older then 18 and do no attend a school or college then RIBA Learning recommends that you research and contact practices local to your area to organise work placements. RIBA does not offer any other form of work placements.
Will this programme be reoccurring in future?
RIBA Learning hopes to deliver the work experience programme every October, February and Summer holidays.
Work experience toolkit for architect practices
RIBA Learning has launched a brand new, and completely free, work experience toolkit that practices can download to help deliver work placements. The toolkit is full of advice and projects designed to assist practices to deliver work placements for young people aged 14 to 19 years.
Download the RIBA Learning work experience toolkit (PDF, 9.2 MB)
You can contact the RIBA Learning team at learning@riba.org.
If you are an interested student
Please note that RIBA Learning is a very small team and can only secure work placements in architect practices for 16 to 18 year olds who are attending school or college. The October half term work experience programme is now full.
We will be organising February half-term placements in the New Year. If you are interested in participating in a work placement then please ask your teacher or career’s advisor to email Sophie.draper@riba.org with the following details in the first week of January:
- your age
- geographical location
- name of school/college
- why you want to complete a work placement with an architect practice
Please note that we do not have capacity to reply to work experience queries before January.
If you are younger then 16 or older then 18 and do no attend a school or college then RIBA Learning recommends that you research and contact practices local to your area to organise work placements. RIBA does not offer any other form of work placements.
