National Apprenticeship Week (6 to 12 February 2023) is an annual initiative that celebrates the value of apprenticeships to individuals, businesses, and the wider economy.
This year's theme is Skills for Life. The week will reflect on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and help businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with skills for the future.
RIBA supported the introduction of apprenticeships back in 2018 and since then, there have been over 500 apprentices starting across the Level 6 Architectural Assistant and Level 7 Architect schemes. We spoke to some of those involved to find out more.
Sinead Hay is an apprentice at the Housing, Neighbourhood & Building Services department of Portsmouth City Council. She studies at the University of Portsmouth on their Level 7 apprenticeship programme.
Why did you choose to do an apprenticeship?
"I decided during my GCSES that I wanted to study architecture, shaped by love of the built environment and curiosity in understanding how buildings are constructed and the influence they can have over users.
Having completed my Part 1, I wasn't keen on the stop start approach to completing Part 2 and 3 that the traditional route to becoming an architect usually follows. I had considered completing my Masters as a part time course; however, I was presented with the opportunity to undertake my final parts of the qualifications through the apprenticeship route. This appealed to me as I didn't need to worry about more student loans, and I could gain four years of experience while earning a full time salary.
Throughout my apprenticeship I have been lucky enough to engage with a range of tasks including fully designing schemes, chairing site or design team meetings, and running my own projects.
I think the highlights of my apprenticeship have been being able to see a project through from feasibility to the handover and defects period. This has given me an opportunity to fully understand the process of construction and see how the work we do impacts the client.
There's also the added layer of support that you receive from your work colleagues who can provide feedback on university projects, which is something I found particularly helpful!
I think employers should take on more apprentices as it allows them to develop and educate individuals not just in architectural practice but in the workings of the practice too. By supporting students in their education, employers can help shape the future generations of architects and learn from the students too."
Andrew Malbon, Principal Architect and Sinead’s mentor, explains how Portsmouth City Council has a long history of recruiting both Part 1 and Part 2 graduates, so it was a logical step to get involved with the degree apprenticeships programme.
What are the benefits of an apprenticeship?
"There are a number of benefits for students taking this route to becoming qualified. We are a profession that gets better with experience, and to start gaining practical experience as early as possible is a huge advantage to a student taking the apprenticeship route.
The mix of academic rigor with practical problem solving has been a clear benefit. Our apprentices benefit from all the resources of our organisation and we all benefit from seeing and discussing their academic work.
Purely practically, our organisation pays all the fees, a decent post graduate salary, pension and all the benefits from working for a modern employer.
When looking at levels of responsibility to give our apprentices, we use three words to summarise the key stages: observing, contributing and leading.
Taking a formal site progress meeting for example, at the beginning of the course an apprentice would attend the meeting, observe the rhythm of the meeting, take notes, and discuss their impression with the project architect after the meeting.
As experience is gained, at the same meeting we would expect the apprentice to make an active contribution, like leading a discussion of a technical matter or requesting information.
Towards the end of the course, we would expect the apprentice to have gained enough experience & competence to be able to chair the meeting.
Progression through these stages would be discussed and agreed between the apprentice, their mentor and the university."
Would you recommend the apprenticeship scheme to other employers?
"The apprenticeship route is a unique opportunity to open the profession up to talent that might not otherwise consider studying architecture for reasons such as time, cost, and concerns over the level of student debt.
A close relationship with a local university is vital. We are lucky enough to be located very close to the University of Portsmouth School of Architecture. Our staff are regular contributors to the life of the school and this has been very helpful to build our profile with the students. A recently qualified apprentice like Sinead as an advocate for the course (and us too!) is very helpful.
It's important to be aware that a degree apprenticeship requires all parties to commit to the process, which can be demanding and requires excellent time management.
'Growing our own' apprentices means they are well versed in the culture of the organisation, and our complex multi-faceted clients. They are much more prepared once they have qualified. If you take on an apprentice, at the end of the course you'll have a well-educated, experienced, loyal member of the team!"
Rebecca Galbraith, Course Leader for the Level 6 Architectural Assistant and Level 7 Architect Apprenticeships at the Portsmouth School of Architecture, tells us that the university chose to offer apprenticeships because students should have the opportunity to study in ways that suit them.
What are the benefits of universities offering this type of training?
"We started offering apprenticeship training for the Architect Apprenticeship in 2018, and the undergraduate Apprenticeship (Architectural Assistant) a year later. The intake has increased year on year as the reputation of apprenticeships grows.
The benefits to architects qualifying through the apprenticeship route covering the two courses are that apprentices can achieve registration in eight years and already have eight years of practice experience. Students attend the university one day a week, which means the majority of their time is spent working for their practice. In an industry as complex as architecture, this is the best start to the early stage professional's career. There is also the benefit that the apprentice is not charged any fees for the courses, as the Government's Apprenticeship Levy pays for this, with only a 5% contribution from the employer (unless the employer already pays the Apprenticeship Levy and uses those funds).
There are many benefits for practices as well. Practices that have chosen to enter the three way relationship between themselves, student, and university have found that the apprentices have been supported by the university not only academically, but also in developing their professional skills. Students quickly grow in confidence and knowledge.
Students that select this route work hard balancing their professional and university life. They develop personal management skills quickly to achieve that balance. Portsmouth School of Architecture encourages students with a fascinating and challenging academic program, integrated with full time students. We also provide personal tutoring to help the student adapt to university life. The University of Portsmouth's central apprenticeship team supports students in all kinds of different apprenticeships across the university. This team provides 12 weekly catch ups with the apprentice and their employer mentor to keep the practice up to date with how they can nurture their colleague.
I do feel that apprenticeships have the ability to change the profession, as they provide options to people entering the industry alongside the benefit of practice experience. Apprentices earning a wage increases their confidence as it underlines that their professional development is valued within our industry. We look forward to welcoming many more apprentices as architectural practices develop apprenticeship opportunities within their teams."
At RIBA, we can offer guidance whether you're looking to become an architecture apprentice, offer an apprenticeship at your university or employ an apprentice at your architecture practice.
Join the conversation about National Apprenticeship Week 2023 on social media using the hashtag #NAW2023.
