RIBA participates in initiative to increase access to skills

The RIBA has signed up to a new skills agreement with the National Skills Action Partnership to help improve and widen the learning of up to 300,000 professionals.

Both organisations have now agreed to recognising continuing professional development (CPD) to increase the provision of cross-professional learning. Under the agreement members of a number of professional institutes will have access to CPD courses from eleven different professional bodies with a further seven organisations endorsing the initiative.

The Memorandum of Understanding includes:

• Share learning programmes
• Dedicate resources and empower staff to champion skills
• Drive sustainability by including it in approved university courses

Joni Tyler, head of CPD at the RIBA and spokesperson for the National Skills Action Partnership, said: “The pace of change in the sector continues to gather momentum, with new skills needs like development economics, community cohesion and low carbon emerging.

“No one profession or organisation can solve the skills problems hindering the creation of great places but collectively, we can help improve long term labour supply, widen entry routes and increase diversity across the sector.

“The mutual recognition of CPD means that practitioners will now have greater choice about how, where and what they learn.” 

The RIBA partnership was launched in June 2009 with the view of accelerating the development of a flexible, knowledgeable and highly skilled workforce.