Continuing professional development as an architect

Through continuing professional development (CPD), architects have opportunities to maintain and expand their professional skills and knowledge. There are many types of CPD activities you might participate in, including conferences, training and workshops. CPD activities can offer formal and informal learning.

Under the Victorian Architects Code of Professional Conduct, you must maintain your skills and knowledge. We recommend this is achieved by complying with the National CPD framework. The framework requires you to complete a set number of hours of CPD activities throughout a registration year.

The activities you undertake should reflect your experience in the profession and your needs. The CPD activities you undertake must reflect the performance criteria in the National Standard of Competency for Architects.

We may ask you to supply more information about your CPD activities. Under the Architects Act you are required to provide proof of compliance on an annual basis by way of declaration at renewal. Failure to fulfil CPD requirements could be considered unprofessional conduct. In the event of persistent failure or in high-risk cases, we may take disciplinary action.

ARBV's CPD framework

Required hours

Our CPD framework outlines how many CPD activities you must complete during the year and the required mix of formal and informal learning. Within this framework, you can create your own CPD plan based on your individual needs.

CPD must relate to practice as an architect linked to relevant performance criteria across at least 2 separate units in the National Standard of Competency for Architects.

If you are registered as a practising architect in more than one Australian state or territory, you only need to complete one set of CPD activities.

Architects who work part-time are not exempt from the CPD requirement and are not entitled to a pro-rata calculation of the CPD requirement based on their part-time employment status.

Note, one CPD activity hour equals one CPD point.

Annual declaration

When you renew your registration each year, you must make a declaration that you have completed the required CPD hours in the preceding year.

If you have complied with your CPD obligations, then you can select 'Yes' when you are asked to declare your CPD compliance when completing renewal of your registration.

If you have been granted an exemption by the ARBV, then you can select ‘N/A’ when you are asked to declare your CPD compliance when completing renewal of your registration.

If you do not have an exemption but have not complied with your CPD obligations, then you must select ‘No’ when you are asked to declare your CPD compliance when completing renewal of your registration and then communicate with the ARBV to apply for an exemption. This must be done within 2 months of the end of the registration period.

Architect (practising) – registered for the full year

If you are registered as an architect (practising) for the full year (1 July to 30 June), you must complete at least 20 hours of CPD activities. Of these, at least 10 hours must be formal CPD activities.

Architect (practising) – registered for part of the year or with special circumstances

If you are registered as an architect (practising) for part of the year, you must complete CPD activities equivalent to the proportion of the year you are registered.

For example:

• if you were registered as a practising architect for 6 months (50% of the year), you would need to complete 50% of the CPD hours required for a full year's registration – so, 10 hours of CPD activities
• if you were registered as a practising architect for three months (25% of the year), you would need to complete 25% of the CPD hours required for a full year's registration – so, 5 hours of CPD activities.

This also applies if you experience special circumstances during the year (for example, a period of illness or extended leave, including parental leave). You will need to maintain records that outline any special circumstances in the event you are audited. You will still need to make a positive CPD declaration at renewal.

Architects (non-practising)

Architects (non-practising) are not required to complete CPD activities.

Keeping records of CPD activities

From time to time, you may be required to provide evidence of CPD activities you have completed. You must keep your own record of the CPD activities you complete throughout the year, and you should retain these records for at least 5 years.

Your record of a CPD activity should include:

• date of the activity
• name of activity
• organisation that provided the training
• category of learning – formal or informal
• hours you claimed against the CPD requirements
• how the activity relates to specific performance criteria/units of competency in the National Standard of Competency for Architects.

Find out more about the National Standard of Competency for Architects.

It's important that you keep your CPD records up to date. Throughout the year, the ARBV may choose to audit your CPD records, based on risk. The ARBV may also request copies of your records if you are the subject of a complaint or investigation.

CPD Template

We have developed a template that can be downloaded and used to record your CPD activities. Please note this template is just a guide, you are welcome to continue using your own if you wish.

Exemptions

In certain circumstances, you may be exempt from completing some or all the CPD requirements in a registration year, if approved by the ARBV.

Immediate exemptions apply as follows:

• Architects (non-practising) are not required to complete CPD activities
• Architects living overseas and/or only providing architectural services overseas are exempt from CPD requirements in Victoria
• Architects working in Victoria under Automatic Mutual Recognition are exempt from Victorian CPD requirements.

If you have experienced circumstances during the registration year which have prevented you from meeting the minimum CPD requirements, you may apply for an exemption.

When granting an exemption, the ARBV will consider whether all reasonable steps have been taken to meet CPD requirements and will consider the following circumstances:

• Serious illness or accident experienced by an architect or an immediate family member
• Significant changes to employment arrangements such as unemployment, redundancy or Long Service Leave of at least 3 consecutive months
• Parental leave
• Relocation or travel overseas, while not providing architectural services in Victoria or Australia for at least 3 consecutive months
• Other exceptional circumstances which may have prevented the completion of CPD requirements.

To request an exemption, please notify the ARBV in writing during the relevant registration year or within 2 months of the end of the registration period.

Your CPD exemption request should be sent via email to registrar@arbv.vic.gov.au and outline the circumstances which have prevented you from meeting your CPD requirements.

Supporting material which substantiates the circumstances outlined in your request must be attached to your email.

Please note, you should only respond N/A to the CPD declaration at renewal if you have been granted a confirmed full exemption from your CPD obligations.

If you have been granted a confirmed partial CPD exemption, you should only respond yes, to the CPD declaration at renewal, if you have completed the adjusted CPD hours outlined in the partial CPD exemption confirmation.

CPD exemptions cannot be applied retrospectively.

Registration for part of the year or pro-rata exemption guidance

If you are registered as an architect for part of the year or have been granted a pro-rata exemption, you must complete CPD activities equivalent to the proportion of the year you are registered or have not been granted an exemption. This includes those who have registered as an architect for the first time or have returned to the practicing class part way through the registration year.

For example:

• If you were registered as a practising architect for 6 months (50% of the year), you would need to complete 50% of the CPD hours required for a full year's registration – so, 10 hours of CPD activities, of which 5 hours must be formal CPD activities.
• If you were registered as a practising architect for three months (25% of the year), you would need to complete 25% of the CPD hours required for a full year's registration – so, 5 hours of CPD activities, of which 2.5 hours must be formal CPD activities.

If you are exempt or have been granted a pro-rata exemption, you will need to maintain a record of your exemption and all supporting documentation with your CPD activity records.

Formal learning

Formal CPD activities are typically education you undertake with a clear learning outcome that is assessed at the end of the activity. This type of learning typically involves interaction between you and the presenter, trainer or instructor. Assessment may take a variety of forms, for example:

• pop-quiz
• test
• self-check questions and answers
• paper or report submitted after the activity.

Participants should receive feedback from the provider on their performance in the assessment task so that they understand where their understanding of content may still be lacking. Formal learning activities occur outside your normal day-to-day work.

For a formal learning activity to contribute to your CPD requirements, the activity's learning outcomes must be clearly stated and must map to relevant units of competency/performance criteria from the National Standard of Competency for Architects. Presenters must have appropriate academic, technical or practical expertise.

There are 6 broad categories of formal learning, outlined in the table below.

Informal learning

Informal CPD activities may include self-directed study and professional activities related to your practice as an architect.

For an informal learning activity to contribute to your CPD requirements, it must be educational and must help you acquire new knowledge and skills or share your skills with your peers. Usually, informal learning activities occur within your normal day-to-day work.

While informal learning may have clear learning outcomes, it does not need to include formal assessment or interaction between you and the presenter, trainer or instructor.

You can claim a maximum of 2 hours for informal CPD activities per category description item. For example, you can claim no more than 2 hours reading or 2 hours listening to podcasts in a year. See the table below for further examples of informal learning activities:

Architects who do not follow the National CPD Framework

While the National CPD Framework is recommended by the ARBV, it is open to you to fulfil the requirement to maintain your skills and knowledge by completing activities that reflect your experience in the profession.

You must keep records of your CPD activities and be able to show how the activities you have recorded align to your role and the projects that you undertake. These activities must be in the form of further education or seminars relevant to the knowledge and skills required to perform your role. Working on a project itself does not count as CPD and should not be recorded. You will also need to be able to link the CPD activities back to the performance criteria in the National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA). We recommend that you consider writing 200-250 words per CPD activity outlining how the activity assists you in maintaining your skills and knowledge and linking the activity to the NSCA.

You must complete the mandatory CPD declaration when renewing your annual registration and respond to CPD compliance audits when requested to do so.