APARAPRB - Architect Apprenticeship (Level 7) (RIBA Part 2 and Part 3)

As a London-based institution with a strong track record of enabling access into the profession and close working relationships with London based architectural practices, the school of Art Architecture and Design is well placed to offer the Apprenticeship Standard. Our location, where many architectural practices are already based, is close to central and east London locations, the home of the majority of London-based practices.
Our wider architectural education provision is mapped to the same professional criteria as the Apprenticeship Standard i.e. Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) validation, Architects’ Registration Board (ARB) prescription and our model of teaching based on practitioner-led units is popular with post graduate learner.
The apprenticeship comprises of three years of delivery as part of our long established and highly regarding RIBA Part 2 MArch programme and RIBA Part 3 Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture which comprises the End Point Assessment in the fourth year. All study modules cover all the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs) of the Level 7 Architect Apprenticeship Standard which are mapped to RIBA Part 2 and Part 3 requirements.
Attendance at the University is one to two days per week from mid-September to end of May with Christmas and Easter breaks) with occasional week-long projects (twice in the first year) which form some of the required off-the-job (OTJ) hours – 371 hour per year during the ‘on-programme’ period.
Successful completion of the Architect Apprenticeship will lead to the award of a MArch Architecture (RIBA 2) and the Postgraduate Certificate in in Professional Practice in Architecture (RIBA 3).

The programme is delivered over 48 months, excluding the End Point Assessment (EPA). The EPA will be taken within 6 months following a confirmation that the employer believes that the apprentice is ready to go through the Gateway. The Gateway for the final Architect Apprenticeship award can be agreed once two of the coursework elements for the Part 3 have been submitted; the Professional Experience Development Record (PEDR) and professional CV. This triggers the 6-month window prior to the End Point Assessment (EPA). No credits are awarded for this submission, but the coursework pass marks trigger the second set of submissions and the submission of the PEDR ensures that the correct amount of work experience will have been undertaken prior to the viva voce. We agree with each apprentice and their employer the ideal time to go through the Gateway to the EPA based on successful completion of ‘on-programme’ assessment and sufficient competency in the KSBs. The full 60 credits of the Part 3 qualification are awarded upon successful completion of the end-point assessment (EPA). Performance in the EPA provides 30 credits of the full 60 credits to the part 3 award. Apprentices cannot be awarded their Part 3 qualification without passing their EPA.

Alignment with University Strategy
A considerable benefit of the apprenticeship model is its potential to significantly widen access and participation to the profession of architecture by reducing the financial burden on learners whilst complimenting their academic education with applied industry-based experience.
Meeting Industry Demand
The advantages of the Architect Apprenticeship to industry and to the apprentices concerned are many. By supporting the professional development of their graduate staff, sponsor practices have the benefit of influencing and shaping their apprentice’s skills and professional experience such that their education match directly, the needs and expectations of the practice. For the apprentice, it means that they learn in both practice and academic environments, with the potential of participating in a greater alignment of both.
MArch (Level 7) RIBA Part 2 – Years 1 - 3 of the Apprenticeship
The Architecture RIBA 2 - MArch provides an advanced architectural education for learners typically (but not exclusively) qualified at degree level with exemption from Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Part 1. It forms the second part (Part 2) and first postgraduate element of study towards professional registration. After completing two ‘years out’ comprising work experience in practice – one typically between Part 1 and Part 2, the learner may pursue the third and final course of study and qualification in architecture in the UK: RIBA Part 3

Designed in consultation with learners and employers, in order to meet the needs and aspirations of both the learning community and the discipline of architecture, the apprenticeship aligns with the University’s Strategic Plan, the Education for Social Justice Framework, and the Student Partnership Agreement. It promotes accessible and inclusive education, accommodating diversity in an environment that respects and values learner identities. Consideration has been given to the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Architecture (2020) the QAA Higher Education Qualifications Framework, PSRB requirements from the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and the RIBA, and the University’s Academic Regulations.

The educational strategy of the course is rooted in three principles: commitment to a deep understanding of architecture, a high degree of personal motivation and the experience of a shared culture of learning. Good quality design serves as the basis for a built environment able to perform in a manner appropriately attuned to the health and wellbeing of those who use buildings and spaces. A shared culture is vital to both our learners, which comprises diverse viewpoints and beliefs, as well as the teaching staff who are always learning. The curriculum promotes individualised learning opportunities and learner choice while fostering cohort dynamics. Critical thinking, independence, and awareness of our social responsibility – to consider the impact of an architect’s decision and actions – are fundamental to the values of the course.

The course is taught in the studios and seminar rooms of the London Metropolitan School of Art, Architecture and Design which benefits from being situated in a vibrant district of London with access to cultural resources and networks. Workshops and teaching spaces shared across subject areas at the school include print, photography, plaster casting, woodwork, and metalwork, digital resources, and computer labs.

Characteristic of design education is the process of learning through practice, particularly design project work. Apprentices will acquire core skills from teaching staff whose collective experience incorporates both academic expertise and practitioner experience. Apprentices will develop sophistication in their approach to design in a curriculum that emphasises independent learning and self-motivation, depth of knowledge, research and professional skills, and the synthesis of complex architectural issues. Apprentices will be engaged in the ethical and sustainable design of architecture in the widest sense.

In addition to studio-based design work, apprentices will undertake modules in architectural technology, professional practice, and architectural research. Knowledge and understanding are acquired in a multi-dimensional and interconnected way across all modules with a high degree of personal involvement through learning, making, and doing. The teaching engages with legal frameworks, historical and cultural context as well as the technical training related to the progress of architectural design in a sustainable direction. Apprentices will leave the course with a clear sense of their responsibility and agency required in the profession to perform their duties with care and precision.

PG Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture (RIBA Part 3) - Final Year of Apprenticeship
The Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture provides the final professional qualification in architecture in the UK and apprentices study this in the final, fourth year of the apprenticeship. It builds on subject material covered by prior qualifications prescribed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) This part of the apprenticeship is run holistically as a single module of 60 credits.
The PG Cert fulfils the ARB/RIBA criteria at Part 3 level, which set out the knowledge and skills that apprentices will require to be accepted onto the Register of Architects (administered by the ARB) to be permitted to use the protected title of ‘Architect’, in accordance with the Architects Act 1997, and to practice as an architect in the UK. The course will enable apprentices to develop and demonstrate awareness, understanding, knowledge and ability against the key criteria so that those successful candidates who may use the protected title have achieved a threshold level of competence (in terms of knowledge and skill) and professionalism (in terms of conduct and responsibility) against nationally approved standards, to safeguard clients, the users of buildings and wider society.
At the beginning of this final year of the apprenticeship, learners s should have developed significant ability and competence in their earlier education and work in practice. The course is therefore conceived as both a retrospective check on their functional ability, knowledge and aims and as a prospective opportunity for the acquisition of additional skills and greater formal and experiential knowledge and understanding. Apprentices will demonstrate this ability and competence, alongside related professional skills through the varied methods of assessment, utilised in relation to the curriculum and professional body requireme

The aims of the Architect Apprenticeship are to offer an alternative route to professional accreditation that combine curriculum incorporating RIBA part 2 and RIBA part 3 syllabi with elements of practice employment-based learning.

Architect Apprentices do not have to pay tuition fees and will earn a salary from their practice employer for the duration of the programme, widening access and participation in field of architecture. Studying part-time over four years and culminating in an intensive period of lectures and an end point assessment, apprentices will receive specialist training and skills required to achieve RIBA Part 2 and Part 3 accreditation and ARB registration as professional architect.
The programme will offer a uniquely rich cultural experience being taught in our central London location. This will include access to all our art and design facilities including textiles, ceramics, furniture making, printing, digital reproduction, filmmaking/photography equipment, workshops, and technicians as well as close proximity to the majority of London-based architectural practices.
Aims
Apprentices will qualify with RIBA Part 2 and RIBA Part 3 professional architectural training and registration as an architect with ARB by combining academic study with practice-based employment.
The learning pathway will deliver:
MArch (Level 7) RIBA Part 2 – Years 1 - 3 of the Apprenticeship
The Architecture RIBA 2 - MArch aims to enable learners to progress on the pathway to continue their professional architectural training prior to progressing towards professional registration with ARB. Guided by this intention, the Course Aims (CAs) are aligned with the educational ‘Themes and Values’ embedded in the RIBA’s Education and Professional Development Framework as set out in “The Way Ahead” (RIBA 2021). The terms E1-E6 below refer to the six ‘themes and values’.
10(a) Health and Life Safety (E1)
By integrating knowledge and understanding concerning principles of health and life safety into the curriculum, the course aims to equip apprentices to:
1. understand fire and life safety design requirements;
2. apply principles of life safety in an appropriate and practical manner in the design of the built environment.

10(b) Ethical and Professional Practice (E2)
By developing higher order intellectual skills regarding the ethical and professional dimensions of architectural practice, alongside knowledge concerning the architect’s full range of responsibilities, the course aims to enable apprentices to:
1. understand and contextualise the architect’s legal, statutory, economic, management, ethical, social, and political obligations;
2. exercise decision-making within a project design or advocate for a position on issue(s) pertaining to ethical and professional practice; integrate knowledge regarding the architect’s obligations and duty of care into proposals.

10(c) Structure, Construction and Resources (E3)
By cultivating a practical and intellectual knowledge base concerning a design proposal's structure, construction and resources, the course aims to equip apprentices to:
1. understand and demonstrate structural, constructional, and material strategies, construction techniques and processes necessary to realise a building design, including the provision and integration of building services;
2. understand and employ principles of visual, acoustic, and thermal environments, and the relationship of design to climate;
3. determine relationships between design proposals and the wider context in terms of energy consumption, sustainability, and ethical development.

10(d) History, Theory and Methodologies (E4)
By framing the learning context in a sustained intellectual culture of debate, linking wider issues to design decisions, the course aims to enable apprentices to:
1. understand the histories and theories of architecture and urbanism that inform, underpin, and allow interpretation of design, and research methods in architecture;
2. contribute to and get involved with – through events, exhibitions, visiting speakers, action research and international links – a lively shared learning environment to inform a critical outlook in relation to architectural debate;
3. engage with the ethical dimensions of architecture, through personal initiative and the school’s strong links with the local area and community, to emphasise socially committed practices in design project work and related subject studies.

10(e) Design Processes and Communication (E5)
By providing an excellent design-based education, the course aims to give apprentices capacity to:
1. understand the requirements of, and develop methods of engagement with, building users and procurers to develop an appropriate design brief that takes into account social, political, economic, environmental, ethical, and cultural issues;
2. develop a sophisticated design process answering to the requirements of the brief, to generate a clear conceptual rationale against which design proposals can be tested;
3. develop a complex design scheme that is clear about how it can be realised technically, politically, economically and over time, and which integrates knowledge gained in the other key areas of the curriculum.

10(f) Business Skills (E6)
By means of grounding its academic content in the practical dimensions of running an architectural practice, as well as an understanding of transferable business skills, the course aims to enable apprentices to:
1. understand the methods of procurement and delivery of architectural projects and their relation to the context for economic development;
2. develop and apply methods of negotiation and team working with all individuals encountered within the practice of architecture, from members of the user group, to client, to specialist consultant through to contractor.

PG Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture (RIBA Part 3) - Final Year of Apprenticeship
The Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture aims to promote the development of apprentices’ professional ability as architects, as outlined by the ARB in the UK and in line with professional recognition. Professional ability is defined contractually as a ‘duty of care’ - specifically ‘skill’, ‘care’, ‘diligence’ and ‘competence’ in conformity with the normal standards of the architect's profession as set out by ARB/RIBA in their Professional Criteria requirements at Part 3 and in their respective professional codes of conduct. Architects also advertise a ‘duty to advise’ in the standard RIBA appointment documentation, so the course aims to ensure that apprentices will be able to exercise this duty.
Professional knowledge employed by good architects is not necessarily reducible to 'added value'. As such, the course aims to develop and share this knowledge through dialogical action and interaction, and the course and assessment structure is underpinned by the notion that apprentices’ knowledge as architects is best demonstrated and assessed discursively through written and graphic evidence. The UK-specific ARB/ RIBA criteria for all Part 3 courses (published 2011) are set out in the module specification for AR7P46 RIBA 3. In these five criteria, ‘care’ is conceived as an imaginative ability to perceive the likelihood of unwanted outcomes and to take action, and not merely to issue caveats, to prevent the occurrence of unwanted outcomes. Therefore the course aims to inculcate apprentices with the capacity to exercise ‘care’ which, like design ‘skill’, requires the ability to view outcomes and processes holistically. Diligence is conceived of as the facility to meet external time constraints and to seek solutions to problems in preference to seeking excuses for failure.
Architects’ social and ethical responsibility is to consider the impact of their decisions and actions, and this is at the heart of the course, which aims to foster independent and critical thinking. It also aims to provide apprentices with the skills necessary to develop a clear sense of the responsibility and agency required in the architectural profession to perform their duties with care and to articulate and advocate for their own position within the architecture and construction environment. Skill, care, diligence, and circumspection are required of an apprentice passing the course, alongside the demonstration of a propensity to avoid serious professional incompetence and misconduct - the primary grounds for reprimand or removal from the Register by the ARB.

The course learning pathway combines part-time study of existing modules taught on our RIBA 2 and RIBA 3 courses but delivered through a combination of learning with the University and in industry.
As a professional course, learning outcomes for the Architect Apprenticeship course reflect and combine the learning requirements of the RIBA 2 and RIBA 3 courses stipulated by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and prescribed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB).
The course learning outcomes also incorporate all key knowledge skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) framework for Architecture. These KSBs are mapped in the AQD040-Apprenticeships-Mapping-Sheet.
Upon completion, graduate apprentices will be able to:
1. generate complex design proposals showing understanding of current architectural issues, originality in the application of subject knowledge and, where appropriate, to test new hypotheses and speculations;
2. evaluate and apply a comprehensive range of visual, oral, and written media to test, analyse, critically appraise, and explain design proposals;
3. evaluate materials, processes, technologies, and techniques that apply to complex architectural designs and building construction, and to integrate these into practicable design proposals;
4. demonstrate a critical understanding of how knowledge is advanced through research to produce clear, logically argued, and original written work relating to architectural culture, theory, and design;
5. demonstrate an understanding of the context of the architect and the construction industry, including the architect’s role in the processes of procurement and building production, and under legislation;
6. demonstrate problem solving skills, professional judgment, and ability to take the initiative and make appropriate decisions in complex and unpredictable circumstances;
7. demonstrate an ability to identify individual learning needs and understand the personal responsibility required to prepare for qualification as an architect;
8. demonstrate a set of skills that are developed and made manifest throughout the course and that are transferable since they are communicative, managerial, legal, political, ethical, philosophical, epistemological, and numerical;
9. be qualified to practice as a registered architect in the EU without bringing the profession into disrepute;
10. demonstrate ability to produce drawings and 3D models using relevant software including Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Modelling (BIM).
MArch (Level 7) RIBA Part 2 – Years 1 - 3 of the Apprenticeship
Upon satisfactory completion of the Architecture RIBA 2 - MArch, apprentices will demonstrate through their academic portfolio that they have met the terms of reference of the RIBA Education and Professional Development Framework, in compliance with the general criteria that form the basis for prescription by ARB at Part 2. Course Learning Outcomes (LOs) are linked to the Course Aims (CAs), noted below:
11(a) Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of the course, the apprentice is expected to:
1. acquire and develop comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the social, political, economic, environmental, and professional contexts that guide architectural practice, and be able to situate design decision-making within these contexts through engagement with relevant stakeholders [CA10(a) E1.1, CA10(a) E1.2, CA10(b) E2.2, CA10(c) E3.3, CA10(e) E5.1, CA10(f) E6.2];
2. develop knowledge and understanding of appropriate, advanced, and sophisticated theories, research methods and techniques for application within their own design process, and formulate relevant concepts, coherently communicated, that provide a rationale for design proposals [CA10(d) E4.2, CA10(d) E4.3, CA10(e) E5.1, CA10(e) E5.2];
3. acquire a systematic and culturally contextualised understanding of historical and theoretical frameworks relevant to the discipline of architecture and demonstrate a critical understanding of how knowledge is advanced through research to produce written work relating to architectural culture, theory, and design [CA10(d) E4.1, CA10(d) E4.2, CA10(d) E4.3];
4. acquire knowledge and understanding of structural, constructional, safety and environmental solutions, strategies, and techniques and how these can be manipulated and applied to coherent architectural design [CA10(a) E1.1, CA10(c) E3.1, CA10(c) E3.2, CA10(c) E3.3, CA10(e) E5.3].

11(b) Cognitive Skills/ Intellectual Skills
By the end of the course, the apprentice is expected to develop higher order skills that are reflected in their capacity to:
1. develop design ability through an iterative process which tests, communicates and negotiates ideas and propositions through critical and self-reflective processes [CA10(c) E3.1, CA10(c) E5.1, CA10(c) E5.2];
2. construct effective design processes that can be used to test concepts and evaluate initial proposals; to direct and manage a complex and specialised design process and present this to a high standard using visual, verbal, and written methods, which are accessible to a wide audience of both professional and lay audiences [CA10(b) E2.2, CA10(c) E5.1, CA10(c) E5.2, CA10(c) E5.3, CA10(f) E6.2];
3. demonstrate, within design work, technical expertise, and the ability to devise appropriate structural and constructional strategies and innovative solutions to address particular problems of design [CA10(a) E1.2, CA10(c) E3.1, CA10(c) E3.2, CA10(c) E3.3, CA10(e) E5.3];
4. develop the ability to manage and negotiate the implications of ethical dilemmas with respect to design proposals and formulate possible solutions; to undertake specific and appropriate analysis of complex and contradictory situations within all stages of design project work design [CA10(a) E1.1, CA10(b) E2.1, CA10(b) E2.2, CA10(d) E4.3, CA10(e) E5.2].

11(c) Practical Skills
By the end of the course, the apprentice is expected to:
1. understand the use and application of management structures and professional roles within the context of design and develop tactics to situate individual or innovative design approaches; and acquire team-working capability regarding decision-making and problem-solving [CA10(b) E2.1, CA10(b) E2.2, CA10(c) E3.1, CA10(d) E4.2, CA10(e) E5.1, CA10(f) E6.1, CA10(f) E6.2,];
2. demonstrate an ability to evaluate and apply a comprehensive range of visual, oral, and written media to test, analyse, critically appraise, and explain design proposals [CA10(a) E1.2, CA10(b) E2.2, CA10(c) E3.2, CA10(c) E3.3, CA10(e) E5.1, CA10(f) E6.2];
3. demonstrate the ability to evaluate materials, processes and techniques that apply to complex architectural designs and building construction, and to integrate these into design proposals [CA10(a) E1.2, CA10(b) E2.1, CA10(b) E2.2, CA10(c) E3.1, CA10(e) E5.3, CA10(f) E6.1, CA10(f) E6.2];
4. understand the role of architectural practice in the construction industry and regulatory context, including the architect’s role in the procurement and production of buildings; and demonstrate relevant problem-solving skills and professional judgment [CA10(a) E1.1, CA10(a) E1.2, CA10(b) E2.1, CA10(b) E2.2, CA10(c) E3.1, CA10(d) E4.2, CA10(d) E4.3, CA10(e) E5.1, CA10(e) E5.3, CA10(f) E6.1, CA10(f) E6.2];
5. demonstrate an ability to identify individual learning needs and understand the personal responsibility required to prepare for qualification as an architect [CA10(b) E2.1, CA10(b) E2.2, CA10(d) E4.2, CA10(e) E5.2].

11(d) Key/Transferable Skills
By the end of the course, the apprentice is expected to:
1. communicate ideas and analytical processes effectively in writing; and communicate design concepts and propositions using representational, visual, and digital techniques and in oral presentation [CA10(b) E2.2, CA10(c) E3.3, CA10(d) E4.2, CA10(e) E5.2, CA10(e) E5.3];
2. apply research and design skills appropriately and be able to transfer techniques from one field of architecture to another [CA10(d) E4.1, CA10(d) E4.2, CA10(d) E4.3, CA10(e) E5.2, CA10(e) E5.3];
3. work as a member of a team while managing time and resources responsibly [CA10(b) E2.2, CA10(d) E4.2, CA10(d) E4.3, CA10(e) E5.1, CA10(f) E6.2];
4. act as inclusive, collaborative, and socially responsible practitioners/professionals in their discipline; and learn independently, with open mindedness and in the spirit of critical enquiry in order to demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition, and creativity; [CA10(b) E2.2, CA10(d) E4.3, CA10(e) E5.2].

PG Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture (RIBA Part 3) - Final Year of Apprenticeship
On successful completion of the course apprentices will be able to show that they have achieved a threshold of competence (in terms of knowledge and ability) and professionalism (in terms of conduct and responsibility) to:
• be able to practice as a registered architect in the UK according to the joint ARB/ RIBA professional criteria and mandatory competencies without bringing the profession into disrepute;
• be able to exercise a set of skills appropriate to the practice of architecture which are communicative, managerial, legal, political, ethical, philosophical, epistemological, and numerical.

Through being tested against Learning Outcomes designed to meet the Professional Criteria for the Part 3 examination (2010) held in common by ARB and RIBA and summarised under subject headings below:
• PC1. Professionalism
• PC2. Clients, Users and Delivery of Services

Subject Benchmark Statement – Architecture, February 2020

The Architect Apprenticeship learning pathway is an amalgamation of the three-year, part-time 240-credit Masters (M) level course and the part-time 60-credit Part 3 professional course with a unique assessment pathway specific to the Architect Apprenticeship:
Assessment methods include:
● portfolio assessment and presentation;
● coursework including reflective diaries and technical reports;
● dissertation;
● End Point Assessment (EPA) comprising:
1. case study report supported by a design challenge;
2. professional interview / viva voce supported by a career appraisal.
The Gateway for the final EPA, Architect Apprenticeship award can be agreed once two of the coursework elements for the Part 3 have been submitted; the Professional Experience Development Record (PEDR) and professional CV. This triggers the 6-month window prior to the End Point Assessment (EPA). No credits are awarded for this submission, but the coursework pass marks trigger the second set of submissions and the submission of the PEDR ensures that the correct amount of work experience will have been undertaken prior to the viva voce. We agree with each apprentice and their employer the ideal time to go through the Gateway to the EPA based on successful completion of ‘on-programme’ assessment and sufficient competency in the KSBs. The full 60 credits of the Part 3 qualification are awarded upon successful completion of the end-point assessment (EPA). Performance in the EPA provides 30 credits of the full 60 credits to the part 3 award. Apprentices cannot be awarded their Part 3 qualification without passing their EPA.

The assessment of each stage of the course breaks down as follows:
MArch (Level 7) RIBA Part 2 – Years 1 - 3 of the Apprenticeship
Module assessments normally take place on completion of each module. The timetable of assessments is published at the beginning of each academic year, allowing apprentices to plan their time, and set their priorities. The subject studies modules and design studies modules have different forms of assessment.
The assessment strategy for the course has been designed holistically to ensure fairness, accessibility, and inclusivity as well as manageable timing, workloads, and clarity of expectations for apprentices, and to avoid duplication of assessment of Learning Outcomes (LOs). Where appropriate, apprentices are engaged as partners in the design of their assessments.
The assessment regimes for the modules and tasks are designed together with the briefs, prior to the start of the year, considering learner, external examiner, professional collaborator, and colleague feedback from previous instances. The requirements of briefs and their components, the assessment criteria, grading scheme, and descriptors are published and explained to apprentices at the start of the year and are designed to be used as consistently as possible, to avoid unnecessary complication.
The design modules (AR7P48 and AR7P49) are assessed through the submitted portfolio of design work, completed within the studio unit teaching group. The portfolio is a graphically based academic document which contains a variety of different types of work arranged in projects. The portfolio is organised by the apprentice to demonstrate their learning processes and their achievements. Submissions are made up of drawings, models, photographic work, reproductions, CAD work, video, written text, reports and other media or techniques as appropriate. Throughout the academic year the work is discussed and presented to other tutors on the course, tutors from outside the university, practicing professionals and fellow apprentice colleagues. Informal, formative sessions help shape the completed portfolio and its communication. Design-based modules use a three-stage summative assessment process whereby design unit tutors assess their teaching cohort followed by a review panel of a quorum of design tutors moderating the assessment together and completed by an external examination of the procedures and assessments.
All subject studies modules (AR7080 Applied Technology in Architecture, AR7018 Integrated Project Study, AR7078 Critical Thinking and AR7079 Advanced Study modules) and components of modules are assessed in the first instance by the module tutors. Subject studies modules and their components are second marked by one of the subject team and the assessments are made available to the external examiner, following University procedures. Apprentices are informed of the procedures for first, second and parity marking, and external examiner scrutiny of the assessment process and marks to enable them to understand and have confidence in the probity of the assessment process. Additionally, the course engages in Subject and School parity exercises to ensure that assessment standards are consistent.
In every case, formative assessment and feedback is offered prior to summative assessment at set points. This is recorded in writing during design reviews, and is also delivered during tutorials verbally, so that it can be used by both apprentices and staff to track further progress and engage support where it is required. Feedback follows good pedagogic practice in that it is constructed as ‘feed-forward’ with a focus on specific actions and strategies as to how to improve, not only on what requires improvement.
All taught modules are marked on a percentage scale. Masters level modules (Level 7) have a pass/ fail threshold of 50%. Based on the final aggregate of average percentage results, the Architecture RIBA 2 - MArch awards are classified as: Pass (50 – 59.9%), Pass with Merit (60 –69.9%), or Pass with Distinction (70% plus).
PG Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture (RIBA Part 3) - Final Year of Apprenticeship
This professional component is split into two assessment points within the existing 60-credit module:
Once the Part 2 award has been made and PEDR and extended CV assessment has been undertaken, this triggers the Gateway to the start of the 6 months prior to the EPA. The EPA represents the final stage of assessment on the apprentice’s learning journey and is comprised of two forms of assessment totalling the full 60 credits:
● Professional Interview supported by a Career Appraisal;
● Case Study Report supported by a Design Challenge.
Career Appraisal: 4000-word report (excl. appendices) submitted to the university 6 months prior to the EPA and before the professional interview as both PDF and hard copies. The report is a written text with each chapter or section populated with relevant drawings, photographs, graphics, and visuals setting out how the knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSBs) stipulated in the learning outcomes have been met. This can be updated with any new relevant information and re-submitted with the Case Study prior to the Viva Voce.
Professional Interview: 1 hour (+/-10%) interview with 2 external independent assessors designed to test an apprentice’s ability to evaluate, communicate and reflect how the KSBs have been achieved, applied and how the apprentice has learnt from experience during practice-employment. This takes place within the final 2 weeks of the EPA.
Design Challenge: the challenge is set within the workplace and begins after the EPA gateway start date and must be agreed within 4 weeks of the start date jointly between the apprentice, employer, and the university. The design challenge must meet the following criteria:
● be achievable in the time scale of the EPA (6 months / 26 weeks) and of an appropriate scale and complexity to facilitate demonstration of the KSB set out in the course learning outcomes;
● enable sufficient application of CAD, BIM, and 3D model-making skills;
● the apprentice must demonstrate sufficient integration of core requirements such as accessibility, structural integration, and application of local/national planning requirements;
● the challenge must enable an apprentice to analyse, prioritise and respond creatively to a brief, selecting appropriate materials and technologies to facilitate the project;
● demonstrate compliance with legal, contractual, regulatory, financial aspects of the profession:
● demonstrate application of problem solving, professional management and project management skills that respond to project complexities and challenges appropriate to the level of study.
Case Study Report: 10,000-word text (excl. appendices) designed to test an apprentice’s ability to explain how relevant KSBs have been met through the ‘Design Challenge’ process. This can also include more than one case study to highlight different where experience on different projects have helped meet the criteria.

All Apprentices on the programme will be in full-time employment in an appropriate architectural practice or working within architecture in a larger organisation. The Apprenticeship effectively prepares them for the next stage in their career, by requiring them to evidence application of their theoretical learning within their workplace, with the support of their employer.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is an embedded component of the course, with apprentices maintaining a Professional Experience and Development Record (PEDR) as a core part of demonstrating their competence at the career appraisal and professional interview. Demonstration of competence also extends into practice after graduation, with on-going competency a pre-requisite for annual re-registration to the ARB register and RIBA chartered membership. CPD and annual professional competency as a registered architect is a requirement of professional status associated with the protected title of ‘Architect’.

The Architecture RIBA 2 - MArch is designed to address the educational ‘Themes and Values’ embedded in the RIBA’s Education and Professional Development Framework as set out in ‘The Way Ahead’ (RIBA 2021).
Progression
In order to progress from the first to the second year of the course the apprentice must pass previous year’s design modules: i.e. modules AR7021 and AR7030 are pre-requisite for progression to modules AR7P24 and AR7P25.
Apprentice without English and Maths at Level 2 on entry will need to achieve that level before taking their end-point assessment (EPA).
Course Completion
Level 7: in order to qualify for the award of MArch Architecture (RIBA 2) and exemption from RIBA Part 2, learners must have completed and passed each Level 7 module at 50% or above. Exemption from RIBA Part 2 is also a pre-requisite apprentices progressing to the End Point Assessment Gateway (EPA).

Part-time Structure

The Apprenticeship route only offers Part-time mode of study as 20% of the apprentice’s time is dedicated to OTJ training (including study) and 80% in workplace practice. as indicated above

All modules on the course are core and compulsory (there is no flexibility in choice or in the order in which modules may be taken), interim awards are therefore defined by the course structure.

MArch (Level 7) RIBA Part 2 – Years 1 - 3 of the Apprenticeship
Opportunities for professional and personal development are built into the Architecture RIBA 2 - MArch course through the curriculum, the choice of projects, studios, and advanced study project tutor groups. The course’s principle of guiding learning through a practice-led curriculum promotes ongoing reflection and personal development. The assessments allow the apprentice to tailor the course around their specific interests, skills, and requirements and this is supported by regular formative feedback on work in progress that enables apprentices to understand their progress and find opportunities for multiple and individualised routes to successful outcomes. There is a system of individual tutorials, available on all modules and most modules are year-long, with interim points of review, which ensures that apprentices, together with their tutors, can devise study strategies appropriate to individual learning styles, while ensuring monitoring of engagement and progress.
The course’s links with external partners ensures that personal development is effectively contextualised and suitable for contemporary architecture practice. In addition, the course is taught predominantly by exceptional practitioners in architecture and thereby focuses its energies on performing at a high level in the professional field. PG Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture (RIBA Part 3) - Final Year of Apprenticeship
The coursework and assessments on the Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture are seen as an integrated process designed to interrelate the many abilities and broad knowledge required for apprentices to become a practicing architect. For example, the most basic contract of all, the agreement between the architect and their client, has critical significance against all of ARB’s five Professional Criteria i.e., Professionalism; Clients, Users and Delivery of Services; Legal Frameworks and Processes; Practice and Management and Building Procurement. As such, every aspect of the single integrated module will promote apprentices’ reflective learning and personal development planning (PDP) and they will be facilitated to continuously re-evaluate their coursework and experience in practice in relation to the assessment criteria and assessment modes.
The course has a core principle of guiding and supporting apprentices’ experience and understanding of professional obligations, projects, and practice and lectures, seminars, emails and tutorials are all concurrent and continuous. Ongoing reflection, evaluation and personal development is supported by formative feedback on work in progress that will enable apprentices to understand and articulate their progress and development; advocate for their professional position; develop their own individualised approach to managing the course tasks and programme and achieve successful outcomes. Apprentices will be expected to continuously re-evaluate their coursework and experience in practice and in relation to the assessment criteria and assessment modes. Lectures, seminars, email correspondence and tutorials arranged to suit apprentices are all concurrent and continuous.
The course is designed for apprentices working in architectural practice. The course’s engagement with external employers ensures that personal development is effectively contextualised and suitable for the contemporary architecture practice.
The arrangements for promoting reflective learning/personal development planning include:
• a scheduled programme of engaging and interactive evening lectures by experts in developing and making explicit the knowledge, judgement, skill, care, and diligence necessary to pass RIBA 3 by viva voce examination;
• ad-hoc group revision seminars on subjects of the cohort’s choosing supported by additional programmed continuous professional development lectures;
• timely turnaround of email enquiries;
• self-selected study groups focused on diversity of experience in practice.

The course conforms with the regulatory structures of London Metropolitan University together with the Criteria for Validation issued jointly by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Architects Registration Board in 2011. It was prescribed by the ARB in 2016, ARB prescription is renewed every 5 years and was most recently re-validated by the RIBA in 2022.

As an ARB registered architect, graduates may use the protected title ‘Architect’, in accordance with The Architects Act 1997, which enables them to set up their own architectural practice in future if they wish.
Architecture RIBA 2 - MArch offers the second part of a three-stage process of nationally validated and prescribed architectural education. It is validated by the RIBA and prescribed by the ARB. The course fulfils the requirements of this professionally validated route through the provision of a high-quality teaching and learning environment that integrates design and taught modules and is focused around a unit structure at Masters level.
Our Unit Tutors are drawn from a pool of the UK’s leading design teachers and practitioners who are well-equipped to provide current industry and trade related guidance on professional and design practices, so that an understanding of the context of learning as career related, and of the role of CPD, is intrinsically embedded in the course. The course encourages apprentices to be critically engaged in the subject, establishing a position within the context of the profession through the course of their studies.
Our graduates work with architects and practices of international repute. They form unique and new practices of their own as well as take on academic endeavours such as related Masters courses and PhDs. Apprentices can additionally benefit from the support and guidance offered by the Careers and Employability services, and by ‘Accelerator’: the University’s business incubator unit.

Completion of the Architect Apprenticeship Standard and subsequent registration with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) allows the graduate to practise with the title of Architect in the United Kingdom and European community.

The apprentice will be required to have:

• a good degree in architecture
• Passed ARB / RIBA accredited Part 1
• GCSE Maths and English at grade C/4, or equivalent Level 2 qualification (you'll be asked to evidence your grade with a certificate)
• the ability to demonstrate talent as a designer and the motivation to complete the course successfully
• already be employed as an apprentice at an architectural practice
• agreed the terms of this apprenticeship with their employer prior to applying
• two references (one from your employer and an academic one)

For those with an Education Health and Care plan (EHC) or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and Maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. For those for whom British Sign Language is their primary language, British Sign Language qualifications are accepted as an alternative to English qualifications.

Selected candidates are asked to attend an interview with their portfolio, which should include a wide range of work and demonstrate a wide range of skills.

**Due to the apprenticeship residency requirements, this programme is not open to International students.

**The Architect Apprenticeship (RIBA 2 & 3) MArch course starts on Monday 18th September 2023. It is strongly recommended that your application for the course is submitted by the 1st July, to ensure that there is sufficient time to attend an interview and complete all associated administration work before enrolling on to the course.

Accelerated Learning option

Relevant prior qualifications or experience will be considered individually for each apprentice applicant. Where these exist, the course will be adapted so that this work does not need to be repeated. This may result in the duration and price of the course being reduced.