Rich Newsome
Chartered members of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) are obliged to undertake thirty-five hours of CPD a year. This equates to around 45 minutes per week. Of these thirty-five hours, twenty of them should be based on the ten topics of the RIBA CPD Core Curriculum.
So, what does this mean for building product manufacturers?
At Insynth, we see this as an opportunity to establish professionals within the building products industry as thought leaders and educators in their space. The core aims of CPD align themselves with the Inbound Marketing approach that we strongly advocate here.
With a well-structured CPD, you are building trust with potential clients, letting people know that you’re the ‘go to’ people when it comes to X solution. This is exactly the same with Inbound Marketing – whereby you use your online presence (whether it’s your website, social media activity etc) to help individuals on their buying journey. It’s very much a ‘help first’ approach.
And, as we’re aware, Architects are famous for not wanting to be sold to.
If you’re considering delivering a RIBA CPD for your building products company, this blog sets out to fill you in on some of the key requirements that RIBA members have to abide by. In turn, it may help you to align your CPD aims and objectives with these said requirements.
Joining The RIBA CPD Providers Network
In order to deliver a RIBA CPD, you have to be assigned to the RIBA CPD Providers Network.
Please note, however, that – despite common misconceptions - CPD doesn’t have to come from, be accredited by, or approved by the RIBA to count. There are several activities – which we will cover below – that architects can partake in to gain their CPD points.
How Can Architects Obtain CPD Points?
Following the uncertainty of the last few years, many of us in 2022 will be looking to the world of ‘digital’ for meetings, learning and even day-to-day business.
Post-pandemic, most building product manufacturers will be looking to deliver their CPDs digitally, although it is slowly becoming easier to deliver them face to face again.
It’s important to note that although RIBA suggests several ways for architects to gain CPD points, they are flexible given the circumstances of COVID-19. Typically, they suggest any relevant structured or informal learning, such as:
- Networking
- Discussions
- Events
Any such activity can count towards their 35-hour requirements.
So, what does this mean for building product manufacturers?
Considering that the requirements are fairly flexible (and architects can seemingly gain points from having an ‘in-depth’ conversation with their colleague), it’s hugely important that you deliver CPD that is of real value, and of course, you use a multitude of platforms to promote it!
How Are RIBA CPDs Audited?
Whilst RIBA CPD requirements are fairly laidback in their approach to self-assessment, it is important to remember the importance of regular CPD.
Following the tragedy of Grenfell, the importance of learning and competence was really driven home. RIBA’s response was to introduce more CPD on fire-safety and ARB were given more power to regularly check an architect’s competency.
The RIBA regularly monitors a random sample of Chartered Members’ records to determine compliance. They don’t expect architects to produce a certificate as record of attendance either, but integrity is always recommended to ensure compliance.
RIBA Architects Assign Their Own Points
RIBA encourages architects to reflect on their practice and the professional impact of each CPD activity. The points range from one to four – one meaning they learnt very little and four meaning they became experts afterwards.
It’s worth noting that RIBA Chartered Members are expected to be award at least 100 learning points per year. So despite being able to assign your own points, it is important that you assess each CPD you attend honestly and fairly, for your own benefit.
The ‘four-point worthy’ CPDs are normally ones that take a couple of days to complete.
What Is The CPD Core Curriculum?
As previously stated, 20 hours (of the 35-hour requirement) must relate to the RIBA CPD Core Curriculum and this is split into ten topics.
The ten topics are:
- Architecture for social purpose
- Health, safety and well being
- Business, clients and services
- Legal, regulatory and statutory compliance
- Procurement and contracts
- Sustainable architecture
- Inclusive environments
- Places, planning and communities
- Building conservation and heritage
- Design, construction and technology
It stands to reason that many building product manufacture’s CPDs would fall into one of these categories.
So, What Are The RIBA CPD Requirements?
In short, here is the quick rundown of everything RIBA Chartered Members are expected to complete per year:
- You must complete a minimum of 35 hours of CPD in order to maintain satisfactory competence in the field. This equates to about 45 minutes per week.
- Ensure 20 of the aforementioned 35 hours of CPD from the ten topics in the RIBA CPD Core Curriculum.
- Award at least 100 learning points, the assessment of which is self-governed based on the knowledge acquired.
- Ensure at least half your CPD learning is gained from structured learning activities, so long as circumstances allow it.
- Make note of all CPD learning within the RIBA CPD online manager.
How Can Insynth Help You With Your CPD?
As you can see, there are many ways in which RIBA-charted Architects can obtain CPD, and thus many opportunities for building product manufacturers to deliver something of value.
At Insynth, we can help you to create a highly-effective, well-structured digitised CPD session in-line with the RIBA CPD requirements. If you’d like any more information on how we can transform your CPD, allowing you to gain trusting relationships, promote your expertise and ultimately – increase specification, talk to an expert at Insynth today.
To help write this post, I acknowledge architecture.com who provided plenty of useful information.
If you found the information in this post insightful, we recommend you look into some of the most popular articles in the Insynth Blog regarding CPDs! Our favourites are:
- The Ultimate Guide to Digital CPDs for your Building Products
- What Is CPD and Why You Should Considering Delivering One
- How To Make A Digital CPD for a Building Product
About Insynth
At Insynth we deliver a predictable flow of leads, customers, and specifications for building product brands through our inbound marketing approach, proven to reach a technically demanding audience.
We use the latest marketing techniques such as construction inbound marketing, to equip building product companies to grow sustainability in this era of digital transformation.
As the only HubSpot certified agency to major in construction marketing. We have a proven formula of bringing a variety of functionalities together including CRM Implementation, Web Design, Sales Automation, SEO, and Email Marketing to achieve your ultimate aim: Growing your business and gaining new specifiers and customers.