Professional Standards Competency Framework Update with Paul Laycock MCIAT & Noora Kokkarinen | 010

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This document really is a transformative tool.

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It ensures that the profession evolves to meet the future

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demands around sustainability, technical innovation and ethical

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considerations.

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Noora Kokkarinen: 00:00:32

Hi. I'm Noora Kokkarinen, Head of Education at

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CIAT. In today's episode, we're talking about recent updates to

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the Professional Standards Competency Framework, or PSCF.

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I'm joined by Paul Laycock, Chartered Architectural T, and

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CIAT's Vice-President Education. This conversation is not only

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about what the updates to the professional standards

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competency framework mean to those wishing to qualify as

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chartered architectural technologists, but it's about

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the wider impact this document has on the industry. Paul,

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welcome to Where it's AT. Thank you. Noora, the professional

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standards competency framework recently had a review of it, and

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this was a cyclical review that we were meaning to do. And this

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was also instigated by another review that we had some years

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ago, and this was on a document owned by the quality assurance

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agency for their subject benchmark statement for

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architectural technology. This was published in 2022 and then

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that is what is used specifically within CIAT's

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accreditation processes to determine whether university

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programs meet the standards and instill the necessary knowledge

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into their undergraduate and master's level graduates. And as

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a result of that, the professional standards

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competency framework needed to be updated so that these

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documents are more in sync and the pscf outlines the standards

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and competencies that as of the first of May of 2025 we expect

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of anyone that is looking to qualify as a chartered

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architectural technologist, but perhaps Paul, you could talk us

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through what's new and give us a brief update on the more

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specific changes that were made to the professional standards

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competency framework, I

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Paul Laycock MCIAT: certainly can Noora. And thank you very

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much for that excellent introduction to the pscf as it

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is. I think it's very important also to mention that this this

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review follows on from the publication The Grenfell Tower

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Inquiry Reports. So now the pscf places much more emphasis and

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focus on fire, health and safety, as well as materials and

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building performance and regulations, in addition that

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also we include ethics, behavior, professional conducts.

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And CPD have been a much greater focus point in this new

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document, in this new framework, the very title pscf is an update

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the original PSF to be modified to indicate this also assesses

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the competence of applicants in a much greater way. These

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assessed at the threshold levels with the expectation that the

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chartered architectural technologist will continue

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throughout their career to learn, advance in their career,

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to update themselves and thus further improve their

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competences.

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Thank you, Paul. And in terms of for anyone

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that currently is either an associate member with us or

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holds affiliate status, what do the changes that have been made

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in the professional standards competency framework mean for

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them?

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Paul Laycock MCIAT: Really I think this is sort of best

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broken down into the different stages of it. There's quite a

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few nuances and changes and updates to reflect the advancing

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the advancing built environments, both nationally

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and internationally, and the increasing sort of importance we

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play as architectural technologists in that built

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environment. So what I'll do, if that's okay, I'll go stage by

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stage through this, just to give some indication for the update

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and how that will be assessed. There are three stages to the

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pscf process, as the where with the old PSF stage one the

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educational standards. Now this applies to those that don't have

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an accredited degree or master's degree that's one accredited by

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CIAT. There are many out there, so only if you do not have one.

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You must go through the stage one process. This consists of 11

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different criteria that requires the applicant to demonstrate

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their learning and their professional development as

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applied and as laid down in the as Nora mentioned, the QA

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subject benchmark statement for architectural technology, for

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those non exempt, there's a word limit for this between three to

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5000 words, plus or minus around 10% again, only for those that

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don't have that accredited degree or master's degree.

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Moving on, then so. Stage two, which everybody needs to

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complete. These are the practice standards now, like the old

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Professional Standards Framework, the headlines have

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been maintained here, so we still have designing, managing,

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practicing and developing self. So these have been maintained,

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but they've been much. They've committed much greater clarity

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and emphasis on a number of different areas start with

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designing first. So really, we've increased the focus on

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demonstrating a real, robust, sustainable and inclusive design

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solutions and everything that we do relating to the anatomy and

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physiology of the buildings that satisfy regulatory standards and

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achieve efficient, effective construction and perform

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optimally and safely during their use, at hand over to the

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client and into the future. This is further broken down into five

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different criteria, very sequential, very clear that the

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the applicant, which demonstrate their compliance with secondary

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then managing now, really, the focus here really has been

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increased and really sharpened on demonstrating the appropriate

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leadership and management of people, processes, procedures,

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stakeholders, projects, and ensuring the safe delivery of

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those during the design process and construction through to hand

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over back to the client. It's really quite succinct. There

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really increasing focus on the professionalism around there.

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Again, divide the five really clear criteria areas that

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applicants must demonstrate their compliance with that part

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of stage two is practicing as before, really, again,

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increasing, rounding off in focus to ensure that there's a

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demonstration of awareness and implementation of social,

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technological, environmental, economic and political, legal

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and ethical factors affecting the practice and procedures of

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Architectural Technology, ensuring that the architectural

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technologist practices as the name suggests, in an ethical and

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professional manner in delivering all of its services,

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and their services again, broken down a different criteria. Area,

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four different criteria, in this case, getting very clear

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sequentially, laid out that the applicant must demonstrate their

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compliance with last of the four is developing self, as I always

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say, not just CPD here goes way beyond that, really. Focus on

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demonstrating an awareness of the need for continuing

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development as a professional to advance and maintain your

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standards in your role and function, wherever that be, in

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the broader scope of what it means to be an architectural

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technologist and throughout your career, also, this is through

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the acquisition and maintenance of relevant knowledge skills and

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experiences, as well as understand the importance of

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behaving ethically, again, to meet the needs of the industry,

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wider society and the environment. We all serve just

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three different criteria here, but again, sequentially, easily

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laid out, and the applicant must demonstrate compliance with all

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of those. Word limit for all of those is around 2000 2500 to

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3500 words, getting plus or minus around 10% so that's

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approximately 150 to 200 words per criteria. This seeds the end

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of the final part of the process. So at that point, the

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application form is submitted that's assessed independently.

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Can we have a really high success rate at this point, I

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think, mainly due to the to the good support given by central

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office, the moderators and assessors as part of the

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process. So once successful there, the applicant will move

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on to stage three of the process, which is the

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professional interview stage. Now this requires the applicant

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to demonstrate the achievement of professional standards

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through our said the professional assessment

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interview, this is all about the client's ability to engage,

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communicate, behave and interact in a professional, ethical,

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knowledgeable manner with all of their clients, peers,

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colleagues, inside their organization, outside their

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organization, this time, eight different criteria to be met.

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Subject has been successful interview, then the applicant

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will move forward to chartered status. Hope that gives a

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functional, succinct but clear outline. Noora, so back to you.

Noora Kokkarinen: 00:09:15

It does. Thank you. And then again, we do have

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some resources available on CIA T's website, architectural

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technology.com for anyone wishing to download this

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document and read it in its full capacity, but then going beyond

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that internal focus of those wishing to qualify as chartered

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architectural technologists. What in your opinion, Paul, do

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you think this change in the pscf means for the wider

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profession, as well as the industry.

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Paul Laycock MCIAT: Excellent question. I actually got a

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little quote in AT journal article, in the 80 journal

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actually, so I will quote myself in this answer. What I said,

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there was this, this document, really, it's a transformative

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tool. It ensures that the profession you've. Evolved to

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meet the future demands around sustainability, technical

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innovation and ethical considerations, again, combining

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all of those three to make a much more rounded, ready

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architectural technologist to be successful in industry. But I'll

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go beyond that. I'll unpack that quote and sort of perhaps a

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little bit more about it. What else is this? This new

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competence framework. It's real game changer for us. I think it

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was a long incoming It was a long process, but I think it

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really changes and upgrades what it means to be a chartered

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architectural technologist. So it's really it's a change for

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both the profession and the wider construction industry. I

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think it reflects how architectural technology has

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evolved into a highly skilled, highly competent, strategic

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discipline that sits at the heart of delivering sustainable,

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innovative and efficient buildings for the profession. It

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brings more progressive and holistic approach to what it

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means to be competent in today's built environment. It embraces

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not just technical ability, also ethics, leadership, digital

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literacy and environmental responsibility, making sure that

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the chartered architectural technologist is ready, not just

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for now, but ready for future, changes, future developments, to

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carry forward and produce excellence at all stages in

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their career. For industry, then it also offers clarity and

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confidence. So for clients, employers, collaborators can be

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issued with the professionals who meet this framework have the

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expertise and integrity to deliver to the highest

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professional standards, not just at the point of being successful

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in their interview, but throughout their career,

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instilling in them professional development as a life long

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attribute as Being a professional also reinforces the

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value that architectural technologists bring across all

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project stages, from conception, completion and beyond, expertise

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that isn't invaluable to the success of that project. So

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again, to summarize that up, it raises the bar for us, while

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opening more doors for collaboration, innovation and

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trust across all the built environment sectors. I'll add to

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that, if I'm able to as well. A real, great example of how this

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has been brought into into play is with our our colleagues in

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our center in the Republic of Ireland, where we have the

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architectural technologist register Ireland. This register

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allows members and non members, to use achievement under the

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original PSF, and now, more importantly, the new pscf, to

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demonstrate competence to work in the Republic of Ireland in

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that center area, and to benefit from the status and equivalence

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of professional recognition that that all brings. Okay? I hope

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that's okay now, and back to you.

Noora Kokkarinen: 00:12:42

That's very good, and it's exciting to see

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how this will hopefully shape the profession and the industry

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more widely over the next decade or so. Typically, the lifespan

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of these documents is about that length of time. And lastly, is

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there anything else you'd like to add about the professional

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standards competency framework,

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Paul Laycock MCIAT: probably lots, but appreciate the time

Noora Kokkarinen: 00:13:04

scale we have here. Well, we'll do now is call back to something

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you said earlier. The pscf is available on our website,

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architectural technology.com, alongside that, there's a whole

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range of other documents that will provide assistance, support

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and help for the application process. So there are exemplars

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on the website of how to put together the application

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process. However, this is the new process. Most of those are

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relevant more to the PSF, the original document, but we are

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working actively as the new applications come in. The new

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applications are assessed and interviews are completed,

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working effectively to put up the new and updated application

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forms will show compliance with the pscf. So go look, be aware

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what's there. Download it. And also watch out for the new and

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updated short course program that will hopefully launch soon

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to provide additional support for all those applying to become

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the future architectural technologists, serving the

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industry and the Institute. Okay, back to you, Noora.

Noora Kokkarinen: 00:14:07

Thank you, Paul for being here and for

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giving us an update on this document. We really appreciate

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your time.

Noora Kokkarinen: 00:14:13

Paul Laycock MCIAT: Thank you very much, Noora.

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