Members, Honorary Members of the AIBC and All Associates,
Welcome to 2017—I hope you all had a chance to ring in the New Year with family and friends. We at the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) are looking forward to an exciting year that builds on the work of AIBC Council, boards, committees, task forces, working groups and other volunteers in 2016 to advance our 2014-2018 Strategic Plan.
One of the goals of the strategic plan is to ensure the AIBC’s regulatory identity is understood by the public, and also by members and other registrants. A number of initiatives support the accomplishment of this goal, including the delivery of professional development programs.
As a self-regulated profession, it is incumbent upon those working in the field of architecture to ensure that their regulatory body provides services to support members and other registrants in maintaining credentials and overall professionalism. The AIBC’s Continuing Education System (CES) contributes significantly to this work.
This year, CES—administered by the Professional Services Department—enters its 16th year. In 2001, the institute introduced the Continuing Education System, with rules established in 2002, in response to the profession’s recognition of its own continuing education needs and the public’s increasing expectation that architects remain current with contemporary technology, business practices, and building methods and materials. CES has served us well but after many years the system was due for a review.
An extensive review revealed that the program was running smoothly with only a few adjustments required.
I am pleased to announce the passage of the proposed Council Rules 5: Continuing Education System (CES). Thank you to all who took the time to review the proposed rules and share feedback during the November 9–December 8, 2016 notification period.
The feedback received helped AIBC staff and council finalize the updated Bulletin 80: Mandatory Continuing Education System (CES) Rules and Guidelines, to take effect during the current July 1, 2016–June 30, 2018 reporting period.
- The updates to the council rules, which are embedded in Bulletin 80, show mostly housekeeping (e.g. improved syntax) and procedural changes. However, there are several substantial amendments, which include:
- Removal of obsolete provisions, such as references to one year reporting periods and associate classes that no longer exist.
- Architects and architectural technologists will continue to be able to carry up to 18 Core Learning Units (LUs) forward for a given reporting period. That said, Non-core LUs are no longer eligible for carry over. Unlike all other CES amendments, this change will apply to the next CES reporting period (2018–2020).
Because CES plays such a major role in the AIBC’s ability to convey the professionalism of architects and architectural technologists, I encourage you to set some time aside this month to review the council rules and bulletin and decide on how you will earn your LUs for the 2016–2018 reporting period, be it through coursework, volunteerism or walking tours.
Continuing Education System compliance helps deliver on the AIBC’s vision of building public confidence and excellence in architectural practice. To revisit or learn about CES compliance, visit aibc.ca.
Yours truly,
Mark Vernon
Chief Executive Officer
Architectural Institute of British Columbia