Every year the architecture profession faces new challenges and opportunities. As a professional regulator, it’s important we understand those changes and respond to them. As we develop new approaches to regulation, we want to make sure we hear from you and understand your views to inform these changes.

Our newly formed Architects Engagement Group met for its first listening sessions in April and May. We’d like to thank the attendees for their valuable insight, which will feed into our work and help shape the future of architecture. At each event, the discussion focused on the outcomes from training and education that should be set by ARB for architects to join the Register, and on how to improve access to and diversity in the profession.

This summer we will be publishing a document setting out our thinking on the outcomes needed from education and training, and we’ll be inviting views on our approach before we move on to develop detailed proposals. We were interested in the importance of professionalism and ethical behaviour, which was raised passionately in both events. There was also interesting feedback on regulatory knowledge, and the need for regulatory standards to be applied flexibly, allowing scope for innovations to emerge.

On access to and diversity in the profession, we heard a variety of views at the events. We heard about the importance of visible role models in the sector, and the need for less costly ways of training and accessing the profession. Before we develop and publish a plan on what ARB can do, we want to have further conversations with stakeholders. If you’re part of a network or organisation that could help us reach different networks or communities, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch at: communications@arb.org.uk.

If you’d like the opportunity to join future events or help to shape ARB’s work in other ways, you can join the Architects Engagement Group here.

The link above will take you to a survey page where we ask you to tell us a bit about you and your areas of expertise and interest. Some of the details will help us monitor our own commitment to diversity and inclusion, so that we can make sure we’re talking to a wide range of professionals. We will of course observe data protection principles in how we hold and manage your information.