National Program of Assessment - Here We Go!!!

Here we go!!!

I have decided to go for registration as an Architect in Australia....

Let me give you a little background about myself first.

I am Irish born, reared and educated and have recently become an Australian citizen.
I qualified as an Architectural Technologist in 2007 after spending 5 years to get through a 3 year course, (1 repeat year and 1 year off working/traveling) these things are not to be rushed don't you know. I also did a summer with Wejchert Architects. I hated it and decided summers would be best spent on building sites.
I finished my tertiary education and got straight to work with Conroy Crowe Kelly-Architects and Urban Designers. Great bunch of lads who's work was predominantly large scale residential. Unfortunately due to the GFC they made me redundant.
Undaunted I managed to get a job with DN-Smyth and Assosiates. small scale stuff on residential housing and site speculations.
I finally became sick of the grind and up-sticks with my wife and moved to Sydney in 2011. i got some contract work with WMK which later led to a full-time position as a Project Lead. having served close to 4 years and gaining residency then citizenship I moved to another large scale residential outfit. Didn't like it.
After 9 months and a new baby girl I moved again to Team2 were I am now currently.

So less about you and more about me.

Since I was an Architectural Technologist and not an Architect, Architects love to tell that you're not an Architect and on numerous occasions referred to me as "drafty" cheeky so and so's, I decided to do something about it. I did some online research into correspondence courses and registration for overseas applicants when I came across the NPrA.

So the basics for registration are as follows; go here and pick which path is the right one for you. For me as a non architect with "substantial skills and experience in the architectural services sector but do not have an Australian accredited qualification in architecture or overseas equivalent." The NPrA was the one. The National Program of Assessment is divided into 2 stages.

Stage 1 - Eligibility

Academic Requirement 

For this you will need the following;
Finished school or got to within 2 years of finishing school and then attended tertiary education for a minimum of 2 years full-time or part time equivalent.

English Language

If English is NOT your first language then you need a score of 6.5 on IELTS scale. Since English is my first language I didn't need to do this and know nothing about it. However if you are employed in Australia then your boss can write a letter to the AACA saying that you have the required written and verbal English to work as an Architect in Australia.

Relevant Work Experience

I took this directly from the NPrA
"A minimum of seven years full-time work experience (or equivalent) in the last ten years in architectural, planning, building or other related 2. Eligibility © Architects Accreditation Council of Australia 2017 Page 3 NPrA Guide for Applicants - 24 Feb 17 fields; three of the seven years must be under the direction of an architect in an architect’s office, at least two years of the three years must be in an architect’s office in Australia."
So basically 7 of your last 10 years must be in Architecture or a related feild. 3 of those 7 must be under the instruction of a registered Architect and 2 of those 3 years must be in Australia.

Now for the tricky bit. If you're happy you have all of the above then you can begin the task of putting together your application.

Application From is the first page of the form. Fill it out and save it separately.

Secondary education should be filled out and saved with a certified copy of your degree.
If like me you have a degree then you must have a copy certified by a solicitor or justice of the peace. There are other professions that can certify your degree and they are listed in the guide.

As I mentioned before if English is not your first language you need to have documentation indicating that you are proficient.

A spreadsheet is required to be filled out for the relevant number of hours required. If you have been promoted within a company you should note the time spent in each position or if you have changed jobs then you need to indicate the time on a separate sheet. You must also know the name and registration number of the Architect and company where you gained your relevant experience.

Submit an up to date CV. This is a maximum of 2 pages so try to be concise with your wording. Project and position on the project is all you need.

Statement of Claim is where you can elaborate on 4-6 significant projects you worked on or are currently working on. A significant project must be lager than a single dwelling project. once again you only have 1500 words for this so be concise, informative and to the point. The total sum of your significant projects should address all of the knowledge domains. Best way to ensure you have covered these is to write which knowledge bases you covered at the end of each project.

A statutory declaration to declare that all of the information you have submitted in true must also be submitted in .pdf format. A tip would be to get whoever is signing your application to also sign the stat dec.

Payment - To have your application assessed it will set you back $1,100. So be sure that you have all your ducks in a row before you pay and submit. A .pdf copy of the receipt must be submitted with your application.


Once you have covered all the bases then save each item, except for the excel spreadsheet, as a .pdf file named like this McDonnell_David_Application Form etc...

Double check you have everything using the applicant checklist and away you go!!!