NCARB's Member Boards Approve Changes to the Intern Development Program at Annual Meeting
The Intern Development Program (IDP) took center stage at the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards' (NCARB) 2008 Annual Meeting and Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, in June. Member Boards representing 51 of the Council's 54 jurisdictions attended the Annual Meeting and considered 12 resolutions. Three were directly related to IDP. The most debated resolution both prior to and during the Annual Meeting, Resolution 2008-07 (also known as the "Six-Month Rule"), passed with a vote of 49-1.

The concept for the "Six-Month Rule" stemmed from a 2005 study conducted jointly by AIA and NCARB that suggested regular reporting would help facilitate more accurate reporting and a better internship experience. For the last three years, NCARB Member Boards and committees have debated and discussed how to best incorporate the suggestion before bringing the rule to a vote last month.

A workshop was held at the Annual Meeting to answer any questions Member Board Members had about the resolution. The panel included Mark I. Aspaas, AIA, NCARB Secretary and recent-Region 5 Director; Glenda Loving, Executive Administrator of the Iowa Architectural Examining Board; and Darren McKinnon, AIA, a recently licensed architect. All three were members of NCARB's Committee on the IDP. NCARB staff was also on hand to answer questions.

The panel explained the basics of the resolution and what NCARB is doing to prepare for its implementation. The resolution will require interns establishing a new NCARB Record on or after 1 July 2009 to submit training reports of no more than six-months duration within two months of the end of such reporting period. On 1 July 2010, the "Six-Month Rule" will apply to all interns. Aspaas stressed that the resolution will not affect interns who currently have an NCARB Record or those who obtain a Record by 30 June 2009 for at least two years.

The resolution is also dependent on a "fully tested and operational" online reporting system. Should the online reporting system not be fully tested and operational by the end of 2008, each implementation date will be pushed back and will go into effect six months after the system has been deemed fully operational by an independent tester. Members from AIA, AIAS, and the National Associates Committee (NAC) will also have an opportunity to test the system. NCARB expects testing to begin on the system this fall with a release of the system by the end of December. Once the electronic system is released, paper submissions will be phased out.

Once an intern enters their training unit report into the online system, they will not be affected by any delay caused by their supervisor or NCARB. NCARB will e-mail the intern's supervisor that the intern has submitted a report for the supervisor's review, discussion with their intern, and signature. In other words, once an intern "submits" training units by entering them into their record online, those units are "protected" while any loose ends are tied up. However, an intern may lose the submitted training units if they are deemed invalid by the supervisor, or they are not earned in accordance with the rules of IDP.

Supervisor Guidelines are also a condition of the resolution and will be available by the end of the year. See "IDP Supervisor Guidelines: Content & Training" below for more information.

The resolution was amended by Member Boards to allow parents of newborn infants or newly adopted children to receive a six-month extension of the reporting deadline upon proper application. The same extension was also applied to the Five-Year Rolling Clock for the Architect Registration Examination^® (ARE^®) through Resolution 2008-04. Extensions for active military service and serious medical conditions were also included in IDP reporting.

Member Boards that arrived in Pittsburgh hesitant about the Resolution 2008-07 said that all of their concerns had been addressed and answered by the NCARB Board of Directors, Committee on the Intern Development Program members, and NCARB staff throughout the meeting. Many delegates expressed their belief that the resolution was a step in the right direction for overall improvement to IDP and voiced their confidence in NCARB leadership from the voting floor.

Other resolutions related to IDP included changes to employment duration in full- and part-time work and an increase in the number of training units interns may earn from the Emerging Professional's Companion. A summary of all the resolutions including the votes can be found on NCARB's home page, www.ncarb.org.

IDP Supervisor Guidelines: Content & Training
Member Board Members Dale McKinney, AIA, Iowa; Kevin Montgomery, FAIA, North Carolina; and Harriet Rifkin, New York, led a workshop to gain feedback on the Supervisor Guidelines under development by NCARB's Committee on the Intern Development Program.

The responsibility for IDP is up to the intern, however, a supervisor does share a responsibility to teach and encourage interns during their journey to licensure. Since many supervisors have not experienced the program themselves, the committee is working on ways to inform supervisors of their responsibilities to an intern and give them a better understanding of the objectives and requirements of the program through Supervisor Guidelines.

Supervisor Guidelines are also a condition of implementation of the "Six-Month Rule." Draft guidelines have been completed and sections were available for comment at the Annual Meeting for Member Board Members. Their comments will be reviewed and considered by the IDP Supervision Task Force in August before the document is shared with collateral organizations for comment in September. The final document will be available for supervisors to download in late December.

Intro to EPC 101: IDP Training Units ≤ 75
Committee on the Intern Development Program Chair, Kenneth Schwartz, FAIA, Virginia, and committee members Denis Hemni, AIA, California, and Margo P. Jones, AIA, Massachusetts, led a discussion on Resolution 2008-09, which will allow interns to earn up to five training units toward required minimums in training areas by completing qualified exercises in the Emerging Professional's Companion (EPC) beginning 1 July 2009. The resolution, which passed unanimously, provides a way for interns to gain experience in areas that are often difficult to obtain exposure to during their internship.

In FY06, NCARB and AIA commissioned a study of IDP Core Competencies to better understand their effectiveness in the intern's professional development and to identify any problems that interns were having in gaining experience within the 16 training areas. The study identified serious problems in all but three of the 16 training areas. In some cases, this is a result of firms performing limited services in certain areas of practice (e.g. cost estimation). In other cases, interns may not have enough professional experience to be assigned certain tasks on a billable basis. To expand opportunities for interns to gain qualitative experience and learning in all 16 training areas, NCARB and AIA collaborated to develop the EPC.

Beginning 1 July 2009, interns will be able to earn a maximum of five training units per training area through the EPC as part of their minimum training unit requirements in each training area. The intern's supervisor must review the exercises as part of his or her process of signing the training unit forms, as is currently the case when the EPC is used for supplementary education units. Exercises completed above the maximum of five training units in each training area may still be submitted for supplementary education credit. The requirement that 235 training units be earned in the traditional office setting is unaffected by this change.

The EPC is a valuable resource that will not only strengthen interns' preparation for future practice, but will also improve their value in firms through the increased knowledge that the resource affords. The EPC is available free to interns and supervisors online at www.epcompanion.org.

IDP Outstanding Firm of the Year
Call for Entries
The IDP Outstanding Firm Awards Program is now accepting submissions for the July 15 deadline. This program honors firms that choose to make nurturing interns on the path to achieving licensure a priority. Visit the Call for Entries page for more information.

Role of a Mentor
Your mentor plays a vital role in guiding you through IDP by meeting with you on a regular basis to review your training progress and discuss your career objectives. A mentor is a registered architect, preferably outside your firm, who demonstrates a long-term commitment to your professional growth. You can seek recommendations for a mentor from your employer, fellow interns, or contact your AIA component—many AIA members volunteer to serve as mentors. Your state or IDP educator coordinator may also be able to help you find a mentor.

Once you've found your mentor, it is important to meet with him or her at least every six months to review your training progress and sign your training report. However, to improve processing, NCARB will no longer reject IDP Training Unit Reports lacking a mentor signature.

New! Training Units for LEED AP Exam
In March, the Committee on IDP determined that interns are eligible to earn five training units (TUs) in supplementary education for successful completion of the LEED AP Exam in their support of sustainable design. To receive credit, "LEED AP Exam" should be indicated on line 17 of the training unit report and five TUs should be indicated in the supplementary education column. Interns must also submit a copy of the official score report from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) with their training unit report.