November 15, 2006

Architect's Corner

Our changing demographics

As part of a study of International Architecture Graduates being conducted jointly by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board and RAIC, focus groups are being held with many firms, associations and IAGs across the country. Some early results are telling:

• 69 per cent of IAGs were licensed as an architect prior to coming to Canada;

• 70 per cent are employed in Canadian Architectural Practices;

• 42 per cent have a non-registered status in Canada;

• 62 per cent said getting formal recognition for professional experience outside Canada was very challenging; and

• 56 per cent stated getting recognition for university training obtained outside Canada was challenging.

The goal of the survey, entitled “Integration of International Architectural Graduates into the Canadian Architectural Profession,” is to assist the profession in better understanding the circumstances faced by IAGs and to develop strategies to more effectively integrate these individuals into the Canadian architectural profession.

Representatives from each provincial/territorial association of architects, CACB and RAIC board members joined together for a day-long session in Montreal in September to review data and discuss findings.

Vivian Manasc, FRAIC

Since the beginning of the 1990s, the number of persons immigrating to Canada annually, who identified architecture as their intended profession, has almost doubled. During the past 10 years (1996 to 2005), Citizenship and Immigration Canada reports that 2,780 persons who immigrated to Canada identified architecture as their profession. The profession’s approach to qualifying persons as architects needs to reflect these changes in demographics.

The number of immigrants to Canada who identify their profession as architecture is approximately equal to the number of persons graduating from accredited Canadian university schools of architecture. This statistic, which excludes those who are here on work permits or visas, should give us pause. A large and growing number of our colleagues in this profession need to be integrated.

The study suggested the current system of qualifying IAGs does not give sufficient weight to professional status and experience in the country of origin.

In many cases, IAGs would benefit from university courses customized to their unique needs. Unfortunately, standard university courses are designed for individuals on the path to joining the profession, not for people who already have a personal history of professional practice.

Several recommendations are being put forward due to this study, which will be completed in the next couple of months. The RAIC monthly electronic Bulletin will let you know when study results are posted on our website.

As I mentioned in my previous column, the RAIC and Athabasca University have been studying the implications of partnership related to the delivery of the Syllabus Program. While the primary focus of program development is to preserve the existing Syllabus Program track for students presently registered, facilitating access for IAGs requiring specific courses is also a key goal.

The renewed commitment to the RAIC Syllabus Program will help to address the challenges of the increasing number of IAGs coming to Canada, with a view to fully integrating those who wish to stay here into our culture and our community.

With Canada graduating 400 architects per year — and designing more than $6 billion worth of buildings across this vast country — we clearly need to support those schools of architecture who wish to grow and expand their programs. Clearly, even that won’t be enough to provide architecturally trained thinkers and designers to many of the leadership roles in this country. We must also grow our numbers through immigration.

Let’s begin by giving clear direction and welcoming fellow architects from all corners of the earth.

For more information, see www.raic.org.

Vivian Manasc, FRAIC, is President of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

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