Mandate

As per Section 28, Article IV of the Republic Act No. 9266, otherwise known as “The Architecture Act of 2004”, the United Architects of the Philippines as the Integrated and Accredited Professional Organization of Architects (IAPOA) is mandated to maintain a program of continuing professional development for architects.

Presently, the Professional Regulation Commission through the Professional Regulatory Board of Architects (PRBoA) mandated all registered professionals to attend duly accredited continuing professional education courses from duly accredited continuing professional education providers.  The aim of which is to maintain their status in good standing in their respective professions and to ensure their competitiveness in the light of liberization of trade in services under the 4th Protocol of the General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) pursued by the World Trade3 Organization (WTO), and the ASEAN where the Republic of the Philippines is an active member.

Rationale

In the global effort to implement the GATS Agreement on the opening of trade in services, various negotiations are now underway to facilitate the mobility and portability of professionals across national boundaries.  One of the requirements closely scrutinized in the evaluation of equivalencies in the qualifications of professionals in the maintenance of a continuing professional development at a satisfactory level.

There are two categories in continuing professional development:  the first is a mandatory maintenance level to assure that an architect has updated his knowledge to assure a practice that does not jeopardize public safety; the second is an expertise level that makes an architect a specialist in a particular field most useful to the practice of architecture.  The UAP Professional Development Commission (UAP-PDC) will be administering both.

The UAP has in place the specific committees that can administer the training and specialization programs as stated in the UAP By-laws Section 4 on Standing Committees g. Specialty Councils:

1. “1.  The Specialty Committee shall be a chamber of the organization for the purpose of continuing professional development of its members and the professionals.  It shall be the Council that shall establish specialization categories, professional qualifications on the post graduate level in coordination with the academe and the Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture. “

Furthermore, it also states that

“3.  The committee shall see to it that the continuing professional development will be a life-long endeavour among professionals for the purpose of maintaining, enhancing and increasing knowledge and capabilities.  It must take the responsibility of ensuring that the professionals keep abreast of new technologies, methods of practice, and the changing ecological and social conditions within the country and the global arena.”

This Manual serves as a guide to effectively realize the official mandate for the Council to develop specialization programs.  It aims to ensure good governance of the specialization program and establish an appropriate organizational structure within each specialization council and coordination with other related committees of the UAP.  It also outlines the minimum standards that each specialization should meet to develop specialists in the various fields in Architecture.

Organizational Procedures

• Composition

• • Committee on Specialty Councils (CSC) The UAP By-laws Section 4 on Standing Committees g. Specialty Councils mentioned:
    • “2.  The Committee shall be headed by the National President, together with the Chancellor of the College of Fellows, the Executive Director on Professional Practice and the Executive Director on Education and a select group experts and specialists in the various fields in Architecture.”

• • Specialty Council Board (SCB)
    • Specialty Council Board is composed of Chairpersons of each Specialty Council to support the CSC in the performance of their functions and recommend policies, programs and guidelines in the implementation of specialization programs.

The Chairman of the SCB shall be chosen from among the member chairpersons.

• • Founding Council Members

An initial triad (3) of UAP members recognized in a particular field of specialization binds together to organize a Council Core (e.g.  Council for Architectural Lighting, Architecture for Health, Tall Buildings, etc.)  The Council for each specialization is essentially a peer group that must be recognized by the building industry/profession.  Each original member shall recruit two more to form a secondary triad, all agreeing that all can associate together to form the Council.  This makes the founding members of the Council.  The founding members may recruit additional member with each responsible for getting two more each.

When the nascent Council has nine founding members, the formal organization of the Council begins.  Council By-Laws are prepared and the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer are elected.  Membership Fees are set and regular meeting dates agreed upon.

• Qualification of Members

• • Levels of Specialization

• • • As specialization is a developmental process, the following levels of specialization are adapted to categorize the level of expertise an aspirant has acquired during the course of training.

• • • • Competency -  The entry level of specialization
      • Proficiency – The intermediate level of specialization
      • Expertise – The highest level of specialization

Through the accumulation of credit points acquired through the following:

• • • • Formal education
      • Seminars and trainings
      • Research, paper presentations and publication
      • Relevant experience
      • Related community service
      • Annotated educational trips/Documented observation tours

All members under the expertise level shall be Regular council members.  It shall be mandatory for every regular council member to annually update his knowledge in the discipline by minimally doing the following:

• • • • Present a paper worth publishing in an international journal, which at the same time can be used in ACE lectures on the field of specialization.
      • Conducts and report on a particular research in the field of specialization
      • Exhibit (such as a poster exhibit) his works in the field of specialization.

Requirements for specialization learning units

Each specialty council will develop the point system for the following levels:

• Competency -  The entry level of specialization
• Proficiency – The intermediate level of specialization
• Expertise – The highest level of specialization

Administration

The Professional Development Center shall coordinate the conduct of the ACE programs of the Councils, provide the secretariat work and publications with costs paid for by the council.

Initial Activities

Council Formation

Organization of the initial and secondary triad of the Councils

Certification of Core Experts

For the purpose of identifying members of the Core Expert, the SCB shall formulate an accreditation system based on the following criteria:

• Formal education
• Seminars and trainings
• Research, paper presentations and publication
• Relevant experience
• Related community service
• Annotated educational trips/Documented observation tours

Identifying, screening and evaluating specialization courses

• Criteria for programs

• Criteria for research and needs assessment
  • significance and contribution to the profession;
  • significance and possible contribution to the country's well being and development;
  • preceived longevity of usefulness;
  • accessiblity to the professional population;
  • potential to create new profession, business or employment.

• Set up with PDC learning modules; development of the ACE seminars

• Formulation of the By-Laws, policy matters and registration with SEC as subsidiary of UAP

• Preparation of the Financial Plan

• Link up with allied industry partners (  e.g.  The Council of Architecture for Health may link up with medical equipment suppliers and manufacturers)

• Link up with UIA Working Groups and other counterpart international groups