ARB practical experience reform will remove the mandatory two-year minimum for trainee architects, the regulator has confirmed, following a consultation in which 60 per cent of the first 672 respondents initially opposed the change.
The new framework introduces a Trainee Record of Experience, revised standards for trainees and employers, new guidance on roles and responsibilities, and a collaborative model to distribute responsibility across all parties involved in a trainee’s development. All changes come into force in December 2028, by which date existing qualifications will need to have transitioned into the new framework.
What the ARB practical experience reform actually changes
At the centre of the overhaul is the removal of the fixed two-year practical experience requirement. ARB has confirmed that registration rules will be updated accordingly, while the standard required to join the register is maintained. The rationale is to give learning providers the flexibility to develop qualifications that combine academic study and practical experience without work needing to be categorised against a fixed time threshold. Critically, this change will only apply to trainees completing qualifications that have already transitioned onto the new framework.
The Trainee Record of Experience replaces what was originally proposed as the Record of Competency. Under the new rules, learning providers and employers will be required to maintain this record to support structured reflection and enable tutors to advise students more effectively on their progress. ARB has confirmed the record will not be assessed as part of the registration process itself; its function is to help trainees work towards ARB’s Competency Outcomes needed for registration.
New guidance will also set out the distinct roles and responsibilities of trainees and employers, making clear what constitutes suitable experience. Revised standards will be incorporated into the Accreditation Handbook, detailing the support that providers should offer students and giving examples of how providers can build relationships with employers. The new collaborative model is designed to ensure that the burden of demonstrating that experience meets requirements does not fall exclusively on individual trainees.
From consultation criticism to confirmed framework
The announcement follows a year-long review conducted in 2025 examining ARB’s Professional Practical Experience arrangements, as reported by Dezeen. That review fed into a formal consultation held between January and April, which itself built on two key recommendations from an independent commission report: to create a co-ordinating role for learning providers, and to introduce a standardised record of competency for trainees.
The proposal to remove the two-year requirement was initially met with considerable pushback. ARB said it would reconsider after a majority of the first 672 consultation respondents, 60 per cent, opposed the plans, primarily over concerns that scrapping the fixed duration might reduce standards. The final framework reflects revisions made in response to that feedback.
ARB chair Alan Kershaw said: ‘The feedback we received through our consultation has helped us further strengthen and refine our proposals. We have used this to shape changes that will give trainees a more supportive and flexible experience, while maintaining the high standards required for registration.’
Kershaw added: ‘The new framework for practical experience published today will give learning providers greater flexibility to integrate academic learning and practical experience. It will also provide much greater transparency for trainees about what they should expect from their professional practical experience and how they can access guidance and support.’
Chris Husbands, who chaired the commission into professional practical experience, had previously told the AJ that the commission’s year-long investigation showed the current system placed ‘too much burden on individuals’ during their journey to becoming architects and that change was ‘both necessary and possible’. Husbands said at the time: ‘While there is evidence of very good practice, the fact is that current arrangements for practical experience are inefficient, inconsistent and, too often, ineffective.’
Changes to professional practical experience were first outlined by ARB in June last year after Husbands’s independent commission reported on the subject. The overhaul sits within a broader, once-in-a-generation reform of the architectural education regime, which also includes scrapping Parts 1 to 3. RIBA is among the bodies whose accreditation processes will be affected as learning providers transition qualifications onto the new framework ahead of the December 2028 deadline.
