NOTICE TO AILA MEMBERS
Announcing changes to AILA membership titles - and a new emphasis on CPD
>> click here for information on the acronym to be used
At the AILA Special General meeting, 30th March 2007, the meeting approved the amendments to the constitution as had been notified to the membership.
As a result of these changes, the AILA has introduced a change to the nomenclature to describe full AILA membership, will be asking all members to notify annually their participation in CPD (starting in 2008), and will be introducing a new entry process for applicants for full membership.
>> an overview of the review of membership 2003 - 2006
Changes to the nomenclature for AILA full Members:
Those who are presently Associates of the AILA (AAILA) are to be re-classified as Registered Landscape Architects (AILA or FAILA).
Those who are presently Registered Landscape Architects will maintain their current status.
The term Associate (AAILA) is to be no longer used as the nomenclature for full AILA Membership. All Associates are to be reclassified as Registered Landscape Architects in mid 2007 at the time of this year’s renewals; the acronym to be used is: AILA. details below..
This removes the former nomenclature of ‘Associate’ and the acronym AAILA and replaces it with the more universal and easily understood professional status of being a Registered Landscape Architect.
Using the term ‘Registered’ will then align the profession easily with other professions and reduce the chances of confusion by agencies seeking to employ ‘registered’ professionals and consultants.
The AILA will henceforth have one class of full professional membership again and be able to market its professional recognition (membership) more easily.
What Acronym will members use?
Recognised professionals are called Registered Landscape Architects, the acronym to be used after the members name is AILA; or FAILA for fellows; or with an additional (PP) if the member is a former National Past President.
eg: Joanne Jones AILA
Jeremy Johnson FAILA
or a member may wish to spell out that they are Registered:
Jenny Johnson AILA, Registered Landscape Architect
Jeremy Johnson FAILA, Registered Landscape Architect
or on your business card you may set it out like this:
Jenny Johnson AILA
Registered Landscape Architect
Jeremy Johnson FAILA
Registered Landscape Architect
This use of acronyms has been approved to be used from June 2007
New Membership Applications 2007 - 2008
A formal mentoring process is to be introduced for the 2008 submissions for new membership. Applicants will be required to register their intent to undertake the professional registration process, then enter a formal period of mentorship and submit an online self-assessment prior to being assessed by an interview panel.
The assessment will need to cover the range of disciplines within landscape architecture. The assessment should be a guide to those competencies required to be achieved in the workplace over the two years of employment.
The assessment needs to take into consideration that the University program has delivered the essentials to commence a career as a landscape architect but that the workplace is the only place to gain the final set of competencies and expertise required for on-going practice.
It is these final set of competencies that need to identified and then assessed. There should be no duplication of assessing the knowledge, the expertise and competencies already gained through the university program.
The AILA is to change its professional entrance processes to include a new written (online) assessment assisted by nominated mentors. The graduates will submit for assessment with the AILA after at least two years practice and professional development following the gaining of the recognised and accredited qualification.
This first part of submission process for membership is to be made in August each year.
In August of the year prior to the interview and assessment, the graduate will need to register for the assessment and include in the submission the names of their sponsor(s). The sponsor will be required to co-sign the online assessment to signify that they consider that the candidate has satisfied the criteria.
The graduate would then undertake a period of mentorship whereby the applicant would work through an online program with their mentor(s) with the aim to submit documentation in February the following year.
The applicant must have the minimum two years of recognised practice at the time of the February application being received.
The online assessment will require the applicant to satisfy a set of units of professional practice. The mentor would be required to assist the applicant to satisfactorily achieve these new units. The candidate would have 6 months to work with their mentor(s) to complete and submit the online documentation. This documentation would be assessed and deemed satisfactory or not. Those applicants deemed unsatisfactory would not continue to have their application assessed and would be asked to resubmit in the following year.
Once this submission stage has been completed, the AILA, through their state groups, would call the on-going candidates to interview for an oral assessment in April/May of each year.
The oral assessment would review each candidate’s commitment to professionalism and the AILA as is done under the present system. However, the panel would also carry out a limited (random) audit of the written submissions as part of the oral assessment.
Reasons for the change:
Agencies are looking to the profession to provide an easily understood status of professional recognition that they can use alongside that being provided by other professional groups.
The term 'Registered' is the most accepted in Australia. For instance, agencies establishing competitions have struggled to understand the relationship between the Associate and the Registered Landscape Architect. Most now use the term "registered with the relevant association/institute" as their terminology for identifying professionals.
The reality is that clients and those running competitions, despite many marketing attempts, have not understood why the AILA has two layers of membership (ie Associates and Registered Landscape Architects).
However, the registration scheme has identified that the AILA needs to ensure that there are processes for providing the professional recognition and that agencies need to have confidence in those recognition processes.
By moving to this one nomenclature for all fully recognised members, agencies will have a much easier means of recognising, and therefore employing or choosing for competitions, AILA landscape architects as their preferred consultants.
A new emphasis on CPD
As part of the renewal process in 2007 and beyond, all members now to be regarded as registered members will be required to supply basic information on their on-going CPD.
Registered members will be encouraged to use an online process to renew their membership, complete CPD requirements and pay annual fees in mid 2008. (hard copy to be also available)
That is, from mid 2008 there will be requirement for all registered members to annually supply basic details on their professional development.
This process is to be accessible and not onerous – as Council recognises that its members undertake professional development and the system should be a tool to provide recognition for the members’ on-going commitment to their own professional practice.
The process presently being used by the Registered Landscape Architects is the model to underpin this new process. However, while the RLA renewing process was used to identify CPD, it was proving too onerous and complicated.
It is planned therefore to have an online system that not only records CPD but also encourages all landscape architects to seek new opportunities for CPD and to consider CPD as life-long.
The other factor to be recognised is that many professionals are mentors to others and/or continue to have life-long mentor relationships with their colleagues.
Use of the term 'landscape architect' and/or 'Registered Landscape Architect'
It is aimed to have a system whereby the title Registered Landscape Architect can only be used by those Australian professionals who are professionally recognised through the AILA.
Henceforth we will avoid the state by state debates about people using the term ‘landscape architect’.
The AILA will no longer have to expend energy dealing with graduates or others may wish to call themselves landscape architects.
Until they successfully apply and are accepted, graduates from accredited programs will not be able to call themselves Registered Landscape Architects - ie professionally recognised landscape architects.
However, the AILA will continue to advocate that agencies should employ those landscape architects that are Registered Landscape Architects and that agencies need to be aware that using the title 'landscape architect' does not alone denote a recognised professional status.
What changes will there be for former Registered Members?
Former Registered Members will hardly notice any changes except we aim to have a more accessible and less onerous annual CPD reporting process. All full members will have to undertake this reporting process at the time of the mid year renewals.
The former separate registration fees will no longer apply. All members will be subject to the same annual fee scales.
Fellows
Please note that there will be no change to the status of Fellows – being an honour bestowed on full members. Beyond 2007, all Fellows will continue as Registered Landscape Architects and be required to fulfil the same requirements as other Registered Landscape Architects.
How does this effect Graduates, Students and Affiliates?
All these categories of membership are not effected by these changes to full membership.
Except that graduates will now have new processes to plan for when they are considering applying for full membership - to be recognised as an AILA Registered Landscape Architect.
Costs?
There will be no change to the membership fee structures beyond the normal annual CPI increases.
That is: for all the former Associates, now classified as Registered Landscape Architects, there will be no extra costs.
For those who were formally registered under the former registration scheme, they will no longer pay the extra registration fees over and above their annual AILA fees.
Certificates
New A4 Membership certificates will be issued to all members as part of the renewals in mid 2007.
It is recommended that all practices prepare to have business cards and other advertising material altered after mid 2007 (at least do not print any new ones before July 2007). The actual acronym to be used is yet to be finalised.
If a member would like to have a larger A3 version - these can be purchased separately.
Timing
Meanwhile submissions for Registration (RLA) under the previous scheme have now ceased.
New Members: The 2007 applications have now closed (9th February) for full AILA membership; these will be the last under the old system.
The whole scheme is to start in June will the reclassification of all full members as Registered Landscape Architects (subject to annual payment and the completion of CPD requirements).
Those who would have applied for new full membership in 2008, will now have to first register for mentoring in August 2007 and then complete a mentoring process which will result in the lodgment of the completed application in February 2008.
Marketing
New marketing strategies will include encouragement for all members (Registered Landscape Architects) to ensure their own marketing materials promote their AILA Registration.
Registered Landscape Architects will also be asked to ensure their own marketing materials, including web sites, clearly promote landscape architecture and their own professional recognition status.