26 November 2018
Well here we are in the silly season once again, with the parties, pageants and graduate exhibitions. The Ultra Violet exhibition at UniSA opened on Friday. Adelaide University launch Iterate on Friday 7th December. Both provide a showcase of final year work – a mixed celebration with students, friends and family of 5 years hard work, a demonstration of capability to future employers and a testament to the learning imparted by dedicated staff. Ultra Violet lived up to all these aspirations, with design thinking, material and spatial understanding and digital presentation capably displayed in many of the projects. I am looking forward to attending Iterate, where I am confident that there will be more inspiring and beautiful work to view.
Final year exhibitions are a great reminder of the rate of change in the architectural profession. I distinctly remember my own graduate exhibition, where hand drafted and rendered drawings sat alongside student made models. In 2018 presentation is almost exclusively digital and some groups of students commissioned professional models. At a more fundamental level, the range of available materials, complexity of technical system, regulatory requirements and variety of project procurement methodologies and contracts has grown considerably. Another key difference between graduating in 1991 and 2018 is that graduates have much better prospects of finding a job, with a number already having secured positions.
And so, to the age-old question. Do students graduate with the knowledge required to take them into the work force? This can lead to heated debate.
However, from my perspective the issue needs to be considered in the following way. Is the expectation that graduates should be immediately ready to start work as autonomous members of the team realistic? There are clearly aspects of architecture that are better learned in a work context. The current registration system is predicated on graduates completing structured experience within a work context prior to being able to register. This is a parallel pathway to doctors, lawyers and accountants, who are also required to undertake post graduate, work place education prior to completing their professional registration.
To assist in this transition to the workplace, tertiary education for architects is increasingly incorporating work integrated learning opportunities, which assist in preparing graduates for a professional practice environment. Many students also seek to work while completing their studies. Experience in the workplace benefits for both practice and students, and I commend those practices that provide such opportunities. It is a great investment in the future of the profession.
I know that I had a lot to learn post-graduation and am very thankful to those colleagues who supported me during this time, providing opportunities for me to develop my skills and knowledge within a structured framework. I hope and trust that this year’s graduates are provided the opportunity to commence on a similar pathway.
In return graduates need to demonstrate their capacity to contribute to the workplace; to show initiative and develop new knowledge while learning from the experience of others. This is your opportunity to apply your knowledge across areas that the profession has deemed suited for delivery through tertiary education and to recognise where your ‘gaps’ are. Architectural practice has the important role of supporting you in this process.
We wish all of you – graduates and practitioners – embarking on this exciting journey every success.
Nicolette Di Lernia
SA Chapter Executive Director