Celebrating 25 Years of Bringing Specifiers and Manufacturers Together Through CPD

Over the past two and a half decades, the RIBA CPD Providers Network has provided a platform for architects to develop professionally, whilst also enabling manufacturers to educate the industry about their products. In 2018, more than 5,500 free in-house CPDs were delivered to more than 41,000 specifiers.

Created in 1994 and delivered by NBS and the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), the platform helps architects achieve their annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) obligations whilst learning from over 550 members, including the best product manufacturers.

The benefits of CPD certainly aren’t limited to specifiers, however, as Sarah Roberts (Marketing Director at RIBA CPD member John Cullen Lighting) points out – belonging to the Network offers unrivalled opportunities to meet architects and specifiers.

‘Delivering our RIBA-accredited CPDs has opened doors to potential architects and specifiers, and strengthened relationships with existing ones’, she says. ‘Our Sales Team also find the approach of offering a CPD a great door-opener, as well as providing an excellent means of going back to a specifier to see if we can work with them on any project’.

Alongside the opportunity to build new relationships, being an RIBA-accredited CPD provider provides unrivalled credibility, with many manufacturers acknowledging the importance of CPD within the industry by choosing to use it as part of their marketing plan. As Kevin

O’Connell (Sales Director: Roofing Specification at IKO, who has been a RIBA CPD member for 25 years) points out:

‘It’s not enough to manufacture the best products in the market. To succeed, a manufacturer needs to have a way of communicating its expertise to the building designers who can benefit. We also appreciate the value of the RIBA accreditation, which clearly signals our commitment to working in partnership with the professional body for the architectural community’. – Kevin O’Connell, Sales Director – Roofing Specification at IKO

For architects, and other professionals in the construction industry, hearing first-hand from manufacturers about new products and technologies (while simultaneously keeping their skills up to date) is a huge benefit. As a result, the network has proved to be one of the most successful and trusted resources in the industry.

Another benefit, as Joni Tyler (Head of CPD at the RIBA) points out, is that it’s both free and flexible. ‘Architects can access RIBA-assessed technical CPD courses at a time that suits them, either online or in a seminar or workshop at their office’, she explains. ‘They can also attend one of our free CPD Roadshows across the UK. It means they can meet their CPD requirements, as well as learn about new developments, in a quick and easy way’.

To retain their RIBA membership, chartered architects must complete at least 35 hours of CPD each year and achieve a minimum of 100 ‘learning points’. The standards against which we assess the course material constantly evolve in line with best practice and changing industry requirements. This means safer and more informed specification decisions, using the latest information’.

Network Providers must pass a rigorous assessment before being able to deliver their CPDs to construction industry professionals. Once their CPD presentations are approved, they benefit from help with marketing their course material, from promotions on ribacpd.com, and from other market-leading websites and newsletters. They are also free to use the widely recognised and valued RIBA CPD logos on their company materials for a further seal of approval as Iqbal Johal, Marketing Manager for Galvanizers Association confirms ‘To be able to have our training recognized and accredited by an industry body such as RIBA is a mark of confidence that we value highly’

Any manufacturer, trade association, consultancy or training body can become a part of the RIBA CPD Providers Network. Its existing member base covers the industry spectrum from air conditioning installers to security specialists.

If you’d like to book a CPD seminar, factory tour or any other type of online and offline CPDs please visit ribacpd.com To find out more about becoming a CPD Provider, visit: manufacturers.thenbs.com/