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The Practice Management Knowledge Community (PMKC) identifies and develops information on the business of architecture for use by the profession to maintain and improve the quality of the professional and business environment.  The PMKC initiates programs, provides content and serves as a resource to other knowledge communities, and acts as experts on AIA Institute programs and policies that pertain to a wide variety of business practices and trends.

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  • 1.  Office Continuing Education Policies

    Posted 10-25-2022 10:44 AM

    We are currently in the process of reviewing our office policies for continuing education and I'm interested what other firms provide for paid continuing education time.

    Is there a limit to how much time devoted to paid continuing education time?

    Are you able to include office Lunch & Learn presentations from vendors on your timesheet? Only ones that provide CEU's?

    What is your policy on conventions?

     

    Thanks!

    Krista

     

     

    Krista Simons Gliva, AIA, LEED® AP BD+C

    ross barney architects

    10 west hubbard street   chicago illinois 60654

    direct_312 897 1762  cell_773 671 3469

    www.r-barc.com

     

     

    Women's Leadership Summit call for proposals. Deadline is April 7. Click here to learn more!


  • 2.  RE: Office Continuing Education Policies

    Posted 10-26-2022 05:33 PM

    We generally do provide compensation for continuing education or conventions/ conferences if it is approved in advance and there is relevance to a person's job responsibilities.

     

    We do not record time for lunch & learns since they occur during the lunch hour.  We are a registered AIA CEU provider.  In addition to vendor presentations, we create our own presentations from in-house experts or consultants.  In those cases, the firm springs for lunch.

    -Tim

     

    Timothy Pellowski, AIA, LEED AP
    Principal




    Architecture. Interior Design. Planning.
    828 West 6th Street, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78703
    t 512.899.3500 | d 512.358.3505 | m 512.826.1059
    STGdesign.com

    AUSTIN | Houston | Nashville

    An Employee-Owned Company

         




    Original Message
    Women's Leadership Summit call for proposals. Deadline is April 7. Click here to learn more!


  • 3.  RE: Office Continuing Education Policies

    Posted 10-26-2022 05:50 PM
    Edited by G. Drake Jacobs AIA 10-26-2022 07:22 PM
    For a dozen years, I worked for an excellent national firm with offices from coast to coast.

    They had a tuition reimbursement policy for all employees that they adopted shortly after they were founded after WW2.  Courses from accredited institutions (including materials) would be reimbursed 100% if the employee got an A in the course. It was less for a B and C.  Nothing for other grades. While approval before taking the course was required, the subjects were largely unrestricted. One staff person got her Accounting Degree and later a CPA as a result.

    The time taken for the courses was on the employee's own time. I took a number of courses in the evenings or Saturdays. CEUs were not required, but I selected several that qualified for AIA / NCARB LUs. Surprisingly, very few people took advantage of this tuition program. maybe 4 or 6 people out of 500 staff per year!

    For local AIA related conventions, some firms fully funded one session and a half day paid time to attend for junior staff (more with permission). Senior staff could take as many as they wanted - fully funded.

    Lunch and learns were on our own time, but the firms encouraged programs that had AIA CEUs.

    Some firms have mandatory risk-management training put on by the liability insurance firms. The time and food was provided by the firms.

    At one fabulous firm I was appointed Director of Education, part of a QC/QA initiative headed by three people. Each of us headed a related initiative: CA, documents, and education. The in house education was scripted (text and props) into a number of modules by senior staff loosely around CSI/AIA criteria. Different senior staff provided a lunch time (usually 90 minute) presentation. Lunch was provided by the office. Attendance was encouraged and tracked but not required. Attendance was rewarded and noted at annual reviews and annual bonuses. The office budgeted for employees to attend these sessions.

    Best Wishes from Boston,
    Drake

    ------------------------------
    G. Drake Jacobs AIA NCARB
    Melrose, MA

    ------------------------------

    Original Message
    Women's Leadership Summit call for proposals. Deadline is April 7. Click here to learn more!


  • 4.  RE: Office Continuing Education Policies

    Posted 10-27-2022 05:36 PM
    Edited by Leah A. Bayer AIA 10-27-2022 05:36 PM
    We dedicate our weekly team meetings to education. Either presentations given by one of our team members on lessons learned, research they're doing, case studies, etc., or we bring in external educators for sessions like traditional lunch and learns. Those are logged on timesheets as overhead. We also offer $500 per year for an education stipend to all staff. Any costs above that amount or events where they're requesting a good chunk of time away from work, for example attending a national conference, we have a grant request program. So far we haven't had to limit time devoted to paid learning. Education and learning is core to our practice and part of what makes our firm unique, so we build it into our budget.

    ------------------------------
    Leah Alissa Bayer, AIA
    President, Architects FORA
    President, AIA Silicon Valley
    https://architectsfora.com/
    ------------------------------

    Original Message
    Women's Leadership Summit call for proposals. Deadline is April 7. Click here to learn more!


  • 5.  RE: Office Continuing Education Policies

    Posted 10-28-2022 05:37 PM
    Leah,
    Your program must be paying for itself, with your colleagues inspired to do more and do better, feel valued and learn useful information. You might consider inviting some of your consultants to talk about collaboration generally, separate from projects themselves.
    Milton

    Milton Shinberg AIA
    Sent from my iPhone


    Original Message
    Women's Leadership Summit call for proposals. Deadline is April 7. Click here to learn more!


  • 6.  RE: Office Continuing Education Policies

    Posted 10-31-2022 05:53 PM
    We offer $800 per year plus 16 hours of Paid Time for professional development for all staff to use at conferences, seminars, continuing ed, etc., more for Associates and Principals ($1,200 + 24 hours).  We also pay for annual AIA membership for all staff and 40 hours paid time for ARE exams plus the cost of 1 of each exam (~$1,510/staff).  We also pay for Associates and Principals local state license, which renews on a bi-annual basis.

    Lastly, we provide 16 hours of paid time to volunteer for a recognized charitable non-profit or faith-based organization, in addition to the 1/2 day volunteering we do as an office for MLK Jr. Day.

    L&L's/vendor presentations are "paid" time as we are all salaried employees and we do track that time.  We also have weekly learning sessions that vary from outside speakers on related topics to in-house teams presenting projects.

    ------------------------------
    Adrianne Steichen AIA
    Pyatok Architects
    San Francisco CA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message
    Women's Leadership Summit call for proposals. Deadline is April 7. Click here to learn more!