Architectural Internship should be a mutually beneficial mechanism that transitions architecture students from their place of education to the workplace and ultimately to licensing. On a macro level it seems that this is one of IDP's goals, but on a more elemental level IDP is missing some essential components. If IDP were to focus more on facilitating rather than simply recording the transition into practice, the program would move to an entirely new level benefiting rather than burdening students, universities and the profession at large.

While IDP has made its way into architecture schools and encourages students to enroll and record hours, it does little when it comes to helping students find places to log those hours. I am not suggesting that IDP become a career development center, but that it finds a way to help facilitate the relationships between universities, students and professional firms. While most schools of architecture have career centers, their ability to match students with long-term career-focused internships is limited. When compared to other professional schools (i.e., law, medicine, business) architecture schools fall sorely short.

Of course there are fundamental reasons that the nature of architecture internships differ from those of other professions, but the lack of support mechanisms for students moving into the role of architectural intern shouldn't be one of them. It seems to me that the link between the profession, students and the educational institutions is a place where IDP could and should play a larger role. By partnering with firms and career centers, IDP has the reach to connect students with firms and firms with the type of incoming professionals they need. If IDP were able to establish this relationship at the beginning of the architectural internship, it would be better able to facilitate the entire internship process, thus allowing it to be perceived as a useful and necessary part of the profession rather than just a tallying organization.

As an extension of IDP's new role as internship facilitator, IDP could begin to work with firms and interns to offer alternative ways to earn units in hard to complete categories. IDP could partner with firms, schools and local organizations to sponsor competitions that result in earned units for interns. This would help take some of the pressure off of firms, allow interns to grow their skills and portfolios while working towards licensing, provide services to local organizations and earn positive recognition for IDP.

These are just a few in a list of many things that IDP could do to enhance the architectural internship, but if it is to succeed there must be a fundamental change at the heart of the organization. IDP must grow beyond record keeper and become the organization that facilitates and supports the firms who employ interns and the interns themselves as they move from student to employee to licensed architect.

I believe that my former career as a business strategy consultant and my new career as an architectural intern would prove useful in discussing these and other ideas for enhancing the architectural internship and devising a future strategy for IDP.