The journey from first semester freshman year to professional licensure should be a seamless growth experience and the milestones of the journey should be just that, milestones - not obstacles. Complicating this objective are the various governing forces of degree requirements, accreditation criteria, core competencies and the specific requirements of employment and practice. The focus, therefore, of the education-internship-registration process changes from phase to phase and is seldom in the hands of the individual; the standards are set by the educational institution, NAAB, IDP, the employer and ultimately the Architectural Registration Exam. The solution lies in the coordination of all of the above into a harmonious system of personal and professional development and my response is not in the form of "what one thing would you change…" it is more a statement of " changes that we are making to smooth out the process".

In November 2004 we were introduced to the Emerging Professionals Companion (EPC) and began reviewing it for content and application. Following presentations by Suzanna Wight, AIA to both faculty and students we recognized the EPC as a potential vehicle to a smoother transition from classroom to workplace. It caused us to examine all aspects of the school experience, work experience (cooperative and permanent employment) and the requirements of IDP. The result was a more focused approach to incorporating IDP into our curriculum and enhancing student understanding and awareness of all processes and requirements using EPC. It is not possible to fully explain this effort in less than 500 words so I offer this bulleted thumbnail sketch:

• Enrollment in IDP is now prerequisite to registering for the design studio sequence, students who fail to open an IDP file are on academic hold until they do so.
• The Student Leadership Office has developed specialized workshops in personal time management for architecture students to help them meet the objectives of the program and later coordinate their efforts with the requirements of internship.
• The Architecture faculty has adopted the EPC and we have 100% participation in using it for reference in all architectural courses.
• Syllabi for required architectural courses all contain EPC references for further study.
• The Career Services office is working with select architectural faculty in developing job descriptions that include appropriate core competency requirements. Employment opportunities that do not meet internship criteria are no longer posted.

By using the EPC as a transition vehicle we are able to restate objectives in the same terms as internship requirements and offer concrete examples to the student/intern. As this approach continues to unfold the mentor program of our local AIA chapter and support from an active Design Professionals Advisory Committee will supplement it.

While this initiative does not change internship it significantly improves preparation for internship and provides for greatly improved transitions between education and practice.

Note: IDP Coordinators were asked to respond to a more specific question based on their unique experiences with the interns.