The outcome of this process will be a decision that a candidate either qualifies directly for admission into the profession and will be directed to the designated provincial/territorial licensing body, or requires skill upgrading in certain areas in order to qualify for licensure, or does not have competencies required for licensure in Canada and should pursue alternative career paths.
Candidates who do meet the competency standards for practice in Canada have the potential to be licensed as an architect within a Canadian jurisdiction several years sooner than currently is the case. From the moment they finalize their self-assessment, candidates should be scheduled for a face-to-face interview and be advised of their results within one calendar year. A candidate licensed in any jurisdiction in Canada through this process will be able to pursue practice anywhere in the country.
With respect to required skills upgrading, I should add that the financial support provided by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada is also being committed to the development of online distance learning courses that will be offered through the RAIC Centre for Architecture at Athabasca University.
As was mentioned earlier, the new assessment system is in the pilot stage. The first pilot took place in Vancouver in March 2011, and two more are scheduled for January and March of 2012, including one pilot focusing on French language candidates. The system will be refined through these pilots prior to receiving final endorsement from provincial and territorial regulators. Again, our objective is to launch the system operationally in September 2012.
As we move forward, one issue that our provincial and territorial colleagues will be addressing with their governments is amendments, where required, to adapt the legislative framework for this new approach.
Much of the work remains ahead of us, but we have made significant progress to date, thanks in no small part to the strong support being provided to this project by all of the provincial and territorial regulatory bodies, the volunteer commitment of the BEFA task force membership, and the Canadian Architectural Certification Board.
We welcome the opportunity to provide you with additional information in the question and answer session.