Placements

Brexit and beyond

No one knows exactly what the relationship between the UK and the EU will be like in the next few years. That said, no one –even the RIBA - has concrete guidance on how it might affect the architectural profession. So far, the immediate effect has been on our second year students who are unable to participate in the Erasmus programme this year. However, we can only speculate what might happen to the industry, to architectural education and to placements in a post-Brexit UK.

And that is only the political tea. Beyond the next few years, there is much more to consider in the way of broader themes such as technology and climate change.

So for now, here is my bit of speculation on the future of placements (Brexit and otherwise): i.

The next couple of years might present challenges for students wanting to work at large firms which have great stakes in the EU, as Brexit-related policies are yet to be set. However, assuming that waves of political upheaval are only sporadic, we should be alright (fingers-crossed). ii. iii.

Exchange programmes and placements in the EU might become less accessible to UK students. It might mean that students will not seek exchange programmes and simply undertake placements in the UK. On the other hand, it could result in students being more open to the opportunities beyond the EU – both for placement and for exchange programmes (as is the case for a few other courses at our university).

Technology is becoming increasingly important. Often, we are hired for placement based on our technical skill set (are you proficient with Rhino?). However, I do not think it is hard to imagine a future where our CAD monkey skills become obsolete. It feels like it could be a matter of time before drafting drawings on computers will be done with the simple press of a button, while an AI bot crunches the numbers.