GRAD - Graduate Retention & Development Programme
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- Date
- 23 Nov
Northern Architecture in partnership with Plus 3 Architecture and with support from Newcastle and Northumbria universities has launched the GRAD project with the aim of assisting recent architecture graduates who find themselves un- or under-employed. The project enables the GRADs to continue to gain relevant experience, work with their peers and develop their management and other core skills. In addition, the project aims to retain creative, qualified graduates within the region and give them opportunities to engage with the development opportunities in the local area.
We currently have about 15 GRADs involved in the project and they are all giving their time for free. +3 Architecture are hosting the GRAD team within their offices and Northern Architecture and representatives from both universities are providing guidance, assistance and support. Both Northumbria and Newcastle universities have made a financial contribution to get the project off the ground and to enable the GRADs to purchase materials and other items to help them realize projects. The GRADs are currently working to attract and develop projects on behalf of ‘virtual’ clients that will enable them to use their creative approaches and design skills to visualise new and alternative approaches to development sites and other notional sites or opportunities. The intention is not for them to be doing pieces of work that would otherwise go to professional practices, rather that local authorities, developers, regeneration organisations and community organisations could ask them to work on visualisation projects that are not covered by any budgets or to scope out opportunities that might then form the basis for future development briefs. In the future, we may be approaching other practices to host further groups of GRADs as following on from graduation this summer, there may well be a great deal more demand for this project. If you would like to express an interest in doing this, please do get in touch. Contact: carol@northernarchitecture.com
The current GRAD team have renamed themselves ArchiGRAD and have launched a website of their own, click here to visit this site.