The RAIC Syllabus Program is now under new and energetic administration and the process of renewal will be supported by federal funding. The RAIC Syllabus Program announced last year the new director of the program - architect and educator Jay Hiscox, MRAIC. Hiscox is a graduate of McGill University's School of Architecture, having also received formative education at the Technische Universitat Wien (Vienna) and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. As a professional, Hiscox is a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, a registered architect with the Ordre des Architectes du Quebec, and an accredited LEEDTM Professional.

Jay Hiscox will administer the Syllabus Program and he will participate in the program renewal including curriculum review and program standards, creating strong foundations for the Syllabus to occupy a vibrant and vital role in all aspects of architectural education. Horizons for the program include expansion of its national presence into Quebec and eastern Canada and the integration of foreign trained professionals. There are currently 257 students enrolled in the Program.

In 2003, the RAIC created a Task Group to review the RAIC Syllabus program and develop a vision and business case that will allow the program to meet the educational demands of the 21st Century.

Chaired by Ian Macdonald, FRAIC, the Task Group prepared a report outlining its analysis of the Program and its recommendations for the future. Other members of the original Task Group included David Covo, FRAIC, former chair of the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) and Director of the School of Architecture at McGill University; Brian Watkinson, FRAIC, Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Architects; Stephan Namisniak, MRAIC, a RAIC Syllabus graduate and principal of Karp Namisniak Yamamoto Architects Inc.; as well as Carole Scheffer, FRAIC, member of the Ordre des architectes du Québec. Please refer to the RAIC website for a copy of the report.

Following acceptance of the report and its recommendations, the RAIC Board of Directors charged the Task Group with preparing a business case and funding application to the federal department, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). The application itself was undertaken jointly with the Canadian Architectural Certification Board. This March 2006, HRSDC communicated that Phase 1 of the grant application has been approved. Phase 1 of the project will be directed by the Steering Committee and its objectives are:

To identify research gaps in the area of internationally trained architecture graduates (IAGs) in the Canadian labour market;

To conduct research to address these gaps in order to provide the architectural profession with a more complete analysis of IAGs in the Canadian labour market (research to focus on the collection of qualitative and quantitative information on IAGs in Canada, on the profession's effectiveness in assessing IAG's credentials and experience, and the potential role for the RAIC Syllabus program in integrating IAGs into the profession in Canada and as a tool for upgrading training for the IAGs )

To develop a strategy and recommendations for next steps for the architectural profession to facilitate the assessment, recognition, and integration of IAGs into the Canadian architectural workforce

To establish support and consensus from key stakeholders (including the provincial/territorial licensing authorities and the Canadian University Schools of Architecture) for a strategy and recommendations for next steps.

The RAIC Syllabus Program has long been recognized and respected as an alternative path to meet the educational requirements for registration as an architect. The goodwill of many volunteer members of the profession currently helps to continue the Syllabus tradition

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