What does the data tell us about the real path to becoming an architect, and how is NCARB shifting its model to build a more adaptable, modular roadmap for future candidates?
In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee breaks down the 15th edition of the NCARB by the Numbers report. She is joined by Jenny Kawecki, who leads data analytics and research at NCARB, and Gabriella Bermea, a licensed architect and NCARB volunteer who chaired the Experience Committee. Together, they explore the shifting dynamics of the architectural pipeline, unpacking why the median time to licensure has dropped to 12.3 years and what these statistics mean for the future of the profession.
Jenny provides an insider’s view of how NCARB uses this annual data report to track attrition points and actively improve its programs. She highlights major programmatic changes driven by historical data trends, such as retiring the rolling clock and revamping the Architectural Experience Program (AXP) reporting policy to give thousands of candidates their experience credits back. Gabriella adds an on-the-ground perspective, explaining how challenging past assumptions about rigid timelines helps eliminate systemic barriers and re-engages candidates who have stepped away from the path.
The conversation also digs deeply into NCARB’s massive "Pathways to Practice" initiative, a multi-year effort to pivot away from a single, rigid route toward a highly modular, competency-based framework. They address critical pipeline pinch points, including firm culture support during the AXP and the stark demographic pass-rate disparities within the Architect Registration Examination (ARE).
"Instead of pushing everyone through the same path, how can that path meet the needs of the individual? How can it be customizable almost to the candidate so that it aligns with your background, your career path, your educational path, your social path. We want there to be a licensure path that exists for you." - Jenny Kawecki
Finally, they look forward to how a more flexible, customizable licensure path can help mitigate the steep financial burdens of higher education and foster a significantly more diverse, representative body of architects.
Guests:
Jenny Kawecki is NCARB’s Assistant Vice President of Data, Analytics, and Research, where she leads a team that analyzes industry trends and oversees publications like NCARB by the Numbers and Baseline on Belonging. Before joining NCARB in 2016, she wrote for Barnes & Noble and SparkNotes, and she holds a degree in Media, Culture, and the Arts from The King's College.
Gabriella Bermea, AIA, is a Senior Associate and Architect at Perkins Eastman with more than eight years of experience in educational design, stakeholder engagement, and community-focused solutions. A fifth-generation Tejana, she is a passionate advocate for educational equity and community empowerment and currently serves as Chair of NCARB’s Experience Committee.
This episode is especially for you if:
✅You want to know why the median time to licensure dropped and how policy changes like eliminating the rolling clock shifted the needle.
✅You are curious about NCARB's "Pathways to Practice" initiative and how a modular, competency-based framework will offer diverse alternatives to the traditional degree path.
✅ You want to explore the primary pinch points in the licensure pipeline, from firm culture barriers during the AXP to pass-rate disparities within the ARE.
✅You want to learn how the revised AXP reporting requirements allow candidates to receive 100% credit for hours up to a year and 75% credit indefinitely.
✅You are interested in how scholarship programs through NOMA chapters and state boards are helping candidates facing financial and institutional adversities stay on the path.
What have you done to take action lately? Share your reflections with us on social and join the conversation.
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