Emily Foster, Level 6 Architectural Apprentice at AHMM

In this Architecture Social CPD, Stephen Drew speaks with Emily Foster, a Level 6 Architectural Assistant Apprentice at Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), about the architectural apprenticeship route and what it is really like to earn while you learn. Running time about 48 minutes.

[audio src="https://media.transistor.fm/814f8bc3/6e45f67b.mp3"]

Prefer to listen or watch elsewhere? Play the episode on Transistor or watch it on YouTube.

Who this is for

Students, sixth-formers, career-changers and Part 1 assistants weighing up the architectural apprenticeship against the traditional university route, plus employers and studio leads who want to understand the apprenticeship model before offering places.

Learning outcomes

After watching or listening you will be able to:

1. Explain how the Level 6 and Level 7 architectural apprenticeship route works and how it maps onto Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
2. Compare the apprenticeship with the traditional degree-plus-year-out route on cost, time and practical exposure.
3. Identify what makes a practice environment genuinely supportive for an apprentice.
4. Describe how mentoring, team rotation and live project work build confidence and employability.
5. Weigh up the financial model of an apprenticeship, including the earn-while-you-learn and debt-free aspects.
6. Advise a prospective applicant on how to approach the application process.

How Emily came into architecture

Emily's route in was not a lifelong plan. Her interest built at school and was opened up by the Accelerate programme, a widening-participation initiative run with UCL and architecture practices that introduces students from underrepresented backgrounds to the profession. That connection led her to AHMM.

What the architectural apprenticeship actually is

The apprenticeship blends academic study and paid practice across several years, with apprentices splitting their week between university and the studio. Rather than separating education and the year out into discrete phases, the two run in parallel, so learning is tested against real work almost immediately.

Apprenticeship versus the traditional route

The traditional path segments study and experience; the apprenticeship fuses them. Emily's view is that instant application of academic learning in live scenarios reinforces knowledge in a way purely theoretical study cannot, while the traditional route still offers a fuller, more immersive campus experience that suits different people.

Mentorship and team dynamics at AHMM

At AHMM apprentices are placed inside project teams rather than kept on the sidelines. A rotating roster of mentors gives a broad view of the profession, from masterplans to residential schemes, and the director-led team structure means exposure to multiple sectors and project stages.

The application process and the financial case

A major draw of the route is its financial model: apprentices avoid the tuition fees of a traditional degree and are paid from the outset, contributing to the practice while they study. Emily talks through how to approach the application and why the earn-while-you-learn structure builds professional maturity early.

Balancing work and study

Splitting the week between the studio and university takes discipline. Emily is candid about managing deadlines on both sides, protecting study time, and keeping a social life and wider student experience alongside paid work.

Progression, Part 3 and flexibility

Completing the Level 6 apprenticeship opens several doors: staying with the practice, moving elsewhere, or progressing to the Level 7 apprenticeship, which covers Part 2 and Part 3. The route is designed to flex around individual career aspirations.

What it means for employers and recruitment

Emily and Stephen close on what employers still get wrong about the apprenticeship, why practices need to understand the route properly before offering it, and how a well-run scheme widens the talent pool.

Key terms

• Architectural Apprenticeship - a work-based route to qualification combining paid practice with university study.
• Level 6 / Level 7 - apprenticeship levels mapping broadly to undergraduate (Part 1) and postgraduate plus professional practice (Part 2 and Part 3).
• Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 - the RIBA and ARB stages on the way to registration.
• RIBA Trailblazer - the employer-led group that developed the architectural apprenticeship standards.
• Accelerate - a UCL and practice widening-participation programme introducing underrepresented students to architecture.

Reflective prompts for your CPD record

1. If you were advising a sixth-former today, which route would you recommend for them and why, given cost, learning style and career goals?
2. What would your practice need to put in place - mentoring, study time, project exposure - to run a genuinely supportive apprenticeship?
3. How does working while studying change the way knowledge sticks, and where might it fall short compared with full-time study?

About the guest

Emily Foster is a Level 6 Architectural Assistant Apprentice at AHMM, which has run Level 6 and Level 7 Architectural Apprenticeships as a RIBA Trailblazer participant since 2016.