Alternative Pathways into ARIDO Membership

Through the Intern Competencies Review System (ICRS)™

The Alternative Pathway into ARIDO Membership is through the Intern Competencies Review System (ICRS)™ for applicants who did not graduate from a CIDA accredited Interior Design program.

Applicants are required to submit a book of evidence-based on a prescribed set of competencies, consisting of evidence(s) from relevant work experience, education, or training to prove they meet the minimum education competencies required for Intern membership.

What is the ICRS Process?

ICRS Infographic 2023Download

List of Competencies

The competencies are listed below. To download this document please click here: Intern Competencies Review System (ICRS)™

Competencies Review for Intern Membership -V4Download

Begin ICRS Application

For more information or to begin your application, please contact Jose Tanabe, Regulatory Coordinator jtanabe@arido.ca.

Intern Competencies Review System™ Whitepaper

As part of the launch of ICRS, ARIDO published a whitepaper on the program and the research which led to the creation of this system.

Intern Competencies Review System™ History

In early 2014, the ARIDO Board of Management formed the Alternative Pathways Task Force and it began a voluntary review of ARIDO’s current registration requirements and practices. The result of that review is a series of recommendations to help better ensure fair access for all applicants.

The Task Force also took into careful consideration the current regulatory environment, namely the Fair Access legislation as enforced by the Office of Fairness Commissioner of Ontario (OFC).

  • critically examine the relevance of existing registration requirements
  • identify potential gaps that may exist between the current minimum standards and the minimum competencies required to practice the profession
  • ensure that there are no barriers to the profession
  • become transparent about all possible routes for meeting registration requirements
  • provide clear information to applicants about acceptable alternatives

The Task Force report found that in order to ensure fair access for all Intern applicants, ARIDO needs to move toward the assessment of qualifications based on competencies, rather than credentials.

Moving toward competency-based assessment will improve fair access for non-traditional Intern applicants who do not meet the minimum education credential but who have the competencies equivalent to the learning outcomes of the CIDA-accredited degree programs.

For more information, please contact Jose Tanabe, Regulatory Coordinator jtanabe@arido.ca.