Mark Cherrett MCIAT, Associate Director at rpa:vision.

How did you approach your POP Record?
• Under-pinning Knowledge
Having already passed my HNC in Building Studies at Southend Technical College, I was able to utilise this along with the experience and knowledge gained from 25 years in the industry for the knowledge section.
• Performance
It was clear that the POP Record sections mirrored those stages found in the Architects Workbook and I found that using this as the basis helped me fully understand what project examples and experience I needed to use. It helped point the way for areas I was either not sure about or lacked expeience in. This, along with extensive reading and the constant badgering of colleagues to impart their project knowledge and experiences was invaluable to help me complete the sections confidently.

I was also extremely lucky that my company, rpa:vision, were fully supportive to not only myself but other employees progressing within CIAT, that we were able to set up a fortnightly POP Record workshop – this enabled us to brainstorm correct interpretation of the criteria and use each other as sounding boards to discuss the sections as and when we completed them.

Who acted as your Supervisor and why?
My fellow Associate Director, James Breaks, who as well as being our Design Studio Manager, is a member of the RIBA – this gave me I felt, the ideal mix of skills and experience that would cover all the elements of the POP Record.

How long did it take you to complete?
I attained ACIAT status in February 2009 and started the POP Record soon afterwards – initially setting myself a completion goal of six months. However with work commitments and the fact that the research element that had to be undertaken to reinforce the performance section took longer than expected, meant I wasn’t actually ready for submission until February  2010.

How did you find the POP Panel Process?
Educational! To fully understand the criteria required and then be able to recreate it in a detailed format for others to assess, meant that I had to question my own knowledge and review the processes and procedures undertaken on current and previous projects. Questioning why I had done things a certain way, and in hindsight perhaps doing them differently in the future!

How did you find the Professional Practice Interview?
Having been stuck in a traffic jam for two hours and arriving late and flustered, the interviewers were excellent at making me feel at ease, through a mixture of relaxed questioning – why I wanted to join CIAT - to general conversations about the company I work for. For those worried about attending a formal interview for the first time in a number of years – don’t be! Also, being able to find out I was successful straight after the interview was ideal.

Do you have any advice to candidates currently completing their POP Records?
Take time to understand every element of the POP Record, there will be some sections that you do on a day-to-day basis and will have all the evidence and performance required, however there will be others where you will need to go away and research the subject – for these don’t be afraid to ask!

If you are unsure as to how to answer a question or where to look for reference, speak to others who have either already been through the POP record process or colleagues with specialism in a particular field for guidance e.g. getting first hand feedback from a project manager who produces tender documentation on a regular basis is a great case study - even better, help him in the preparation of the next one!

How has the qualification benefited you?
It proves my technical abilites to others, as having a Chartered accreditation – especially one that is being recognised more and more as ‘the one’ for our industry – proves my specific technical ability and construction based knowledge.
Being part of CIAT also opens the door to other liked-minded individuals for networking and development opportunities.