Sean Phelan of the British Kitchen Designers Association says in a bid to launch a professional qualification, the industry must support students post-graduation, by creating a career path
The majority of readers of this article will be kbb professionals of one kind or another, specialist showrooms, interior designers, architects or specifiers. Some may have entered the kbb industry as a dedicated career choice, while others may have drifted in from other sectors. But there is one group of kbb professionals - kitchen designers - where it would probably be fair to say very few will have made a conscious decision on leaving school to enter this sector. The reason? There hasn’t been a dedicated career path or training scheme in the past. But this is about to change.As of September 2013, the first students will be entering Bucks New University with the express aim of qualifying with a degree in kitchen design .
With a course length of two years (full-time) and an third year (part-time) , this is not just a step in the right direction but a quantum leap. And that’s not only for the students but also for the kbb industry and the discipline of kitchen design. So it’ s a win win scenario? Well not exactly.
Create post-graduate path
Given that the course fees are approximately £15,000 for the two- year course and another £15,000 can be added to that for living expenses , there could be a financial cost of at least £30,000 (subject to state grants ) for full-time students. And it’s not only the cost of the course, but the loss of earnings which could affect those already working in the industry who wish to study part-time. These new graduates will be entering the jobs market in late 2015, the first to have a dedicated kitchen design degree. Many will have to carry that debt forward with them, like other graduates, except unlike architects or engineers, there is no industry requirement for them to hold any qualification to practice as a kitchen designer.
Is it not incumbent upon the industry to set up a graduate entry programme for these young professionals, to aid their development and to gain from their training, for the betterment of the industry as a whole? Given that these young people can choose from a wide range of more established design disciplines and ones that have dedicated career paths, will not some incentive be needed to attract the brightest and the best?
And we should never forget that, as the vast majority of young kitchen designers will continue to enter through vocational routes (on the job training). A dedicated programme will still need to be developed for those who need to learn as they earn . Some might say that no special treatment should be given to those who enter through the graduate route, but should the industry not make the most out of these new graduates and encourage kitchen design as a profession as opposed to a job?
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