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Fact or Fiction?
Debunking Common Myths
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Myth: NCIDQ is just one of many organizations that work for interior designers.
Fiction: NCIDQ exists to advocate for the public within the interior design profession. Our mission is to "protect the health, life safety and welfare of the public by establishing standards of competence in the practice of interior design."
In the United States there are two organizations that advocate on behalf of the interior design profession - International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). In Canada, it is Interior Designers of Canada (IDC). The Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) is the advocacy group for interior design educators. While NCIDQ works with and cooperates with these groups on many issues, it is not our purpose to advocate for the profession.
At times that may mean that NCIDQ and the other associations will take different positions on an issue. However, in general, these organizations and the other standard-setting organization, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), all work together on projects like identifying the interior design profession's body of knowledge or developing the Careers in Interior Design Web site.
Interior designers who hold our credential - the NCIDQ Certificate - often incorrectly believe that they are "members" of NCIDQ, just as they may be a member of ASID, IDC or IIDA. This is not true.
NCIDQ is not a membership organization for individuals. We issue a Certificate. That Certificate indicates that the person met the education, experience and examination standards at the time of issuance. It is a quality benchmark, not an admission point into NCIDQ membership.
NCIDQ's only members are the regulatory boards in the United States and Canada. These entities license interior designers based on our Certificate. A "licensed" (also referred to as "certified" or "registered") interior designer has been given the privilege of using a regulated title or practicing within a state or province by the regulatory board. Holding a license in one of these jurisdictions is not equivalent to membership.
Have a common NCIDQ myth you'd like dispelled? E-mail us at news@ncidq.org! |
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Save 10%
On CE Monographs!
NCIDQ has five continuing education courses to choose from! Each monograph comes with an open-book quiz you can take on your schedule to earn 0.6 CEUs in health, life safety and welfare. Active Certificate holders save 10 percent on all NCIDQ monographs!
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NCIDQ's Mission
To protect the health, life safety and welfare of the public by establishing standards of competence in the practice of interior design. |
Bookmark NCIDQ
www.ncidq.org
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Greetings,
Welcome to the April edition of the QLetter, your electronic source for NCIDQ news and updates, industry announcements and calls to action. |
NCIDQ Has a New Home
 On March 31, 2009, NCIDQ opened for business in our new home on 1602 L Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC.
We
are thrilled to be in such a beautiful new space.
For pictures of the new space and articles about how we came to reside on L Street, read our NCIDQ on the Move blog here. |
NCIDQ Launches New Web Site Portal
NCIDQ has launched a new feature on its Web site - the Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW) Education Portal.
Public health, safety and welfare are an interior designer's first priorities. NCIDQ Certificate holders are trained to create spaces that meet local, state and provincial building codes and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the needs of the intended users.
To show consumers, code officials and allied professionals exactly what that means, NCIDQ has created a three-dimensional, interactive floor plan of an office that shows design features that meet typical regulatory requirements, from fire-rated doors to wheelchair-accessible lavatory sinks. Scrolling over areas of the plan, the user encounters numbers that correspond to the various design requirements.
Certificate holders can use this feature to educate their clients on
the value of their services and to further explain how interior
designers protect the safety of the users of a space.
To begin the tour, simply log on to NCIDQ's home page at www.ncidq.org.
If you have comments or suggestions on ways to improve the HSW portal, please e-mail hsw@ncidq.org. For more information on the HSW portal or any of NCIDQ's services, visit the NCIDQ Web site. |
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NCIDQ Surveys Profession as Part of Exam Validation
NCIDQ has completed its 2008 analysis of the interior design profession. Every five years, NCIDQ undertakes this analysis in order to ensure that the exam remains relevant to the practice. (The last survey was in 2003.) Critical to the success of this analysis is having practicing interior design professionals working alongside our testing consultant, ACT, Inc.
Last year, more than a dozen active Certificate holders from the United States and Canada were randomly selected to serve as members of a panel of experts who reviewed and vetted the survey results.
We call on our active Certificate holders periodically to assist us with our work, so keeping your Certificate active is one way to ensure that you are always in our pool of potential volunteers.
The panel of experts developed a survey that was sent to more than 3,300 Certificate holders. More than 27 percent completed the survey, including the demographic information. The demographics of the respondents give us a small snapshot of our Certificate-holder population.
2008 2003
Female 88% 82%
Male 12% 18%
20-29 years old 13% 5%
30-39 years old 33% 19%
40-49 years old 24% 31%
50-60 years old 25% 33%
More than 60 years old 5% 12%
In 2003, more than 50 percent of the respondents were working as part of a design staff, and last year, that number increased to 70 percent. Five years ago, 77 percent were working fulltime, and in 2008, 88 percent of our Certificate holders were practicing fulltime.
The number of designers working in corporate/office specialties increased only slightly, although the number of residential designers decreased. Many responded that they worked in both areas. The number of respondents working in healthcare nearly doubled.
With respect to education, in 2008, there was a small drop in the number of Certificate holders with an associate's degree, and an 8 percent rise in those with bachelor's degrees. Eleven percent of the respondents held master's degrees.
In addition to providing demographic data, these respondents were essential to the panel of experts' deliberations on determining the content of the NCIDQ Examination. NCIDQ appreciates the time each took to complete the survey.
The practice analysis research report is available as a PDF on the NCIDQ Web site. Click here to download the report. |
NCIDQ Attends HD Expo
Join us at the HD 2009 Expo in Las Vegas on May 14-16! Visit NCIDQ at our booth on association row, between the exhibit hall and the hotel. You can register for HD here. Register by April 10 and pay the early bird rate.
 Get your NCIDQ Certificate holder ribbon to wear proudly during the conference! Visit our booth to receive your ribbon.
NCIDQ Executive Director Leads NCIDQ Conference Session
NCIDQ's Executive Director Jeffrey F. Kenney will lead an informative session that will cover a breadth of information about the NCIDQ Examination, how to hire an NCIDQ Certificate holder, how to benefit from your NCIDQ credential and gain a competitive edge and much more.
The workshop will be held on May 15 from 12-1 p.m. The class is worth 0.1 CEU. To register for this workshop, click here. |
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Sincerely,
NCIDQ
E-mail: news@ncidq.org
Phone: 202-721-0220
Fax: 202-721-0221
Web Site: http://www.ncidq.org
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