Emerging Professional's Companion (EPC): Elective Hours
An IDP enrichment resource, the Emerging Professional's Companion (EPC) (www.epcompanion.org), provides free web-based experience opportunities outside of the studio or work environment.
- The EPC chapters are aligned with the IDP experience areas.
- A maximum of 1,800 hours may be earned through the EPC in any combination of core and elective hours.
Interns, whether or not employed in a qualified experience setting, can earn elective hours through completion of EPC activities. Interns can complete these activities under the supervision of their mentor.
- Each chapter includes activities that are identified as qualifying for either core or elective credit.
- Activities identified for elective credit are not applied to any specific experience area.
- Each activity is worth eight hours.
Work Product
It is required that interns retain copies of all documentation related to EPC activities completed for IDP credit for a period of at least three years beyond the date the experience is approved by their mentor or IDP supervisor.
Reporting EPC
- You must have an AIA number to report EPC activities.
- If you are not an associate member of the AIA, you may obtain a temporary AIA customer number at no charge by following the instructions outlined in the IDP Guidelines.
- EPC activities must be reviewed by your IDP supervisor or mentor.
- Report completed activities through the online reporting system under experience setting S.
- Your IDP supervisor or mentor must certify and approve each activity through the online reporting system.