PEP | Professioneel Ervarings Programma

What PEP | Professioneel Ervarings Programma does

PEP (Professioneel Ervarings Programma), operating as "PEP – Powered by BNA", is a Dutch two-year professional experience program required for architects, urban planners, landscape architects, and interior architects seeking registration under the Wet op de Architectentitel. Originally founded in 2003 as "Het Experiment" by then Rijksbouwmeester Jo Coenen to bridge the gap between design education and building practice, the program was formalized under the Dutch Architect Title Act in 2015, which made the two-year professional experience period a mandatory precondition for obtaining the architect title. Since then, annual participation has grown from roughly 30 to ~200 designers per year, supported by a coordination staff of approximately five and a network of 14-16 subject coordinators (vakcoördinatoren) working across the Netherlands.

The program pairs each participant with an experienced registered designer (a minimum of five years of professional experience) in a master-apprentice arrangement, supplemented by monthly themed module days held at locations throughout the country that bring together all four design disciplines for group learning and cross-disciplinary networking. Participants track competence development through Personal Development Plans (POP) and experience logbooks, which feed into start, office-visit, and end conversations with subject coordinators, with final interviews at program close. Curriculum content spans acquisition, fee-setting, contract drafting, construction meetings, politics, participation, and the Omgevingswet, with ongoing updates covering BIM, REVIT, and vision-led tenders.

Operationally, PEP is governed by Stichting PEP (PEP Foundation) under Bestuursvoorzitter Jeroen van Schooten, with multidisciplinary curriculum oversight through a programmaraad representing BNSP, NVTL, and BNI. On January 13, 2021, the foundation integrated into BNA (Koninklijke Bond Nederlandse Architectenbureaus), chaired by Francesco Veenstra, retaining its identity and multidisciplinary governance via "marital conditions" while gaining BNA's organizational infrastructure. Revenue is generated through recurring participant fees for the 2-year program; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. As of January 1, 2026, BNA and PEP co-locate at the Baanderij on the NDSM-werf in Amsterdam Noord alongside BNI, BNO, BNSP, NVTL, and SFA.

Name

PEP | Professioneel Ervarings Programma

Legal name

Stichting PEP

Website

https://pep-bna.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PEP – Powered by BNA is a two-year mandatory professional experience program in the Netherlands that prepares architects, urban planners, landscape architects, and interior architects for registration under the Wet op de Architectentitel via mentorship, monthly module days, and POP tracking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Professional Development

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Onboarding & New-Hire Training Programs (BPACANAF)

Keywords

• Professional experience program
• Architect registration traineeship
• Design mentorship program
• Professional development planning
• Architectural curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Participation Fees: PEP generates revenue through participant fees for the 2-year professional experience program. The number of participants grew from 30 to 200 per year after the 2015 law change made the program mandatory for obtaining the architect title.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PEP runs a mandatory two-year integrated professional experience program for graduates of architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, and interior architecture seeking registration in the Dutch Architects Register. The program pairs each participant with a registered mentor (at least five years of experience) at their workplace and supplements this with monthly themed module days where all four disciplines converge. Competencies are tracked through a Personal Development Plan (POP) and reviewed via a final logbook-based interview.

Product overview

PEP (Professioneel Ervaringsprogramma / Professional Experience Programme) is a two-year integrated professional experience program for architects, urban planners, landscape architects, and interior architects. Powered by BNA (Bond van Nederlandse Architectenbureaus), the program fulfills the legal requirement for the two-year professional experience period established by the 2015 amendment to the Architect Title Act. The program consists of monthly themed module days, a master-apprentice mentorship relationship with an experienced designer, personal development tracking via logbooks and POP (Personal Development Plans), and regular conversations with program coordinators. The multidisciplinary curriculum brings together four design disciplines, and the program has grown from 30 to 200 participants annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PEP – Professioneel Ervaringsprogramma (Professional Experience Programme) A two-year integrated professional experience program for architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, and interior architecture graduates that fulfills the mandatory professional experience period required by the Wet op de Architectentitel for registration in the Dutch Architects Register.
• PEP Mentorship Program Master-apprentice supervision model pairing young designers with registered designers having at least five years of professional experience, providing guidance through practical skills such as acquisition, fee-setting, contract drafting, and attending construction meetings.
• PEP Coordinator Services Subject coordinator (vakcoördinator) services that guide participants through start conversations, office visits, end conversations, and module-day workshops and case discussions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Program participation grew from 30 to 200 participants per year after mandatory requirement was established
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BNA (Koninklijke Bond Nederlandse Architectenbureaus)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2021PEP officially became 'PEP - Powered by BNA' on January 13, 2021, after a two-year engagement. BNA had previously provided financial guarantees for the PEP Foundation. BNA is a royal association representing nearly 1000 architectural offices, founded in 1842. The partnership provides PEP with organizational backing and enables professionalization while maintaining PEP's independent identity with 'marital conditions' protecting the multi-disciplinary nature.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bundesarchitektenkammer (BAK): German federal chamber of architects that coordinates practical experience and registration pathways for German architects. PEP-like in scope: a national, statute-linked framework for transitioning graduates into registered practitioners.
• RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects): UK professional body administering Part 3 practical experience, CPD, and mentorship. Comparable to PEP in that it combines a professional association mandate with delivery of structured practical experience and continuing development for architects.
• Conseil national de l'Ordre des architectes (CNOA): French national order of architects responsible for inscription and professional formation. Analogous to PEP as a national statutory body governing the bridge between architectural education and licensed practice.
• ARB (Architects Registration Board): UK regulator that, together with RIBA, oversees Part 3 professional practical experience and the PEDR pathway. Mirrors PEP's role as the gatekeeper of practical experience prior to architect registration, though it is regulator-led rather than program-led.
• NCARB (National Council of Architectural Registration Boards): Operates the U.S. Architectural Experience Program (AXP/IDP), the closest functional analog to PEP: a mandatory structured practical-experience pathway that architects must complete before licensure. Both translate statutory training requirements into a managed mentor-and-portfolio program.
• Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC): Canadian national architectural association managing the Internship in Architecture program as a prerequisite for licensure. Operates a similar mentor-based practical experience structure to PEP across Canadian provinces.
• Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA): Australian body managing the AXP-equivalent practical experience pathway toward architect registration. Direct functional peer to PEP: a national, competency-based on-the-job experience program for architecture graduates.

Broad incumbents

• UIA (International Union of Architects): Global federation of architectural professional bodies. Comparable as a higher-level ecosystem player that defines cross-border validation of architect qualifications, the very concern that motivated the 2015 Dutch law change underpinning PEP.
• AIA (American Institute of Architects): Large U.S. professional association offering architect continuing education, mentorship, and career-stage programs. Overlaps PEP on architect professional development and CPD but does not run the U.S. licensure practical-experience mandate (that sits with NCARB).

Regional players

• Singapore Board of Architects: Singapore's statutory board regulating architect registration, including structured practical experience requirements. Analogous to PEP at a single-country, statutory level, though operating in a different geographic and regulatory environment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BNA_nl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bnacommunicatie
• Facebookfacebook.com/GebouwdGeluk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pep-professioneel-ervarings-programma

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PEP | Professioneel Ervarings Programma