Be a Landscape Architect (BALA) is an initiative of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) for Landscape Architects to engage with school aged students via their teachers/career advisors. 

The program aims to build awareness of the profession of landscape architecture and to introduce a career pathway as a Landscape architect via a classroom presentation and in class activity.

Program Purpose:
• To increase understanding by school age students of the career of Landscape Architect.
• To increase the number of students enrolling in undergraduate pathways for Landscape Architecture.
• To provide information for career pathways to become a Landscape Architect
• To increase collaboration between AILA and accredited universities for student outreach. 

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Know your audience

As a BE A Landscape Architect Ambassador you may be asked to speak directly to high school students, career advisers and even parents. Each of these stakeholders has their own objective. You need to ensure that your message and knowledge is appropriate for each audience. Importantly, what your audience needs to hear is - where do they show up in your story? Whilst highlighting your own journey conveys an interesting narrative, make sure you address how your audience shows up in the story of a landscape architect. Know who you are talking to.

We have some great Ambassador resources available through our Memberscape community and once you sign up as an Ambassador (via the link to the right) you will be added to this community to access this information.

Strategies for engaging your audience

  • Preparation. Specific information about the school could be helpful (for example, perhaps the school has ranked #1 in the state for a particular subject that aligns with Landscape Architecture).
  • Always address the student directly at a careers expo, ask their name, then introduce yourself to them. Second, introduce yourself to the parent. You want to show first and foremost that the student is your primary focus.
  • Be selective of the slides/images. Better that you pick 3-5 great image slides that cover the whole page rather than many. Limit the amount of text on yours slides.
  • Be able to refer to three projects – one in the local neighbourhood that a student/parent will know; one more regionally located; and then one iconic city-based project (i.e. Sydney Olympic Park).
  • Determine what message is relevant to your audience?
  • Tell the audience why they should care. What value do landscape architects provide for the world around us. 

Questions to think about before your school visit (directly from a Career Advisor)

  1. What does a typical day look like?
  2. If you are studying, what are some of the subjects in the course?
  3. What are some of the key skills required in your industry/course? i.e. problem solving, communication, teamwork etc
  4. What is challenging about your role/course?
  5. What are key highlights about your role/course?
  6. Why did you choose the industry/course?
  7. How competitive is your industry/course?
  8. What opportunities are there for work experience, internships, overseas opportunities etc?
  9. What do you wish you knew before you started your role/course?

Know your local programs

Learn more about where to study landscape architecture.