At Lionakis, all employees are encouraged to continually learn, develop and grow professionally. Our philosophy of learning is built around providing the resources and atmosphere to encourage lifelong learning, developing our emerging professionals and building a culture of coaching and mentoring.
Life Long Learning
We believe in the continued development of our staff, management and leadership. We encourage all in the firm to approach their careers with an attitude of continued improvement and a philosophy to always strive for the next level. One of the key areas we use to facilitate this is our in-house professional development program which offers AIA-approved courses, sustainability and accessibility seminars, and the allocation of professional development time. We are committed to the continued growth and development of our employees, and we monitor our progress in this area every year to ensure we are keeping our commitment to our amazing team.
“I find it invaluable to have the opportunity to connect with representatives from each studio at this level. We work closely on developing skills and refining workflows that improve the production staff’s day-to-day-work. We learn from each other, too. The DTSS have always been an extension of the Design Technology studio that I couldn’t imagine working without.”
Kristina Gardenhire, Director of Design Technology
Design Technology Boot Camp
The Lionakis Design Technology Boot Camp is a unique training program that offers several weeks of focused, intensive mentorship and technology training to select individuals across the firm. These individuals, given a role of DTSS (Design Technology Support Specialist), are designated by their market leadership to participate in this training. A DTSS serves as a connection between the Design Technology Studio and their respective market and/or office and are the first line of support for their studios – users supporting users!
During Boot Camp, DTSS learn advanced techniques for supporting and troubleshooting various design technology software and BIM tools. They also contribute to an ongoing, living document that serves as a graphical depiction of standards and is used across the firm. Yearly, each market may designate a new DTSS to go through the DTSS Boot Camp, in which 2018 will mark the 6th Annual Design Technology Boot Camp. These trainings have allowed us to work towards our goal of having several DTSS-level users in each studio or office to ensure a steady stream of support and improved market-specific workflows.
“I love being able to come to work every day and learn something new. Besides the formal types of learning, I enjoy that Lionakis has a culture that is open to answering questions.”
Matthew Harris, Project Designer
Emerging Professionals
In conjunction with a commitment to provide ongoing training and development for all employees, the Emerging Professionals Program (EP) at Lionakis provides staff with the necessary knowledge, tools and support to become well-rounded architects, structural engineers and interior designers. The program provides junior staff the opportunity to learn about all aspects of the profession in addition to their day-to-day responsibilities through site visits, mentorship, activities and the EP University. EP University provides monthly classes targeting the education of emerging professionals. Lionakis believes that becoming a licensed professional is an important step for all designers to take.
“The EP program has been great in fostering a well-rounded view on what our firm does as a whole. I’ve also taken advantage of our LEED study groups, to help earn my LEED Green Associate credential. For myself, learning has become an everyday experience at Lionakis, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Bianca Dyke, Designer
We realize each individual’s path to licensure is different and our EP program works to support the various needs of our staff. We provide paid time to take exams, financial reimbursement for exam fees, study material libraries, the tools to track AXP hours, and an online community to connect with other employees seeking licensure. We understand that design professionals in architecture must acquire 3,740 hours of experience in multiple areas of work. We work with our employees to provide them the hours they need in each category and pair them with a mentor at Lionakis to help guide them through the process. Most importantly, we strive to create connections among our Emerging Professionals.
Lionakis also has a robust summer Student Intern program. The program encourages students to begin thinking about the future of their careers while attending summer seminars and activities aimed at exposing them to our various markets and services. Our summer intern program ensures that student interns gain the knowledge and skills required of the profession, as well as gaining valuable experience while working for a well-known firm.
A Culture of Mentorship, Coaching and Giving
The foundation of our firm is an attitude of stewarding the firm on to the next generation. The most important aspect of this is a leadership team that’s active in the development of the next generation and an ongoing culture of mentorship and coaching. We truly believe that our current staff represent the next generation of firm and project leadership and if we invest our personal time and effort with them, amazing things will happen.
“Learning at Lionakis has not pointed out my weaknesses, but rather has allowed me to strengthen all facets of my professional path in a nurturing Environment”.
Carlton Arnold, Project Designer
Lionakis is designing a Better Future by creating a culture that supports lifelong learning and making an investment in our next generation.
