This is expected to help end the debate regarding the education and experience qualifications of interior designers, which have been under attack recently in the licensing arena. IDEP offers enormous benefits to all participants, including firms and the profession. The most obvious people who benefit from the program are the entry level interior designers because the program reinforces the lessons learned in the formal education period, and gives structure and direction to the training experience. Additionally, the program assists participants in relating to other professionals, broadening their scope of exposure and promoting their acquisition of professional discipline and skills. Since the work experience record is portable, new employers can review past work experiences in order to support a constant counseling system.
Professional advisors serve as mentors to novices in the field.
The benefits to the employing firm are equally positive. The program supports participation costs as the responsibility of the participant, so there are no direct costs to the firm other than the stated salary. Most likely, the best graduates will be attracted to firms known for their participation. Those who participate can expect better job retention, enhanced communication and improved evaluation of performance. Firms also might find that the record keeping system for the program is more beneficial for the employee to use than their existing one.