“I’ve enjoyed learning about planning as it is actually practiced in the workplace beyond theory…”

Planning Aid Scotland’s Graduate Training Scheme was established to help bridge the gap between graduating university and starting a career in planning – something our volunteers asked for support with. The scheme is very much volunteer-led, with their input (David helped to develop content) and feedback shaping the programme.

As Jo explains:

“When I spoke to our volunteers, many of them mentioned struggling to find work after graduating. I also spoke to one of our Board Directors who mentioned that when interviewing recent graduates, they sometimes felt there was a gap in the skills and knowledge that the interview panel assumed recent graduates would have. It was felt that graduates didn’t always have a clear understanding of the different roles in planning.”

This was the first time we have run the scheme, and as it comes to a close, we’re reviewing what worked well and what to improve for next year. If you’re interested in how it works or would like to join us for the next round, please read on!

How does it work?

There are two parts to the Graduate Training Scheme. The first part hears from people currently working in planning who share a wide range of experiences from across the sector. The second part uses interactive sessions to deep dive into key planning topics that graduates are likely to come across when working in the sector.

Part 1: Learning from experience

This first part helps recent graduates understand the variety of planning jobs available, how they fit together, and what they might be interested in pursuing. As Jo describes, learning from the experience of others is vital to supporting new planners:

“I think we can all relate to struggling to decide which direction to take our career in and not really knowing what different jobs might entail, so I think these sessions were helpful in demystifying the different roles in planning. Whether these sessions helped graduates decide what roles might be the best fit for them or just helped them to understand how the sector fits together…. hearing from the experience of others is invaluable and hopefully inspiring for those just starting out.”

This year, we were lucky enough to have the following speakers:

• Mathilde Delestre from the City of Edinburgh Council on Planning Enforcement
• Declan King from South Lanarkshire Council on Major Developments
• Dante Sosa from Perth and Kinross Council on Planning Policy
• Claire Hunt from Glasgow City Council on Development Management
• Conor Watt from Sanctuary on Planning Roles in the Third Sector

Part 2: Interrogating key planning topics

This second part uses three interactive training sessions to take a detailed look at key planning topics: Permitted Development, Validation of Planning Applications, and Reports of Handling. The sessions give space for attendees to put their learning into practice with real-world style exercises.

As Jo explains, these topics were chosen as it is crucial for new graduates to have a good understanding of them to progress into a career in planning.

“With the help of David Martin, an incredible volunteer, and David Wood, our Planning and Policy Officer, we decided on these three topics as the most useful things to cover. Most planners are likely to come across all three of these topics at some point in their career, and even if they don’t, it will be useful for them to understand how the processes work.”

Who is it for?

The scheme is open to any of our volunteers who are recent graduates and would like to boost their chances of starting a career in planning. The course focusses on the Scottish context as this isn’t always covered in planning courses, and there is a strong focus on Local Authority roles, but we also cover other sectors.

Next steps

As Jo mentions, we are currently reviewing the feedback we received from this first round to see what worked well and what we can improve for next time:

“We have had some excellent feedback, and I look forward to refining the course for next year. It seems like participants found it useful and I hope it goes some way to supporting planners starting out on their career journey.”

Some of the participants shared their thoughts with us:

• “I have found that my planning MA covered a lot of theory but very little of the nuts and bolts of procedure so it was very useful to get some more insight into this…”
• “As someone early in my career and newer to planning and the wider career opportunities available, these sessions have been very useful. In particular, I’ve enjoyed learning about planning as it is actually practiced in the workplace beyond theory…”
• “It was a great opportunity to learn, reflect, and connect with others who share a passion for planning and development…”
• “The programme has made me feel much more confident and prepared to apply for planning roles in the UK, and I would definitely recommend it to other graduates…”

If you would like to know more, please contact Jo Elston, our Volunteer Coordinator.