Action for Professional Inclusion
Chairs: RTPI
RTPI research on the profession in the UK reveals an overstretched and underfunded profession, with staff scarcity being one of the most significant challenges planners face today. Indeed, staff scarcity is a challenge across Europe, with seven countries reporting a shortage of town and transport planners. This shortage is particularly problematic in light of the core role that planners play in addressing some of society’s biggest challenges, from climate change, to nature depletion and economic inequality.
Our responses to these issues need to be creative and innovative, and this requires a diverse range of professionals. One of the ways to tackle this skill shortage is strengthen the pipeline from planning education into professional practice. In this session we will, using the UK as a case study, look at this pipeline and what we know about any potential issues transitioning from the academy into the profession. We will focus on issues of diversity and inclusion, and problematise some of the ‘headline’ trends concerning diversity in UK planning education and practice.