The Scottish Government has recently unveiled a new initiative aimed at addressing the pressing skills shortage within the planning sector.
The National Planning Skills Commitment Plan will offer a variety of resources, including monthly webinars, recruitment support, and hands-on training opportunities.
Backed by 60 organisations and over 100 professionals from the built and natural environment sectors, the plan aims to fill critical gaps within the recruitment field.
In 2023-24, planning professionals in Scotland processed nearly 23,000 applications, including 227 for major developments. The new plan is an extension of the RPI Future Planners Project Report (2022), which focused on improving planning performance and linking this to planning fees.
Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee highlighted the importance of the planning profession, stating that planning drives economic development, addresses housing shortages, and supports climate action.
He said: “Modernising how the profession is promoted and portrayed, and taking a more direct approach to recruitment, will help attract the next generation of planning professionals. This will ensure Scotland can deliver development and infrastructure efficiently, effectively, and sustainably now and in the future.”
The plan has two key themes for March 2025: first, a focus on housing-related training, and second, recruitment support through bursaries. Notably, councils such as Fife and Highland are already taking steps by leading workshops for the Scottish Young Planners Network, helping to process planning applications.
With the growing need for skilled planners, the new initiative by the Scottish Government aims to meet the demands of the sector and ensure the development of infrastructure and housing for Scotland.
Image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.