Jo Lee has been a chartered member of the RTPI since 1999 and is now an overseas member having recently moved to Washington DC. Jo has worked across the UK for both the public and private sector specialising in plan making, housing evidence, policy development and implementation. Most recently she was the Strategic Planning Manager for the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan.
Learning to invest in yourself
Embracing learning and embedding it into our everyday lives means we are investing in ourselves and our careers.
This approach:
- ensures we are well equipped to respond to challenges and the dynamic environment we work in and the continuous changes that we face
- enables us to provide the best, most relevant and up to date advice to our clients, communities, colleagues, and politicians
- allows us to share experience, learn from others, explore, and develop novel and better solutions
- future proofs our careers and helps us gain new skills, set priorities, and proactively direct how we want to grow and develop
Fundamentally, gaining and sharing knowledge is hugely valuable and must be integral to our day-to-day workload. So how can we make this an opportunity and not a burden?
We need support from our employers
Employers play an important role and are essential in providing a supportive environment in which we can all grow and respond appropriately to the numerous and continuous legislative, policy and political challenges planning faces. Having previously worked in the public & private sector I know how hard it is to get support for continuous learning. More recently I have been lucky enough to work for Plymouth City Council who are proactive in prioritising learning, and from whom all employers could learn to:
- Use a standard template for the professional development plan (the RTPI provides a PDP template for members), employer templates for appraisals, and regular performance reviews.
- Provide structured learning sessions, presentation opportunities, and encourage employees to share ideas and expertise.
- Support employees proactively invest in themselves and their continuous professional development requirements and pay for attendance at courses as part of its commitment to learning through the RTPI and other providers.
We need simple and effective processes
To meet CPD requirements and develop a PDP there are opportunities to utilise existing systems, including the RTPI tools that allows you to log it directly in your profile. You can also develop your own processes. This combined approach recently helped me demonstrate compliance with the RTPI Code of Professional Conduct.
I used my appraisals and performance reviews to integrate with my PDPs and CPD record to ensure they are mutually supportive of each other. These set out what I want to achieve and allow me to grow in the direction I want but linked with what the job needs me to deliver. In my case it was more design knowledge, carbon literacy certification and digital planning skills, but it could be as broad as Excel training, understanding viability or increased management experience. Linking all these processes together can help justify training and attendance on courses to gain additional skills. Using my employer’s processes and the standard templates/CPD log I could demonstrate regular reflection about what my employer and I needed, a clear route to achieve it and whether it was a success.
Processes are most successful when they are straightforward and easy to update. I set up my own simple contemporaneous record of all my learning activity by year. This is a live spreadsheet that I update with the learning event or course title, location, and date as soon as I register. Afterwards I record how long it ran for, whether I presented and my initial reflections. It can also include reading Planning (or other relevant journals) and watching Have We Got Planning News For You (or many other blogs/podcasts). This bespoke record was essential to support the PDP and appraisal process and was given as direct evidence to the RTPI. I will be recording my CPD within my online profile from here on in.
Continuous learning is an opportunity to invest in yourself, and not just an RTPI requirement. Take it, make it work for you and find an approach that enables you to have a greater impact in your work.
For more details about CPD requirements and key questions see the recent blog written by the RTPI’s Professional Development Officer, and Chartered Member, Kimmie Walker.
CPD events
Take a look at our upcoming CPD events on our calendar.
