Applied through
Commended
Professional Competence Statement (PCS)
Qualifications
- MA Town & Country Planning - London South Bank University
My career
In 2019 I graduated from the University of Bristol with a Bsc in Geography. I had a year out and then graduated from the MA Town Planning course at the London South Bank University in 2021.
In the summer of 2021 I started as a graduate planner at BPTW, a multi-disciplinary architecture, urban design, and planning practice. I worked there for two and a half years up until completing my L-APC in winter 2023.
I worked on a range of residential led developments from small scale estate infill for local councils and housing associations to large masterplanned housing schemes for major commercial developers. I benefited from working within a small and agile planning team and was quickly promoted to a planner. In this role I was the day to day lead on my projects; I was responsible for leading schemes through the statutory planning framework and to give more general advice when required.
APC tips
- View the APC as a learning process. The APC is set up to encourage you to reflect on your own professional experiences which can be a rewarding process if you commit to it. I found that while a substantial amount of work is involved it is good to have the opportunity to think critically about your own work and profession.
- Make sure you have a secure work environment and feel comfortable at work. The APC is layered on top of your daily tasks and so if you are comfortable with them, you will have more capacity to think about the APC. I benefited from the stability of being at the same company for the entire time.
- Plan and be organised. Try to complete the reflective journal as you go. It may not always be possible but even making rough notes or saving crucial documents/emails for later reference will be helpful.