Applied through
Licentiate APC (L-APC)
Commended
Whole submission
Qualifications:
- MSc in Urban Planning & Development at University of Reading
My career:
In order to gain work experience in the planning profession, I originally undertook a week of work experience at my local borough council before I started at university. This provided me with valuable experience into the role of the local authority in decision making and the wider planning process for a range of minor and major schemes. During my time at university, I also undertook a week of work experience at Savills’ planning team. Through both experiences, I was able to understand the differing roles and responsibilities of private and public sector planners. Following the completion of my master’s degree, I joined Newmark’s (formerly Gerald Eve LLP) Planning and Development team in London as an Assistant Planning Consultant through their graduate scheme.
Since joining Newmark, I have been involved in a range of projects with different uses, locations and scales. In turn, I have been able to learn how to manage clients and relationships with local planning authorities. Following my promotion to Planning Consultant, I have continued to work at Newmark.
APC tips
- Always utilise the RTPI CPD opportunities. These come in the form of webinars and workshops around subjects, such as project management. These opportunities are invaluable to your professional development and are great to reflect on within your APC submission.
- The core APC submission documents (PES. PCS and PDP) should link to one another. This will help you to identify any strengths or weaknesses throughout your submission that you can explore within your PDP.
- Use the RTPI’s networking opportunities to build relationships with those who have recently passed their APC. They will provide a valuable insight into how they managed their time and how they decided which case studies to use.
- Make a plan as early as possible in the APC process. As the submission date gets closer, it is important to have clear goals for each week and to ensure you have enough time to review your submission in the final weeks.
- Take time to understand the competencies and what information is required to meet each of them. Undertaking this task early on in the process helped me to decide which case studies I would utilise and the gaps I had in various competencies that I could seek to fill on my chosen case studies.