Chartered Town Planner

On a chartered town planner apprenticeship course, you’ll help with official regulations, policy documents and master plans for changing, improving, reusing or conserving buildings and sites.

A chartered town planner is an expert who works to achieve long-term development. This means that they shape our towns, cities, or villages by balancing the needs of people and businesses for housing, employment, local amenities, and open spaces with the impacts on the broader environment.

As a chartered town planner, you’ll utilise government laws, policy documents, and master plans to modify, enhance, reuse, or preserve buildings and sites. In addition, you’ll advise clients on how to manage land development and use it efficiently.

Construction, the environment, housing, energy, transportation, regeneration, coastal, history and conservation, and minerals and waste are just a few of the sectors offering available positions.

Because you will be in a position of authority, making decisions that affect the environment, you must adhere to the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Code of Professional Conduct and ethical standards.

What you’ll learn

On a chartered town planner apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

• Investigate and analyse facts to plan policy development and create policy, guidelines, and advice material. Typically, these would include spatial development strategies and statutory development plans, development briefs, design guides, sustainability assessments, study papers, lobbying, public, councillor, or client presentations.
• Adhere to policies and procedures specified in plans, legislation, and other relevant documents. Typically, this would include statutory development management, preparing and submitting planning applications, and implementing plans or schemes for conservation, environmental betterment, economic development or regeneration, infrastructure, minerals, or garbage. Before the submission of a planning application, site assessment, feasibility studies, and other kinds of studies are carried out. Enforcement of planning laws, appeals, and investigations
• Create innovative and creative tactics, policies, and solutions. Examples include buildings, public domain, landscaping, villages, towns, cities, and other urban and rural settings.
• Use appropriate methods and software to offer quantitative and qualitative analysis and assessment. Weigh the facts and think about alternative possibilities for planning. Make evidence-based decisions and responses that are clear and coordinated. Demonstrate sound judgement and the ability to balance conflicting objectives.
• Engage and manage stakeholders and customers, and create positive relationships. To resolve a dispute, you must be able to communicate, negotiate, advocate, and mediate effectively.
• Define specific goals and objectives, and execute projects on time and under budget. Utilise information technology to its full potential. From beginning to finish, lead and manage a process and evaluate the outcome, finding areas for development and growth.
• Create and maintain a network environment for information sharing.
• Effectively communicate both verbally and in writing. Negotiate and, if necessary, mediate. Work alone, as part of a team, or as a leader of others. Manage your work and your leisure time.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship.
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment comprises two distinct assessment methods, supported by a reflective journal undertaken by the apprentice throughout the apprenticeship: 

Method 1 – Professional Discussion. 

Method 2 – Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) written assignment, consisting of three elements: 

• a Practical Experience Statement 
• a Professional Competence Statement 
• a Professional Development Plan

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 7 Chartered Town Planner Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.