Town planning assistant apprenticeships - where to start
You can get into this job through
a university course
a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly
University
You can do a degree accredited by The Royal Town Planning Institute before applying for a job as an assistant.
Subjects include:
planning, environment and development, city and regional planning, urban planning and property development.
College
You can take a college course, to learn some of the skills needed for the job, which may help when applying for a trainee position. Relevant courses include a Level 3 Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment, a Level 3 Diploma in Civil Engineering for Technicians or a T level in Design, Surveying and Planning.
You may need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or the equivalent, for a Level 3 course. You'll need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T level course.
Apprenticeship
You can get into this job through a town planning technical support Level 3 (advanced) apprenticeship.
You'll usually need 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for a Level 3 apprenticeship.
Direct Application
You'll usually need GCSEs and A-Levels in subjects like geography, graphic design, business studies, English, environmental studies or economics to apply directly for jobs. Some employers may ask for a degree. You may have an advantage if you have experience in customer service, administration, computer-aided design (CAD) or construction
surveying.
Town planning assistant apprenticeships - what it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- knowledge of geography
- the ability to work well with others
- analytical thinking skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- customer service skills
- business management skills
- legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
- maths skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
Town planning assistant apprenticeships - what you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
Your day-to-day tasks could include:
- preparing reports for internal and external publications
- recording minutes at meetings
- building and managing technical libraries, filing systems and databases
- drawing up plans using computer aided design software
- carrying out data surveys, like traffic impact assessments
- supplying information and data to planners for applications
- recording the progress and outcomes of planning applications
- organising public meetings
- answering enquiries about application procedure
Working environment
You could work in an office.
Career path and progression - Town planning assistant apprenticeships
With experience, you could progress to team leader or move up to technician level. With further study, you could become a fully qualified town planner.
You could also set up your own business and offer consultancy in areas like planning law and sustainable design.