Information for Licentiates

03-Jan-07

Graduates who have fully completed their accredited course and are now working towards Corporate Membership must apply to become Licentiates of the RTPI. Licentiate Membership is a new class of membership introduced to support the needs of new graduates working towards membership through the APC.

Graduates must apply for Licentiate Membership as soon as they receive written confirmation from their Planning School that they have been successful in their accredited qualification, and assuming they are engaged in eligible employment. Prompt applications are encouraged as Licentiate Membership cannot be backdated.

Applicants should complete the online application form, print, and return with original signatures, along with a copy of the written confirmation they have received from their Planning School confirming success in their qualification. They should also include a cheque for the £50 Licentiate registration fee. Licentiates are eligible for the lowest annual subscription of £30, for which they are able to take advantage of all membership benefits, although they may not use the designation MRTPI. Subscription notices will be issued following election to Licentiate Membership.

Students working alongside accredited courses

All students who are also working alongside their accredited course and who wish their experience to be eligible towards their future APC application should be recording this experience in a reflective log book. Detailed guidance on how to complete the log book is available in Section 4 of the Guide to the APC, with a template log book in Appendix A. Many students will have existing experience that has not been recorded, and this experience is still eligible. However, they should now begin to keep a log book to assist them with a future application for membership through the APC.

Further information on becoming a Student member of the RTPI is available.

APC Submission Dates

Having met the practical experience and professional competence requirements of the APC, Licentiates will apply for Corporate Membership through the APC by submitting a report reflecting on their experience and the ways in which they have developed their professional competence (Section 7 of Guide to the APC). APC submission dates occur quarterly, with forthcoming deadlines on:

Friday 25 April 2008
Friday 25 July 2008
Friday 24 October 2008
Friday 30 January 2009
Friday 24 April 2009
Friday 24 July 2009
Friday 23 October 2009

Only Licentiates who have met the APC requirements by this stage and are applying for Corporate Membership can submit for these deadlines. The requirements include having been a Licentiate for at least a year of post-qualifying experience by the submission deadline.

Notification of Results

Licentiates will usually be informed of the outcome of their application eight weeks after the submission deadline. Letters acknowledging receipt of Licentiate written submissions will provide all candidates with an expected date of notification of their results. Results of applications for Chartered Membership through APC can only be issued in writing.

Fees for the APC

The fee schedule for the APC can be broken down as follows:

£50 Licentiates registration fee, payable on application to Licentiate Membership.
£180 APC Assessment fee, payable with final submission.
£50 administration fee, payable with final submission.

Licentiates are eligible for a reduced subscription rate of £30 per year, for which they can take advantage of all membership benefits and services. Invoices for subscriptions are issued annually in October, payable by 01 January each year. New Licentiates will be invoiced shortly after becoming Licentiates to inform them of their pro rata subscription for that year.

Licentiates have access to all RTPI membership benefits and services, though they may not yet use the designation MRTPI. RTPI Networks, free & low cost CPD events, conferences and the library & information service may well be of particular use to Licentiates at this stage in their careers.

Licentiates have access to their own online learning account through www.planningmatters.co.uk, where they may download free modules up to a value of £100 in their first year of Licentiate Membership (see Section 1.5 of the Guide to the APC). Licentiates are strongly encouraged to join the Young Planners Network in order to take advantage of the opportunities it offers for networking, knowledge exchange, and influencing the work of the RTPI.