Develop climate change education and skills 

RTPI will review and change our education and life long learning requirements to ensure that all members have the knowledge and skills to respond effectively to climate change.

We will work with universities and other education partners to ensure that climate change is given necessary prominence in learning outcomes in professional education and training.

We will develop our Lifelong Learning and Continuing Professional Development policy to require that all members identify in the Professional Development Programmes how their learning and practice relate effectively to climate change imperatives.

We will review and develop our policy for approving training providers, taking into account the critical importance of climate change in planning education and training. 

Action plan summary

Phase 1: Develop key project components

• A) Review of Initial Planning Education Learning Outcomes
• B) Review of membership
• C) Review Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) process and requirements
• D) Development of CPD provision & requirements

Phase 2: Liaise with stakeholders & partners

• A) Universities; Partnership Boards, employers
• B) Existing membership; potential members through regions and nations, networks.
• C) APC assessors & mentors, students, licentiates, recently elected members
• D) Membership, training providers

Phase 3: Dissemination

• A) Outcome and recommendations disseminated through Partnership Boards, through the updating of policy documentation, the Heads of Planning Schools and the website
• B & C) Website, updated policies and guidance notes, electronic communication with members. APC Assessor and mentor training, learning materials
• D) Direct communication with members, website, RTPI News.

Phase 4: Implementation

• A) Update of Learning Outcomes will be fed into the Accreditation process for new planning schools and through the partnership process with existing accredited schools.
• B & C) Membership processes, including candidate guidance and assessment, will be updated to incorporate the outcome of the review.
• D) CPD requirements, to include climate change, will be updated and monitored. Appropriate materials will be made available through approved learning providers.

Phase 5: Monitoring & review

• A) Monitoring and review of learning outcomes will be an ongoing process conducted through the Partnership Boards and the Partnership Panel.
• B) Effectiveness of the review will be evaluated by assessing the quality and content of applications to all classes of membership.
• C) Effectiveness will be monitored through the quality of the APC applications, feedback from assessor and mentor training, and discussions with staff and students at accredited planning schools.
• D) CPD monitoring will continue, but will additionally look for evidence of engagement with the climate change agenda. Effectiveness of learning materials and approved learning providers will be assessed through user feedback mechanisms. User feedback will be incorporated into new materials.

Outcomes

1. We will develop our learning outcomes for initial planning education to more explicitly focus on climate change so that all new graduates from accredited planning schools will have the tools to contribute to the sustainable development agenda.
[Higher Education and the RTPI are already addressing climate change issues in the curriculum. For example in May this year the RTPI accredited a new masters course at UCL in Sustainable Urbanism. This progamme focuses on how sustainable development can deliver social, economic and environmental outcomes in an urban context.]

2. We will develop a membership strategy and policies that ensures the profession is equipped to make a positive impact on climate change.

3. Through the CPD process, we will require members to evidence how they are continuing to update their skills and knowledge to influence planning policy and practice within the context of climate change. To facilitate this we will work with learning providers to provide high quality, approved training for members. 

Interested?

This page will be updated as these projects develop.  There are a number of opportunities to become involved with the RTPI in designing and delivering them.  For more information please click here to email the RTPI education and lifelong learning teams. 

• Click here to return to the seven commitments home page.  

Author:

Rebecca Coates

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

17-Jun-09

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