Licentiates given help with process Coffers some top tips to those who are preparing their written submissions for the professional competence assessment

Many licentiates will be approaching the time when they will need to consider what to submit to the RTPI for their assessment of professional competence (APC).
The written submission is the final stage of the APC process. It must be 5,000 words in length and comprises three elements — a practical experience statement, a professional competence statement and a conclusion. Following the previous article on the APC process (Planning, 13 April, p25), this piece gives some tips to help licentiates get through this process smoothly.

Of key importance are the assessment criteria in the RTPI’s Guide to the APC, which are available on the website. Study these, identifying your weaknesses or lack of skills honestly. It is best to try to manage your two years of APC experience so that you obtain some experience in all the learning outcomes.

Review the best practice written submission and log book examples as well. The website will eventually include examples from a range of planning disciplines to give APC applicants a much clearer idea of how to make their work eligible. The RTPI recommends structuring your application around one or more significant projects. While this allows you to discuss an area of your work in sufficient detail, you should not feel restricted. Some licentiates may want to show that they have demonstrated different competencies in different areas of work.

Generally speaking, assessors are looking for evidence that you have exercised independent professional judgement. With this in mind, if you can provide examples of resolving particularly difficult issues or conflicts, this gives the assessors some interesting material to consider. The written submission is your chance to offer helpful feedback on your masters course. As a trainee planner, you may recognise the more valuable things you were taught but might have added a few different topics to the course. The universities will reflect on this information, so this is a good way to put something back into planning education. Plan early for the written submission deadline. There are four deadline dates each year, posted on the RTPI website, and licentiates must show that they meet the full experience requirements before this time. The Guide to the APC requires all the written submission’s pages to be corroborated and sponsored by mentors or employers. If you have worked for more than one employer in the APC period you might need to find a former manager to get signatures. This takes time, so do not leave it until the week before submission. If your employer is kind enough to meet your APC application fees, request payment early.

Try not to be overwhelmed by the word limit. You will find it easy to meet the 5,000-word target for the submission. But because you only have a ten per cent margin of error, do not go overboard. You must provide a word count and a huge shortfall or overrun will be obvious.

Regardless of the outcome of their assessment, licentiates will receive a copy of the assessors’ composite feedback form. If you are successful then well done, but if you just miss out this time it is not a disaster. You can reapply and there is more than one application window each year. Read the feedback carefully and deal with any identified concerns.

Author:

Michael Stallard

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

01-Jun-07

Categories:

RTPI News, Assessment of Professional Competence 

Sections:

Education & Careers , News & Media

This article has been read 4049 times.