Digital literacy of planning students

Project title: Expectations and understandings of digital literacy of planning students and employers and its potential impacts on the implementation of digital planning in practice.

Charlotte Morphet MRTPI of University of the Built Environment will use her RTPI Early Career Research grant to study digital planning skills in the education of planners and the expectations of employers, with support from Birmingham City University. 

The current cohort of planning students have grown up in the digital age, yet there is limited understanding of the digital skills and knowledge they possess, and how these evolve through planning education and align with expectations of their future employers. The research aims to offer fresh perspectives on the practical implementation of digital planning by understanding this. Insights into this alignment could help improve the way digital planning skills are taught in planning schools; and help clarify what support needs to be provided after university.

Data will be collected through a digital survey distributed to planning schools, RTPI Young Planners and Young POS (part of the Planning Officers Society), and EDI networks within planning (e.g. BAME Planners Network, Women in Planning and Neurodiversity in Planning). Focus groups will be conducted in four English regions - North East, West Midlands, South West and Greater London - with planning employers and will seek to understand their expectations regarding skills, knowledge, and experience required in this area.