Questionnaire for the National Inquiry into Planning Education & Employment

Transcription

1 Questionnaire for the National Inquiry into Planning Education & Employment IS THERE A SHORTAGE OF PLANNERS IN AUSTRALIA? The results of this survey will confirm or refute anecdotal evidence that there is a crisis in the supply of planners around Australia. The Planning Institute of Australia, with funding from the Planning Officials Group that represents the Planning Agencies of all State and Territory Governments, has recently commenced an Inquiry into Planning Education and Employment. The Inquiry is in response to what is believed to be an Australian wide shortage of qualified, competent and experienced town planners. The Inquiry is also investigating whether planners have the right skills to meet the needs of employers now and in the future. A Discussion Paper has been prepared which sets out the terms of reference, background to the Inquiry and issues for discussion. It is available on-line at: The information obtained from this questionnaire will provide the first comprehensive National overview of the supply of planners and whether they have the right skills. It will take about 20 minutes of your time to complete and has questions relating to skills of planners, training, job vacancies and recruitment. Your response would be welcome by 7th November The results of the Inquiry will be released at the National Planning Conference in Hobart in February 2004 and will also be available on the PIA Web pages. Your organisation 1. Could you please provide your contact details: Name:.. Position: Organisation: Contact Details: 2. Could you please number in order of importance the main planning activities of your organisation: Regional Planning Transport Planning Urban Economics Strategic Planning Social Planning Planning Law Statutory Planning Urban Design Environmental Planning Overseas Projects Infrastructure Planning Tourism Planning.. 1

2 3. Could you please number in order of importance what you expect to be the main planning activities of your organisation in 5-10 years time: Same as question 2 above Regional Planning Transport Planning Urban Economics Strategic Planning Social Planning Planning Law Statutory Planning Urban Design Environmental Planning Overseas Projects Infrastructure Planning Tourism Planning Planner Skills 4. Could you please number in order of importance the main specialties/expertise the planners in your organisation need? Development Assessment Strategic Planning Social Planning Regional Planning Corporate Planning Economic Development Environmental Planning Heritage & Conservation Urban Design Planning Law Local Area Planning Transport Planning Project Management GIS/LIS Landscape Planning Cultural Planning & Mapping Tourism and Recreation Infrastructure Planning Negotiation/Conflict Resolution Staff Management/development Participation techniques/community liaison Coastal Planning & Management Other 5. Could you please number in order of importance the main specialties/expertise you expect the planners in your organisation will need in 5-10 years time? Same as question 4 above Development Assessment Strategic Planning Social Planning Regional Planning Corporate Planning Economic Development Environmental Planning Heritage & Conservation Urban Design Planning Law Local Area Planning Transport Planning Project Management GIS/LIS Landscape Planning Cultural Planning & Mapping Tourism and Recreation Infrastructure Planning Negotiation/Conflict Resolution Participation techniques/community liaison Staff Management/development Coastal Planning & Management Other 2

3 6. Are there any constraints to the ongoing professional training of your planning staff? Prohibitive Costs Accessibility to training Time away from office Lack of appropriate training courses Other 7. What training or assistance could the Planning Institute undertake, to help you with professional development of your planning staff? Recruitment and Retention of Planners 8. How many qualified planners work in your organisation? 9. How many of the planners in your organisation are members of the Planning Institute of Australia? 10. Please indicate the number of planners in your organisation with the following qualifications: Degree/diploma in planning. Postgraduate planning degree. Related degree/diploma. Related postgraduate degree. 11. Which of the following methods do you use to recruit planners? Newspaper advertising Internet advertising Personal contacts Traineeships Headhunting Secondments Recruitment specialists PIA web based Employment Service Other How many vacancies have you had for qualified planners in the past periods? ne go to question months 6 12 months months months 3

4 13. Please indicate how many vacancies you have had for the following experience levels: Planning graduates (<2years experience) Planners (2-5 years experience) Senior planners (5-10 years experience) Planning managers (10 + years) 14. Have you experienced difficulties filling these vacancies? go to question Which of the following best explains why you have had difficulties filling these vacancies? Poor response to advertisement Lack of appropriate skills n-competitive salaries Reluctance to relocate 16. Is there anything the Planning Institute can do to help you recruit planners? Do you have any planning assistants working alongside qualified planners in your organisation? go to question What type of work do these planning assistants perform? Research Public Inquiries Report writing Routine development assessment Other. 19. Do you employ planning assistants due to a shortage of qualified planners? 20. Are you having problems retaining qualified planning staff? 21. What has your organisation done to try and retain qualified planning staff (eg flexible working hours, more pay)? 4

5 22. Will the number of planners in your organisation in 5-10 years: Decrease (by how many).. Stay the same Increase (by how many) How many of the planners in your organisation work: Full time. Part-time. Contract. Work from home 21. Are there any other comments you would like to make on any of the issues raised in this questionnaire? Thank-you for participating in this Questionnaire. The information you provide will be incorporated into the recommendations of the Inquiry. Sue Holliday Chair National Inquiry into Planning Education and Employment Replies can be sent to: Postal: PO Box 913, Dickson ACT 2602 Fax: Telephone Enquiries: