September: putting skills and partnerships into practice
Nicola Kane, Chair of the Transport Planning Society
After an all-too-brief summer break, we were straight back into action in September, with a busy few weeks of meetings, events and discussions about the future of our profession. In my last blog, I wrote about turning our skills campaign into practical action. This month has been an opportunity to take that work into conversations with organisations that can help us make a difference, both in supporting today’s transport planners and developing the next generation.
Following on from TPS’s letter to the Prime Minister, we have had excellent meetings with the Department for Transport, Urban Transport Group and Transport for Wales to discuss how we can work more closely together. Skills were central to those conversations, and we discussed the need for investment in transport planning skills and highlighted the professional development routes the TPS offers. We also discussed the contribution our Policy Panel and wider membership can make to wider policy development; and helping transport planners to turn policy into practice. There is plenty to follow up on, which is always a good sign.
These discussions come as we start work on a new 10-year Skills Strategy which we hope to launch in 2027. We will be undertaking a range of engagement over the coming weeks to help us build the evidence behind that strategy and agree where the Society can have the greatest impact. We want to understand the skills the profession will need over the next decade, identify gaps in current routes into and through the profession, how we improve the visibility of transport planning and improve diversity in the profession, and develop practical priorities for action with employers, public bodies and academic institutions. Through October, we will be holding a series of roundtables and engagement sessions to hear different perspectives from across the sector. Keep an eye out for a members’ poll too – it will be another important opportunity to have your say.
Our first successful TPTech awards are an encouraging step. It has been lovely to see the pride of those gaining recognition for their work and their enthusiasm for what comes next. TPTech provides a first step along our professional development pathway, with opportunities to progress towards IncTP and TPP. We now need to make sure more individuals and employers know about it.
Our lunchtime session on transport for women and girls in September, linked to the Transport Select Committee’s call for evidence, provided a reminder of the difference good transport planning can make to people’s lives. Concerns about safety can shape when people travel, which routes they take and whether they make a journey at all. Understanding those experiences is essential to planning transport that works for the people using it. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the discussion and shared their experience. We need to carry the discussion through into the decisions we make about streets, services and public spaces, so that women’s safety is considered from the outset.
September also brought us together for our Board meeting, with plenty to discuss as we look ahead to the autumn and beyond, including our call for nominations for transport planner and projects of the year and our new round of bursary papers. I am grateful to my fellow Board members, our Policy Panel and all the volunteers who make time for the TPS alongside their other commitments. Their work allows us to contribute to a much wider range of conversations than our size might suggest.
One of the big projects our Board has been working on is our new TPS website, which has been launched this week and makes it easier to find the latest news, events and resources from across the Society. Do take a look and let us know what you think.
There is a busy autumn ahead, culminating in our Transport Planning Day celebrations on 9th November, and I am looking forward to building on these discussions as our skills strategy takes shape. We will need the experience and ideas of members across the profession to make it useful. Whether you are starting your career, supporting new colleagues or leading a team, your perspective matters to the work we are doing. Do get involved and encourage colleagues to do the same!
