TPTech and the Technician Apprenticeship

Transport Planning Technician qualification (TPTech)

Transport Planning Technician (TPTech) is the latest qualification offered by TPS.  An overall Standard document was settled after a full consultation period, working with employers and other organisations and can be found here.  It is set at the same level as other technician level qualifications, for example EngTech.  However it is entirely focussed on transport planning.

TPTech and the Technician Apprenticeship End Point Assessment

TPS worked hard to ensure that the Transport Planning Technician Level 3 apprenticeship was mapped to the same standards as TPP and PDS so it is completely compatible with TPTech.  The Government standard for the Level 3 apprenticeship includes TPS as an End Point Assessment (EPA) body and TPS is fully recognised by ESFA and Ofqual. Your TPTech EPA puts you on the transport planning pathway and is available for apprentices for the 2025 round of EPAs.  We are working closely with Leeds College of Building to offer our EPAs to their students.

Please note: apprentices are entitled to free membership of TPS!

Completion of the Level 3 apprenticeship EPA, part of which is achieving the BTEC in transport planning, will fully meet the requirements for TPTech and professional registration with TPS. 

TPTech and the pathway to further qualifications

As well as being valuable in its own right, TPTech provides a stepping stone to further qualifications:  Incorporated Transport Planner (IncTP) and Transport Planning Professional (TPP). IncTP can be achieved by successfully completing the TPS Professional Development Scheme (PDS) which covers the same set of competences as TPP.  Thus it fulfils the first stage (Knowledge) of a TPP application, and provides targeted material for the Experience sections and final review.  Holders of the TPP are now entitled to chartered status as CTPP, subject to paying a fee and membership of an approved professional body such as TPS.

TPTech without an approved BTEC

At the moment applications for TPTech through the non-apprenticeship route can be gained by submitting an application form which includes evidence that they meet the TPTech Standard (see above), and attending a professional review. The application form can be downloaded here. This will include candidates giving a short presentation (with a Q&A following) on a project they have been involved with, similar to that required for the apprenticeship EPA.

Candidates will be asked to:

• Provide details of any educational qualifications, including apprenticeships, BTEC, degree level
• Outline their career history
• Show records of their work based learning
• Where an approved qualification has not been completed:  Make a written submission to show how the five areas of competency from the Standard, have been achieved during the candidate’s work experience.  These are set out below.  Examples of what could be included in the written submission can be found in the TPTech Standard.  Answers will be expected not to exceed 500 words for each area.

The TPTech 5 areas of competence:

1. Use transport planning knowledge and understanding to apply technical and practical skills
2. Contribute to the design, development, or operation of safe and sustainable transport planning solutions or processes, programmes or services
3. Accept and exercise personal responsibility
4. Use effective communication and interpersonal skills
5. Make a personal commitment to an appropriate code of professional conduct, recognising obligations to society, the profession and the environment.

Personal information and details need to be provided by candidates about:

• Themselves
•  Sponsors
• Their employment
• How and when they would like their review to be held (this will normally be a remote review)
• Any specific technical expertise which may require an expert reviewer.

The Technician apprenticeship and previous EPAs

Before TPTech was available, apprentices were offered EngTech as part of their EPA through CIHT.  Apprentices have been very successful in their course and project work, some gaining awards such as Apprentice of the Year.  It is intended that EngTech will still be offered to transport planning technicians, possibly who wish to pursue a more engineering pathway, for example to IEng and CEng.  TPTech is intended to put them on a direct pathway to IncTP and TPP/CTPP.

The Technician apprenticeship so far

So far the scheme has attracted about 40 apprentices a year and training continued despite Covid 19.  We are now back to pre-Covid levels.  Before the crisis, TPS Board member, Laura Putt, interviewed two of them.

Meet two of the UK's first Transport Planning Apprentices

Brandon and Sadia  are amongst the first to complete the two-year transport planning apprenticeship with Transport for London (TfL) and now hold the EngTech qualification. Member of the TPS Board Laura Putt asked them a few questions about their experiences so far.