Alina, what professional qualifications do you have?

MSc, TPP, MTPS, MCIHT

How important have your qualifications been to you as your career has developed?

My MSc (in Transport and Business Management) provided me with a solid basis for starting my career in transport consultancy. It provided theoretical background knowledge in both elements of transport planning and project management and I think it’s always useful to know some of the theory behind the more practical application of the work we do. However there was a clear gap that TPP could fill. Pursuing TPP has acted as a lever for me to get experience across a broad spectrum of transport planning including in areas that are removed from my field of specialism. The experience gained through the process has already proven extremely useful in my career since.

How important do you think professional recognition will be for younger transport planners, as they develop their careers?

I think it is a way of establishing yourself within your organisation and the profession more widely. TPP can act as an industry-wide indicator of an individuals breadth (and depth) of knowledge in transport planning. Furthermore professional recognition will provide an added level of confidence in your knowledge and professionalism.

Did you participate in the TPS professional development scheme, and how did that help in your career and in achieving the TPP?

No I didn’t. Upon completion of my MSc (which was one of the accredited courses for TPP) and joining the professional world, I started straight away with working towards TPP.

Do you encourage others to work towards the TPP qualification?  What do you see as the main benefits?

I recently completed my PDS mentor training and held a launch event for staff in Planning at TfL to explain the benefits of the PDS and TPP and how the whole process works. I think the main benefits are the experience you get across a wide range of disciplines. You won’t realise how useful that is until you do it, and who knows you might even discover an area of transport planning that you find really interesting but never knew existed.

Final thoughts?

The process can seem daunting at the beginning with but the key is just to make a start, and to keep your records up to date. That way recording your experience and completing your paperwork becomes routine and gives you are really good focus for areas for development.