TPP and CTPP

Tim is a Technical Director in the Development International business of WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff. Based in their Chancery Lane offices in London, he specialises in providing transport planning support for mixed-use masterplans, and in developing access, parking and servicing solutions across a range of land-use types, and in particular for major retail schemes. Tim is currently leading the development of the business in Azerbaijan and Central Asia, whilst continuing to work across the UK and the Middle East. Tim joined Arup as a graduate in 2003 with a degree in Geography from the University of Oxford. He moved to WSP In 2012. Tim was awarded the TPP qualification in 2010.

Why do you think having the TPP is important?

Transport planners come from a variety of backgrounds and have a range of different degrees. Becoming a Transport Planning Professional, TPP, not only demonstrates your commitment to the profession, but also shows that you have the necessary skills to carry out your work competently. Historically, it has been difficult for transport planners, and in particular those transport planners from a ‘non-engineering’ background, to find a qualification that is relevant to both their educational background and their work. The TPP qualification is the only award that is targeted specifically at those in the transport planning profession, and will therefore appeal to many in the industry.

Has it proved worthwhile putting the effort into the preparation of your application?

Absolutely. I don’t have a Master’s degree in transport planning and had not had the benefit of participating in the TPS Professional Development Scheme, so my TPP application required me to complete both a Portfolio of Technical Knowledge and a Portfolio of Evidence. Preparing these documents not only highlights the importance of being able to write clearly and concisely, which is an important skill for transport planners to master, but also enables you to identify any potential weaknesses or gaps in your experience that might require your attention before you are in a position to submit your application. Investing sufficient time in the preparation of your application should maximise your chances of becoming TPP qualified at the first time of trying, which is the goal of every candidate.

Are there any particular occasions on which it has proved particularly beneficial to have the TPP?

Although the TPP qualification is still in its infancy, its value is quickly becoming recognised in the industry, both within transport planning organisations and amongst external stakeholders and clients. A number of my clients, both in the UK and overseas, have enquired as to what the TPP post-nominal stands for, and have been interested to hear that there is now a qualification purely for transport planners. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the near future, clients begin to stipulate that their transport consultant project directors and managers must be TPP qualified to provide reassurance that they have the necessary competencies to undertake the work professionally.

Do WSP recognise award of the TPP in career development?

WSP Group encourages its employees to become professionally qualified, including within the transport planning business. The TPP qualification has been welcomed within the firm as it is more relevant to the day-to-day work undertaken by many of our transport professionals than some of the other qualifications targeted by transport planners, such as CEng. Applying for the TPP qualification is also the natural next step for those on the TPS Professional Development Scheme, which WSP is also actively promoting. Employees are aware that becoming professionally qualified can accelerate their career development and will enhance their chances of landing a leadership or managerial role in the future.

What advice would you give to transport planners wondering whether to apply?

If you are serious about a career in transport planning, then becoming TPP qualified really is a no-brainer. It not only ensures that you stand out within your organisation, but will also give that organisation more gravitas by showing that it wants to employ the best in the industry. In addition, the TPP qualification indicates that you are personally committed to continuing professional development and is something that will be of benefit to you throughout your transport planning career, even if you move organisations.

Although the application process requires you to invest some of your personal time in preparing the documents, this in itself should be regarded as worthwhile, as it is demonstrating that you are taking responsibility for your own career progression and are able to manage your time effectively. In addition, the TPP preparation process may help you to identify your own career goals by highlighting where your strengths lie. It is therefore about much more than gaining three letters after your name!

Nicola is Transport Strategy Manager at ,Transport for Greater Manchester’ (TfGM), who she joined in 2014, after 15 years in consultancy, first with JMP Consultants then with Peter Brett Associates.  She is a chartered town planner and completed an MSc in Urban Planning with Transport at Oxford Brookes University in 1999.   Actively involved in the Transport Planning Society throughout her career, and having served on the Society’s Executive Committee, Nicola is now a member of the North West Region Committee. Nicola was awarded the TPP in 2012.

Why do you think having the TPP is important?

I believe having TPP qualification is extremely important in demonstrating your credentials as a well-rounded and experienced transport planner.  It shows your commitment to your profession and to your own personal career development.  Award of the TPP involves a very rigorous process which enables you to demonstrate that your qualifications as a transport planner are at least equivalent to other recognised and highly valued qualifications, such as CEng or MRTPI.  Having the qualification in place has helped to raise standards and to improve recognition of transport planning as a career.

Has it proved worth putting the effort into the preparation of your application?

Yes, partly for my own satisfaction, to prove that I had the requisite skills and experience to gain the qualification, but also in terms of greater recognition from my employers and peers.  It has also enabled me to lead by example in encouraging others to focus on their own professional development.  As a TPP and TPS PDS mentor, having the TPP qualification gives me more credibility with those that I’m mentoring and helps me to give them better advice on the qualification process.

Are there any particular occasions on which it has proved particularly beneficial to have the TPP?

I don’t know whether it was a major factor in my selection for my current job at TfGM, but I’m sure that having the qualification put me in a stronger position at the start of the selection process in terms of demonstrating my credentials as a well-rounded and experienced transport planning professional.

Do TfGM recognise award of the TPP in the career development?

Not directly at present.

What advice would you give to transport planners wondering whether to apply?

I would definitely encourage any transport planner who is seeking to further their career and establish their professional credentials to pursue TPP.  It is not an easy option, as the process is very rigorous, but it is ultimately very satisfying and, in an increasingly competitive market place, will place you in a much stronger position in terms of furthering your career and developing a depth and breadth of experience in transport planning.

David, has been with what is now CH2M (formerly Halcrow) since he graduated 16 years ago. Although an Associate based in Warrington, David spends much of his working week in London modelling the potential impacts of HS2 on the TfL network. When in Warrington he’s providing traffic inputs for the M62 and M6 Smart Motorway Project, advising Highways England. He is also advising Trafford Borough Council on the Trafford Waters development and is providing oversight to an update of the West Yorkshire Mesoscopic Model and Infrastructure Study for Highways England. David was awarded the TPP in 2011.

Why do you think having the TPP is important?

It is far more than few letters after your name. For me, the process of working towards the TPP was invaluable, as it provided me with an opportunity to look back over what I had achieved in my career to date. I realised that my experience to that point had actually been wider than I had appreciated. It also highlighted areas where I had not had much experience, and some areas that I would have liked to explore further. This ‘taking stock’ is something that in our busy working lives we transport planners often do not have time to prioritise, due to day to day constraints and deadlines. As such, it provided me with an opportunity to gain a clearer perspective on what it was I had done so far in my career, and what I wanted to do next.

Are there any particular occasions on which it has proved particularly beneficial to have the TPP?

I was presented with a secondment opportunity to work for a period on the transport planning for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The fact I had a professional qualification assisted in the client approving my CV for this secondment, and propelled me into a higher charge rate band than would have otherwise been the case, which was of benefit to both me and CH2M.

Do CH2M recognise award of the TPP in career development?

CH2M encourages and supports transport planners to gain TPP. With TPP being relatively new and a limited number of individuals applying, it is not really recognised in a formal way, but is considered along with other aspects of performance. For engineers, chartership, or rather lack of it, is often a bar to development. This is not yet the case with the TPP, but I would not be surprised to see developments on this front as the qualification becomes more established, and more widely held.

For me, it was a more a personally rewarding process that I am certainly glad to have undertaken and would recommend to others, rather than something which has been recognised in any particular way by my employer in terms of career development.

What advice would you give to transport planners wondering whether to apply?

Go for it – when you examine it, you’ll discover that your evidence base of achievement and experience is greater than you, or you employer, probably realise! It provides a useful point to look back over achievements and accomplishments, and build on that base to look ahead to what you want to do next. Also, pursue the qualification with the right attitude – don’t enter in the process thinking that having the TPP is about getting a fast track promotion or pay rise. That really isn’t what the TPP is about.

CH2M uses the Society’s PDS for its graduate staff; what do you see the main benefits of the PDS to your graduates to be?

The PDS gives a structured approach to the development of graduates and the accumulation of knowledge and experience. By setting out a framework requiring a wide range of technical and professional experience, it encourages the development of well-rounded transport planners and helps to reduce the risk of early ‘pigeon-holing’.

It also allows graduates to monitor their early career progress and is a tool that they can use in conjunction with line managers and mentors to influence what they would like to do, depending on what kind of projects and roles are available, in order to fulfil the PDS criteria. Certainly for me, who applied ‘cold’ into the TPP process, it would have made the personal statement and preparation easier, had I documentation relating to what I had done previously, that I could have drawn on as an evidence base for the TPP.

And, what do you see as the main benefits of the PDS to CH2M?

Many of the benefits for the employers mirror those for employees. All gain through the development of well-rounded transport planners. It also puts employees on the path to gain their professional qualification, something that is featuring more frequently in bid assessment criteria.

What advice would you give to someone just starting in transport planning on developing their career?

Avoid being pigeon-holed into a narrow area of work too early. A scheme such as the PDS, which requires evidence of the accumulation of a range of experience across the diverse transport planning, will undoubtedly assist in this regard. Also, it is important to take a collaborative and collegiate approach to your work and with fellow transport planners. Over the course of your career, you will undoubtedly have interactions with the same professional colleagues under differing circumstances, as people move roles and/or employers: as colleagues; as your clients; as their clients; them managing you; as peers; you managing them.

Stefan is a Principal Transport Planner in Transport for London’s Planning Department. His role is focussed on the use of models and data to inform the development of policies and projects, as well as in the assessment of major development proposals. It is an analytical role, in which he specifies model runs and data analyses and interprets and presents the outputs. He recognises the crucial importance of having good communication skills, in presenting technical material to a non technical audience as well as in discussions to define exactly what questions the analysis needs to address. Stefan was awarded the TPP in 2012.

Why do you think having the TPP is important?

The TPP provides a framework for professional development, without which you risk missing out on experience in some key topics. This is particularly relevant for such a broad ranging profession such as transport planning. It also empowers younger transport planners to define their career paths, and provides evidence that they can take to their managers and say ‘look, I need to gain some experience doing something different’, rather than risk being pigeon-holed.

The recognition that comes with professional qualification is satisfying and provides motivation in the early years of a career in transport planning. It is also important for the profession to have an established benchmark of the skills expected from well-rounded transport planner.

Are there any particular occasions on which it has proved particularly beneficial to have the TPP?

Not yet, but there are situations where I could envisage that it would be beneficial. For example, when presenting evidence in a formal situation, such as at a public inquiry. From a personal perspective, I think it will also be beneficial when applying for jobs.

Does TfL recognise award of the TPP in career development?

Not as such, but I am sure that it helps you stand out from the crowd in a competitive recruitment situation.

What advice would you give to transport planners wondering whether to apply?

Take some time to think carefully about how your experience aligns with the Experience and Proficiency requirements in the Portfolio of Evidence. If you identify any areas of potential weakness speak to your manager about what steps can be taken to address any gaps.

Then check if you meet the Knowledge requirements. If you don’t, devise a plan of actions to meet this requirement.

If you think you fulfil both the Knowledge, Experience and Proficiency requirements, or are close to fulfilling the requirements, seek the support of a mentor who can help in a number of ways. For example, in providing a second opinion on whether you meet the requirements, in providing tips on how to complete the paperwork, in helping review your forms prior to submission and in providing guidance in preparing for the interview.

TfL uses the Society’s PDS for its graduate staff; what do you see the main benefits of the PDS to your graduates to be?

It provides motivation in the form of a medium term milestone to work towards beyond the typical graduate development scheme. It provides a structured development programme for continued learning after the graduate scheme to ensure attainment of the full, broad range of transport planning skills. It also empowers graduates to have more control over their careers as the PDS can be used as evidence to request exposure to different transport planning work areas.

And, what do you see as the main benefits of the PDS to TfL?

It enables TfL to establish a core group of experienced transport planners who are recognised as having solid, broad experience in the profession. TfL can be confident that these transport planners can be deployed on a flexible basis across a range of transport planning related tasks to meet its priorities

What advice would you give to someone just starting in transport planning on developing their career?

The TPP provides an excellent framework against which to track your career progression if you want to become a professional transport planner. By its nature transport planning is a very broad profession and some people will want to specialise in a particular area, in which case the TPP may not be for you and you may wish to pursue an alternative professional qualification. Either way, it’s worth thinking about what parts of the transport planning profession you are most interested in and identifying the most appropriate pathway to professional recognition.