Grow Your Own – Urban and Regional Planners Initiative
Who this is for
Regional councils looking to create a stable workforce of planners in regional South Australia.
What's being delivered
Online learning to educate planners locally, supported by a regional study hub.
About the project
There's a shortage of planners in South Australia. Currently, SA Universities don't provide any undergraduate urban and regional planning courses to support a pipeline of qualified planners.
This project was part of the Australian Government Regional University Centre program – a program to enable students in rural, regional and remote Australia to access higher education without having to leave their communities.
The project brokered partnerships with universities and tertiary education providers to facilitate delivery of qualifications to help address the region’s professional workforce shortages.
Councils can play a lead role in building their planning workforce by:
- running targeted promotion of the sector needs
- providing study options that align with individual skills and experience
- using an existing, supported learning environment for students in South Australia.
Project delivery
The program was delivered through the Regional University Centres (RUC).
Through established campuses, regional students had access to:
- free learning tools
- dedicated personnel for learning support and course delivery
- connections to business and industry for placements, internships and paid work.
The Murray River Study Hub and Uni Hub Spencer Gulf have collaborated to create this initiative. These hubs operate as Regional University Centres in South Australia.
There was no cost to councils to participate in this initiative. Individual councils will funded their investment through incentives for employees to encourage enrolment and support their study.
Outcomes
Three students initially enrolled, with one student remaining in the planning degree.
The partnerships established between regional councils, the Murray River Study Hub, Uni Hub Spencer Gulf and tertiary education providers have created a foundation for continued collaboration and support for regional workforce development.
Learnings
The project aimed to educate planners in rural and regional South Australia through targeted promotion.
It initially had $40,000 allocated through the R&D Scheme and $40,000 of co-funding from the Department of Investment and Trade. However, only $20,000 was spent as the project had limited uptake.
The project relied on councils to encourage their employees to enrol and study planning degrees. There are many variables outside council control and a significant commitment for the individual, even with a financial subsidy.
Councils needed to have an employee willing to study and be able to provide time for them to study by reducing their workload. This is a significant commitment both for councils and the employee.
The lessons learned will inform the development of new programs.
Project funding
This project is funded through the Local Government Research and Development Scheme and the Department of Investment and Trade.
The R&D Scheme allocates funding to projects that support the development of SA local government. Successful applicants are decided through an annual grant round.
Find out more
If you have any questions, please contact:
Mathilde Thorsen
Senior Projects and Grants Coordinator
Email: mathilde.thorsen@lga.sa.gov.au