New planning degree to support skill shortages

South Australia, once home to the nation’s oldest undergraduate planning course, has experienced the country’s slowest growth in its planning workforce, increasing by only 35 percent since 2006.

LGA President Mayor Dean Johnson said it was positive to see continued advocacy about the absence of university pathways for planning and surveying graduates gain traction.

“Over many years, LGA has raised the need for degree-qualified graduates and trained professionals in planning, surveying and valuation to fill roles and meet increasing demand,” Mayor Johnson said.

“Planners play an important role in our state, designing local communities and making them more liveable.

“As residential growth and increased demand for new housing continues to soar, pressure on development applications and planning workloads in councils has increased, and that’s put a strain on planners in both metropolitan and regional areas.

“Economic growth, housing and delivery of new and emerging energy and infrastructure projects all hinge on having the right resources available.

“LGA will engage to work with the State Government, Flinders University and the Planning Institute of Australia on the development of a new program to address these challenges.”

Flinders University will work in collaboration with the State Government’s Planning and Land Use Services and Planning Institute of Australia to develop a modernised planning program aimed at setting national standards and leading innovation in the field of urban and regional planning.

The new undergraduate planning program aims to integrate academic coursework with practical workplace experience, helping create workforce-ready graduates.

The curriculum will be developed over the next 3 to 6 months in conjunction with industry experts and professional bodies to understand the practical requirements in the workforce.

The course complements a new surveying double degree which started at Flinders University earlier this year which aims to support skill shortages also being faced in this field.

Read more about the new degree on the Flinders University website.