NEWS
RTPI { Assessment of Professional Competence (APC): the next 10 years Iram Mohammed, chair of the RTPI Membership and Ethics (M&E) committee and RTPI board member, introduces the recent changes to the APC and explains how members have been involved throughout the process. The APC was implemented in 2006 for those planners who wanted to become chartered, having completed an RTPI-accredited planning degree. Almost 10 years on, the M&E committee has been leading a review of the APC, its competencies and competency framework to ensure that it is relevant to the issues planners face now and that it is fit for purpose in 2015 and beyond.
Why review? The M&E committee has been reviewing the routes to chartered membership to improve consistency and ensure greater clarity across the eligibility criteria, the application process and assessment model. We are aware that the profession has been changing and diversifying, and observations of the employment market for planners indicate increasing fluidity across sectors and nature of employment. The review will ensure that the routes are fit for purpose going forward and reflect this diverse profession. We believe this will also improve support to candidates and assessors, and ultimately assist with membership growth and transition into and across membership categories. There are currently five pathways to become a chartered member, of which only two have competencies assessed as an integral part of the process. All routes to chartered membership will become competency-based and the APC competencies for the accredited route will form the foundation for all routes, so reviewing the APC was an essential first step in this process. In 2015 we will continue to review the remaining routes to chartered membership.
Member involvement Changes to the APC have been developed by members, for members. During 2014, the M&E committee consulted the breadth of the RTPI membership base, with RTPI committees and Panels, General Assembly, APC stakeholders, Regions, Nations and Young Planners asked to input into the APC competencies and draft descriptors. Members were supportive of the need to undertake the review and welcomed the opportunity to comment. This enthusiasm was reflected in the very valuable feedback received.
What has changed? • There is a revised APC competency list. • Specific reference is now made to ‘professionalism’ within the RTPI Code of Conduct competency. • ‘The economic context’ has been added as a new competency. • The submission word count has increased from 5,000 to 5,500 (+/-10 per cent).
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• The Professional Development Plan (PDP) template is now compulsory.
New Guidance The new 2015 APC Guidance (which will apply from November 2015) is now available at www.rtpi.org.uk/apc
APC Commendations Each year more than 400 licentiates apply for chartered membership through the APC. The APC Commendations recognise those who were nominated by their assessors based on the high calibre of their APC submission. In 2014, we asked our APC assessors to nominate submissions and these Ginny Duffell were judged by the Planner, States of Jersey institute’s APC Advisory Panel earlier this year. The candidates awarded an APC Commendation in 2014 are: Ginny Duffell, Adam Kindred and Chris Moore. These candidates are on their way to becoming exceptional planners and making a Adam Kindred significant contribution to Planner, CBRE the community and the profession. This accolade recognises candidates’ achievements and enables them to provide advice and serve as an inspiration to other licentiates going through the APC. The commended candidates’ top tips for the Chris Moore APC include: Planner, Savills • Read the guidance (particularly the competency descriptors) more than once. • Be disciplined – keep your log book up to date and cross-reference it in your submission. • Clearly explain your role in projects and the thinking behind your decisions. • Manage your time so you leave enough time for carefully proofreading your submission. n For more about commended candidates and all their tips see www.rtpi.org.uk/apc-commendations
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