Last month, CMS in partnership with Scotland’s Fraser of Allander Institute launched the insightful Skills for Today and Tomorrow report that explores the current skills landscape as well as key demographic and technological challenges within the Scottish labour market.
One area highlighted by the research as a barrier to economic growth is deficiencies in the planning system, with skills shortages specifically highlighted in the report. These shortages extend to the availability of planners generally as well as to those with the skills to handle complex applications, such as those for emerging green technologies or involving biodiversity enhancement.
There was a strong view that this lack of people working within the planning profession is causing delays. This has raised further concerns about the knock-on effect on the pace at which investment can be deployed, and as a result on the economy as a whole.
In the last three years, figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that Scotland has produced fewer than 200 planners a year on average. With half those achieving these qualifications coming from outside of UK, there is a risk that many of those who are educated here will not remain in the country.
Skills shortages extend to availability of planners generally as well as to those with the skills to handle complex applications.”
There is a growing acknowledgement of this issue within government, both at Holyrood and Westminster. The UK Government has committed to a planning and infrastructure bill at the heart of its legislative programme, supported by 300 new planning officers across the country. Meanwhile, the Scottish Government has now committed to launching a planning apprenticeship programme to invest in new talent to create a pipeline of skilled future planners.
CMS will continue to play its role in highlighting these and other concerns within Scotland’s business community, supporting businesses of all sizes in managing challenges so they are able to plan for a prosperous future.
Allan Wernham is Managing Director (Scotland) at CMS
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