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TRA 25th Anniversary Bursaries for Young Planners (2009)

Please note that all 25 bursaries have now been awarded. See below for comments from some of those who benefited.

As part of our 25th Anniversary celebrations in 2009, we have teamed up with the RTPI Young Planners Network to offer training bursaries to 25 young planners.

TRA has always championed the training and development of young planners, who we view as vital to the future success of the profession.  We believe that in challenging economic times such as these, investment in staff through training is even more crucial to the long term success of both the individual and the organisation they work for.

We are therefore delighted to offer 25 free places on our planning related one-day events in 2009 to those young planners who are able to demonstrate a particular commitment to the work and development of young planners or who can demonstrate a need for training in a particular subject area. 

Feedback from bursary winners 

• Elizabeth Adams, Trainee Planning Officer, East Dorset DC (Design in Development Control) - "Since I had few perceptions of the company, I attended with an open mind. I now have a very positive perception based on the professionalism and accessibility of the training I received. I appreciated the opportunity to learn from Dan's experience in the public sector and his presentation style ensured a memorable day. (The course) has increased my confidence in my ability to translate my gut reactions to inappropriate designs into positive advice to improve development proposals."
• Joe Ridgeon, Planner, Dickinson Dees LLP (Housing Design and Layout) - "The event put design into a policy context and then moved onto specifics. The design exercise in the afternoon was very helpful in terms of giving the group a chance to critically assess not just the design but also the thought processes and reasoning behind it. It forced you to critically assess your own subjective design opinions. The presenter pushed us to consider design as objective - not just subjective and he gave us the tools to be able to do this analytically. This will be very useful when working with architects."
• Andrea Kitzberger, Planning Policy Officer, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (Writing Effective Policies in the LDF) - "This training course has definitely met my expectations. There was a good balance between theory and exercise. The exercises were very practical, some of them were quite tough, which was good as it really made you think. The presenter has in my opinion excellent knowledge of this subject and I would definitely recommend this course. I will hopefully be able to apply and use what I've learnt on this workshop. When it comes to drafting a policy, I will just go ahead and do it."
• Carly Hinde, Assistant Town Planner, White Young Green (Forum on Planning Agreements) - "I had never heard of TRA before the event so was unaware of their work. The range of speakers and topics was particularly helpful, with both the private and public sectors represented, the legal, business and council perspectives, and the large and small scale projects. The event exceeded my expectations. I feel that I will be able to understand better the public/council perspective on major planning decisions."
• Robert Hobbs, Senior Policy Planner, Ipswich (Writing Effective Policies in the LDF) - I liked the detailed approach to the subject and it enabled me to get a much clearer idea of what is involved in writing a policy and the best way to tackle this. I feel the event has been a useful contribution to my career development.
• Jennifer Thomson, Planning Assistant, North Lanarkshire Council (Certificates of Lawfulness) - "The course offered useful and relevant training in relation to improving practice and was mostly aimed at local authority staff, therefore not the type of training I would have expected a private company to offer. The speaker was very competent ... and the information required to actually assess a certificate of lawfulness and the procedure involved was covered in sufficient detail to allow me to feel confident assessing such an application."
• Sarah Wills, Urban Designer/Planner, DLA Town Planning Ltd (Environmental Impact Assessment) - "I was very keen to come away from the course feeling more confident when answering questions on the scoping process and requirements for EIAs in supporting planning applilcations. I now feel that I can provide a much more informed response to both clients and team members.  It was a different experience to attending a larger conference and I think that a very strong aspect of the workshop is that the numbers are limited. This allows everyone to enter meaningful discussions around real case studies."
• Dan Yeates, Assistant Planner, Savills (Character and Appearance as a Material Consideration) - I felt the event covered the topic very well and appealed to planners at all levels. I was very impressed by the knowledge demonstrated by the presenter. As a result of the training I feel I will certainly be more aware of character and appearance when preparing planning applications, advising clients, and liaising with sub-consultants.
• Claire Dobinson, Planning Officer, North Tyneside Council (Writing Effective Policies in the LDF) - I was a bit sceptical as the courses cost considerably more than the seminars that I normally attend (run by RTPI NE). I think that the fact that TRA is a specalist training organisation can sometimes lead people to think that TRA will be very profit driven. I expected the event to be along the same lines as all other seminars /conferences I've attended; approx 70-90 people listening to various speakers with limited discussion time. The small number of delegates was refreshing (and) helped change my perception of TRA being profit focused.
• Heather Vickers, Planner, Rapleys LLP (Environmental Impact Assessment: a guide to the regulations) - The event contained a wide range of information relevant to both the private and public sectors. Due to the background of the Presenter, there were case studies and examples provided which also enhanced the course content. I am very interested in the process of EIA and feel that I have the background knowledge to become fully involved with the process.
• Rob Krzyszowski, Planning Assistant, Birmingham City Council (Planning Policy Forum) - I was pleased to see at the training event that it was well attended by both public and private sector partners which created a good balance and sparked quality debate. The event exceeded my expectations/reasons for choosing it. I will certainly take on board the issues addressed by all of the speakers in terms of planning policy.
• Meghan Lewis, Assistant Planner, Tetlow King Planning (Character and Appearance as a Material Consideration) - Size and form of event conducive to good working and interaction between attendees... as similar events have had much larger class sizes and much less interaction between the speaker and those attending. Exceeded expectations through use of case study in particular which definitely aided my understanding. Very well run event, good venue and excellent speaker.
• Jo Wilkins, Senior Planning Officer, Lincolnshire CC (Writing Effective Policies in the LDF) - From discussions with our trainer, it was clear that her job has made her an expert in her field and it is good to have such people training you - they have relevant experience. The active parts of the training were the most useful to me - it was nice not to be "talked at" for the whole day. If I hadn't attended the course I don't think I would have got specific direction on the subject. I would probably have been left to get on with policy writing, at least now if that's the case, I'll feel more confident when doing so.
• Gareth Clegg, Principal Planning Officer, Salford City Council (Appearing at Hearings) - Both presenters were highly knowledgeable and were engaging and experienced presenters which enabled me to learn a great deal from the session. I will use the knowledge obtained to enable me to more effectively prepare for giving evidence at Hearings, and in terms of presenting my case to the best of my ability at the Hearing itself.