Not-for-profit organisation Public Practice is to deliver 29 new potential public sector superstars to 27 authorities across England.
The new cohort of associates will join borough, district and unitary councils adding much-needed urban design and planning skills to the under-resourced public sector.
The delivery of fresh talent comes just days after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pledged to deliver hundreds of new planning professionals to the public sector.
Earlier this year, Public Practice announced a £1m funding boost from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. That cash is being used to expand the programme’s reach, which is now open to local authorities in all regions of England.
The programme supports the public sector’s placemaking capabilities by recruiting skilled candidates to year-long placements within local authorities. The programme is supported by a unique learning and development course, with the opportunity to join a cohort of like-minded professionals.
Since 2017, Public Practice has placed 320 associates into 87 authorities in England, with 77% still working in the public sector for more than two years after the 12-month programme ends.
In this cohort, Public Practice said it had seen a high level of interest in placemaking roles with urban design skills. Rugby Borough Council sought a senior planning officer (urban design), while Rochdale Borough Council secured an urban design principal. Other roles include a senior planner/urban designer for North Hertfordshire Council and an urban design officer for East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
Public Practice chief executive Pooja Agrawal said: “This is our first national cohort and I am delighted to be welcoming nine new English local authorities to Public Practice, and bringing multidisciplinary experts to areas of the country where they can have maximum impact. We know local authorities are facing many recruitment challenges and their biggest issue is difficulty attracting qualified and skilled candidates.
“We are committed to attracting highly skilled placemaking professionals into the public sector and I continue to be inspired by the motivated associates joining our programme, who are driven to have more purpose in their work and shape places across England for the better. Each associate is taking a big leap in their career by joining a local authority. Our aim is to support these individuals to develop their placemaking skills for long-term careers in the public sector.”
Pete Gladwell, group social impact & investment director at Legal & General, added: “There is an urgent need for additional resource in planning departments across the UK, so it’s great to see the fruit of our partnership with Public Practice resulting in another terrific collection of people stepping into that role.
“Public Practice has done a great job of pulling together diverse talents, backgrounds and experiences to augment those who already work so tirelessly in this space.”
The next Public Practice recruitment round will open on Monday, 16 October.
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