Town planning assistant

You can do a degree accredited by The Royal Town Planning Institute before applying for a job as an assistant.

Subjects include:

• planning, environment and development
• city and regional planning
• urban planning and property development

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements
• student finance for fees and living costs
• university courses and entry requirements

You can take a college course to learn some of the skills needed for the job, which may help when applying for a trainee position. Relevant courses include:

• Level 3 Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment
• Level 3 Diploma in Civil Engineering for Technicians
• T level in Design, Surveying and Planning

Entry requirements

You may need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T level

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements
• guide to T levels
• funding advice
• search for courses

You can get into this job through a town planning technical support advanced apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements
• guide to apprenticeships

You'll usually need GCSEs and A levels in subjects like geography, graphic design, business studies, English, environmental studies or economics to apply directly for jobs. Some employers may ask for a degree.

Career tips

You may have an advantage if you have experience in:

• customer service
• administration
• computer-aided design (CAD)
• construction
• surveying

Further information

You can find out more about careers in town planning from The Royal Town Planning Institute.

You'll need:

• knowledge of geography
• the ability to work well with others
• analytical thinking skills
• excellent verbal communication skills
• customer service skills
• business management skills
• legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
• maths skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Your day-to-day tasks could include:

• preparing reports for internal and external publications
• recording minutes at meetings
• building and managing technical libraries, filing systems and databases
• drawing up plans using computer aided design software
• carrying out data surveys, like traffic impact assessments
• supplying information and data to planners for applications
• recording the progress and outcomes of planning applications
• organising public meetings
• answering enquiries about application procedure

You could work in an office.