Armidale Regional Council’s Director of Planning, Daniel Boyce, doesn’t need to look far for evidence of the power of UNE’s planning qualifications. His busy office is brimming with it!
Not only is Daniel himself a product of UNE’s Graduate Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning; another six of his 10 colleagues are either current students or graduates of the UNE planning program. So impressed has he been with UNE’s tertiary education that Daniel has supported scholarships for three staff at two previous councils to advance their careers.
With Australia beset by dire planner shortages, such partnerships between employers and tertiary providers are key to maintaining the workforces so critical to addressing our housing crisis. And in true UNE style, it’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach, with five qualifications – the new , , and degree in Urban and Regional Planning – comprising the suite of industry-geared options.
A Bachelor degree may be a bridge too far for some people, but getting them in to a Certificate or Diploma qualification that aligns to a future Bachelor degree is a great introduction.
“A Bachelor degree may be a bridge too far for some people, but getting them in to a Certificate or Diploma qualification that aligns to a future Bachelor degree is a great introduction,” Daniel said. “People who have achieved the Certificate or Diploma are an untapped resource in planning, and some of the best planners I’ve worked with have come through this pathway. They build on their foundational knowledge and skills as they undertake more learning and directly apply it in the workplace.”
Meeting national need
Around the country, dire staffing shortages within local government planning teams are exacerbating housing shortages.
Without urban and regional planners – the personnel who develop and implement land-use policies, and advise on economic, environmental and social considerations – efforts to process development applications and boost housing stocks are hampered.
This has prompted a growing number of state governments and local councils to collaborate with TAFE and universities like UNE to “grow their own” employees. NSW and South Australian authorities are now endorsing UNE courses for staff at every stage of their career.
There is a massive shortage of planners across all levels, so demand for graduates is huge.
“There is a massive shortage of planners across all levels, so demand for graduates is huge,” said Associate Professor Stephen Wood, Course Coordinator, Urban and Regional Planning at UNE. “Australian Government labour market data shows that the number of urban and regional planners is projected to grow by 18.6% in the period to November 2026.
“We have employers constantly approaching us for help to fill plum positions, for which they are getting zero applicants. But nearly all our students are employed in planning well before they complete their degrees and often from the very outset. There is a strong culture of cadetships and traineeships in the planning sector, which is surging again.
“In 2023, across all UNE planning degrees, our commencing enrolments were the highest since 2009. Some councils are even specifying in their job advertisements that applicants must be studying at UNE because they know our flexibility promotes full-time work and excellent part-time study.”
Fully aligned and fast-tracked
UNE’s newest planning course – the Undergraduate Certificate – and its sister course the Undergraduate Diploma are increasingly popular among state and local governments promoting assistant planners, or para-planners, to help meet their urgent staffing needs.
“Both degrees are for people who might not have previously considered university study but want to learn a bit more about planning,” Stephen said. “They might just stop there, but 50% of those completing the Diploma end up enrolling in UNE’s Bachelor degree.”
The Undergraduate Certificate dovetails neatly into the Undergraduate Diploma, and from there students can develop the confidence to progress to the Planning Institute of Australia-accredited Bachelor, Graduate Diploma or Master’s qualifications. All three accredited courses include the option of a 12-week practical placement that, if a student doesn’t already have a job, commonly leads to employment.
Industry experts like Daniel Boyce – who sits on the UNE course advisory panel – have input into content, ensuring it is relevant and easily applied.
“To address the staff shortage, we are not going to get planners off the shelf as a Local Government authority – we have to grow our own – and the UNE program provides a pathway for students to grow as much as they want to,” Daniel said.
And as one of the largest producers of planners in Australia, UNE is also now one of its fastest.
Our students can complete the Undergraduate Certificate in as little as a year full-time and our Bachelor in the equivalent of 2.5 years full-time, which is almost half that of every other Australian university.
“We have revolutionised our courses to expedite the programs of study,” Stephen said. “Our students can complete the Undergraduate Certificate in as little as a year full-time and our Bachelor in the equivalent of 2.5 years full-time, which is almost half that of every other Australian university. The NSW Government recently announced $1.6 million to fund planning cadets for every second council in the state and I can see UNE playing a major role in meeting the demand for planners across NSW and nationally, and in record time.”
Real-world experience that counts
In conjunction with Armidale Regional Council, recent UNE planning graduates adopted the redevelopment of the former Duval High School site as their “real-world” final project. The resulting report was comparable to what a consultancy would deliver, according to Daniel Boyce.
“The work was of the highest standard and I would have had no hesitation putting the students in front of State Government officials or the elected Armidale Regional Council to present their ideas,” he said. “UNE courses cover the planning principles but also the practical and pragmatic application of those principles to deal with some wicked community problems. Every year, graduates expose councils to new and novel approaches.”
Tamworth Regional Council is equally keen to partner with senior UNE planning students to contribute to its strategic planning priorities.
Speaking from personal experience, Daniel Boyce says it’s but the tip of the iceberg.
“My Graduate Diploma from UNE gave me the opportunity to diversify; it provided a springboard for me to focus on strategic planning,” he said. “There are a lot of allied professionals like surveyors, building surveyors and environmental scientists who could similarly diversify by completing a UNE planning qualification. You can learn something and apply it at work the same day.”
There are a lot of allied professionals like surveyors, building surveyors and environmental scientists who could similarly diversify by completing a UNE planning qualification.
If you are interested in joining this rapidly growing field, you can study on campus or online at UNE, and either full-time or part-time.
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