This College Awareness Week (18-24 November) the Irish Planning Institute is asking students to consider a future career as a planner, a profession that will play a crucial role in the transformation that will take place throughout Irish society in the years ahead.

With hundreds of planning vacancies across the public and private sector, the Government has moved to address the skills shortage within the profession having recently published a Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources to support and encourage students and young people to enter the sector.

The Irish Planning Institute accredits planning programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level in TU Dublin, University College Cork and University College Dublin ensuring that graduates have the skills, knowledge and learning opportunities necessary to build a fulfilling career in this vital profession.

Senior Planner with the Irish Planning Institute, Dr Seán O’Leary said, “Planners are essential to addressing the challenges of today and tomorrow including how Ireland mitigates and adapts to climate change, how we tackle the current housing shortage, how we reverse biodiversity decline and how we build sustainable, diverse and well serviced cities, towns and villages for an ever-changing population.

“While the profession is critical to the delivery of a more sustainable, prosperous and equitable society, research has also shown that it is a very rewarding sector with 80% of planning professionals being fulfilled, in terms of their role, work life balance, career development and salary.

“During this College Awareness Week, our members will be actively engaging with the student sector to make the case for planning as a profession, and we would encourage young people and all those interested in shaping the future of the country to consider the opportunities undertaking an accredited planning study programme presents to them and all of society.

For more information on studying planning at college please visit www.ipi.ie