Graduate Planner Review

I work in town planning and this involves liaising with clients, developers, architects, local council officers and professionals from other disciplines (e.g. transport) on a daily basis in order to prepare planning applications for a range of developments. This includes anything from major developments for thousands of homes / commercial uses, as well as small-scale developments for conversion of a house into flats. I also carry out a lot of research through reviewing local plans, planning history and reviewing other similar developments, and advise clients/developers on development options for their site. The role requires a lot of specialist knowledge in planning as well as project management.

Yes, particularly in project management which I didn't consider would be such a large part of the role when starting. A key part of the job is to organise consultants in order to meet client deadlines, and this can include a small team or a team of 20+ consultants depending on the size of the scheme. Organisation, project management, leadership and time management are therefore key skills I have developed in my role.

I enjoy the programme as I can attend university alongside learning skills on the job. It is useful to have the academic background to the work I am doing, while also gaining skills in real life practise. The workload has become easier to manage over the course of the programme as I understand how to prioritise the needs of university and work.

The programme is well organised by Savills. For the first two years we had one day off work a week to attend university and my team was very understanding of this and did not try to set me work on those days. The Graduate HR Team have separate training events for graduates taking part in the apprenticeship programme given the different structure our graduate programme has to non-degree apprenticeship graduates. They also check in regularly with us.

I receive good support from Savills which has only got better and more frequent throughout my time on the programme. I am now in the final stages of the process and the Graduate HR Team have checked in regularly, and have organised specialist training events for us. They have also trained senior members of the team to assist us in preparing for the final steps of the programme.

I receive good support from Savills which has only got better and more frequent throughout my time on the programme. I am now in the final stages of the process and the Graduate HR Team have checked in regularly, and have organised specialist training events for us. They have also trained senior members of the team to assist us in preparing for the final steps of the programme.

In terms of the university qualification, this was helpful in setting the foundations for town planning and providing useful knowledge to take into my job. I also enjoy learning and having a more academic and critical understanding of the work I am doing, so it has been useful in this regard.

Yes, although as I joined in 2020, these were on pause for the first couple of years due to lockdowns. However, since then, I have attended a number of networking events with other graduates from my office and across the country, including graduates on the apprenticeship programme. This has been useful for relationship building across the business and most importantly with other graduates going through the same programme as me, to allow us to discuss our experiences. There are also many social events, including a number of team socials and lunches throughout the year, and a couple of department-wide events. I have also recently joined the running club, which is run by a professional trainer, and is free to attend.

Yes

I feel valued working at Savills, and feel that I make an important contribution in my job. I feel Savills values its people and understands the importance in networking across the business. We are also encouraged to bring forward new ideas regularly by the management team, who are friendly and approachable.

For those applying the same route I did (to the graduate scheme), this involves an assessment centre and final interview. Having good knowledge of not only planning, but the property industry is important, and will need to be demonstrated during each application stage. Building good relationships is also hugely important in Savills, so coming across as a friendly, inquisitive and approachable person will be important at the assessment centre and interview.