Graduate Planner Review

On a day to day basis I support Planners and Directors managing their cases in advising and submitting planning applications in relation to development potential of sites. This varies from providing advise, submitting representations to the Council, producing supporting statements for planning applications and supporting discussions between the applicant and the case officer. A lot of my work is desk based and involves meetings both online and in person and sometimes includes the occasional site visit.

I have developed many skills through this role, I have especially improved my writing skills, communication skills, presentation skills and research skills. I think one of the most useful skills I have picked up is interpersonal skills, in learning how to speak with client and manage expectations. Equally I have also developed creative skills when having to think of creative solutions to deliver what the client wants to achieve on site. Planning very much involves building a storey and a case for development which is inherently creative.

I do very much enjoy the programme, especially the day to day running and handling of planning applications. The programme is also extremely positive in that it allows you to meet others from the industry both internally and externally. I do think that there is an opportunity to improve the apprenticeship programme for all considering I form part of only the second year to go through this route. The scheme can be improved with a better understanding of timescales and more transparency regarding what this route entails from the beginning. I think the route would benefit from an open discussion with all involved parties (i.e the company, the teaching providers, the qualification standards and the government). At the moment, I think that is what is lacking from the programme.

The programme feels very disorganised, mostly in part to the University. The University did not fully organise the two academic years well. There seems to be lulls of time in between submissions, especially within the 2nd year which simply drags out the experience, especially when you want to be qualified as soon as possible to progress in your career. Also, the University, amongst minor delays to the administrational side of things, sought to implement a new way to track 20% Off the Job training without providing any guidance on how to do this and just generally increased the amount of stress for students.

The Graduate team are dedicated to helping Graduates through the process and you are able to approach them with issues and receive support. However, I would note, that even if you do raise issues with the team it may not be fixable for you or your cohort, but for the later years as much of the issues require collaboration from all involved organisaitons. The Graduate Training days are something which Savills specifically put on for their graduates and are really helpful in broadening your scope of knowledge. I do not know many organisaiton which invests as much in the training of their Graduates and which include these sorts of events. They are also great in helping you network and meet new people from the scheme.

The University is certainly going through administrational issues regarding training, equally it would have been beneficial if the training was structured slightly differently. However, irrespective of this aspect of the training, the lectures are knowledgeable about the process and do really wish to help provide support for whole of the process. One of the lecturers has experience with the APC process as an examiner and this was an extremely useful insight on submission process/ expectations with the submission. I think the lecturers are let down a lot by the University themselves.

I think that the additional knowledge gained from attending university is extremely helpful in understanding my job role and the day to day running's of things. Especially the background knowledge received to do with the legislation around planning and the process to legislation coming into affect, which was even more relevant against the back drop of the Governments white paper and agenda for planning. The qualification has definitely improved my role and understanding of planning.

There are sports teams and charity events to take part in as well as many social events. These are often sent across the department via emails and placed in calendars without much effort, therefore it makes it very easy to take part in and are a nice reprieve from working. Savills also holds a nation wide event every two years and is a conference where you meet all people within the department across the UK. It is a great opportunity to network, learn and also have fun.

Yes

Savills definitely take care of their employees and invest in their learning and growth. I think there is a lot of opportunity within Savills to specialise in certain areas and grow certain ideas through collaboration. I think that there could be improvements to the Apprentice Grad Scheme, however I am hopeful that for new people attending that they would have worked with the external organisations to ensure the scheme will run more smoothly for others. Overall, Savills is a good organisation to work for, especially when starting out in your career.

I think having a good understanding of planning is helpful and if you can demonstrate this understanding when applying for a position, that would help you a long way. There are online courses available, which would help you explore planning a bit more. Also I would stay up to date with planning matters such as when the government is publishing new legislation such as the Environmental Act 2021 and what this could mean for the industry. A good way to do this is to listen to Pod Cast Room 106, which gives you a good insight into planning matters on a fortnightly basis.