The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) and the Transport Planning Society have just carried out a survey to discover the industry’s views on the Transport Planning Professional (TPP) qualification.

The survey, sent out to a representative sample of the industry yielded an excellent response, with over 300 people completing the on-line questionnaire. Of those, over a third stated a positive intention to apply for TPP professional registration in the near future, with others seeing the qualification as a long term goal.

Sheila Holden, Chair of the Professional Standards Committee said:

“The survey has shown that 72% of respondents believe that gaining TPP will enhance their professional status. These results are extremely encouraging for the role the TPP qualification can play in providing a professional benchmark for transport planners that aligns with other professions at a Chartered level.”

“We will be acting on the feedback from the survey and working to highlight the real benefits of the TPP qualification to individuals, employers and the profession as a whole”.

The TPP qualification has strong support from employers, particularly in the private sector, but the purpose of the survey was to find out whether the current structure and competence requirements are understood by prospective candidates and whether there are any barriers, real or perceived, to achieving the qualification.

The initial findings from the survey, conducted by Social Research Associates Ltd, have enabled the TPP Professional Standards Committee to gain a far better understanding of transport planners’ perceptions of the qualification and the advice and support that candidates need to help them prepare for assessment. Work is underway to develop the scheme guidance, with plans to launch revised documentation before the end of the year.