THE Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has announced it will be offering ten £5,000 RTPI Future Planners bursaries, up from £2,000 last year, to a selection of students who choose to enrol on an RTPI fully accredited planning masters in Scotland for this coming academic year.
The Scottish Government has provided grant funding to deliver this bursary scheme.
Bursaries of £5,000 will be awarded to students on successful enrolment at one of the RTPI’s accredited planning schools in Scotland to assist with course fees and living costs.
Previous research by the RTPI Scotland found that planning in Scotland is the ‘most reduced and lowest funded’ local authority department on a national scale. The organisation has reported the planning workforce is at the lowest level in five years at 1,205 members of staff in local authorities, as of 2022/23, highlighting the need to provide greater resources to Scotland’s planning system.
The aim of the bursary is to attract diverse talent from a variety of planning-related disciplines and underrepresented backgrounds to increase the number of qualified planners.
Applications will open on Monday June 24, and will close on Friday August 9. Provision of bursaries to successful applicants will be made by the end of September. Applicants can find further information on the RTPI’s website.
Dr. Caroline Brown, director of RTPI Scotland, said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds to pursue their studies and contribute to the future of planning in Scotland. We’re grateful to the Scottish Government for their support in making this possible and look forward to welcoming the successful applicants into the planning profession.”
