We have a role as the professional body that accredits planning schools. We are making sure that climate change is one of the key things that future planners must learn about. However, it is a lifelong learning issue and it is a constantly changing field. Technology is changing, as is the context.
We have been working with the Improvement Service and the Scottish Government, and we are tasked with pulling together an audit of skills needs across local authorities. Some initial work has been done on that. It is looking at the technical needs, which include some of the climate change things. We keep getting asked what will happen when driverless cars come in. Some people tell me that they will change the future of the built environment totally and some people say that they will make no difference whatsoever. There is a need for some rigour so that we have a clear understanding of where we are going.
We are looking at technical skills, including skills on climate change and its measurement, and at generic skills such as leadership and collaboration. If you talk to heads of planning, you hear that they tend to think that their staff need more generic skills, whereas the members of staff think that they need more technical skills. I am sure that it is somewhere in between, but that is the way it is.
As part of the planning review process, we want to look at how we can put in place a programme, a process or something that allows people to work out what skills they have and what skills they do not have, and allows them to fill their skills gaps. My feeling is that that will require some sort of co-ordinating role nationally, to identify and share good practice, and to look at where there are expertise gaps and perhaps get local authorities to share expertise. We are looking at different models for that and we will report back by the end of the financial year.
The other question was about councillors, and the issue is mentioned in the planning review. As you know, local government elections are coming up in May. We are trying to see how, after the new councillors come in, we can work with the Improvement Service and local authorities to put in place training for councillors. Most local authorities have that already.
We are interested in not just telling them—and scaring them—about what the planning system is and what responsibilities they have. We also need to raise their sights and make them realise what the opportunities and potentials of the planning system are, and how the planning system can help them not just in the planning department, but corporately. We are exploring ways in which we can put something in place to support that, and we are talking to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities about that, as well.
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