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L7Apprenticeship4241 approved provider
The Level 7 Chartered Town Planner (Degree), and the 1 provider delivering it.
Shaping the places we live in by balancing the needs of people and business for homes, jobs, local facilities and open spaces with impacts on the wider environment.
About this apprenticeship
What this apprenticeship covers
Town planners assess and decide how land and buildings can be used, balancing development needs against environmental, social and economic impacts. At level 7, apprentices develop the technical and professional knowledge required for chartered membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). Study covers planning law and policy, development management, spatial planning, environmental assessment, and stakeholder engagement. Apprentices learn to evaluate planning applications, write planning statements, interpret national and local planning policy, and advise on the viability and acceptability of development proposals.
Day-to-day responsibilities
Working within a planning team, an apprentice might review planning applications, research planning history and policy context, draft consultation responses, and attend site visits or planning committee meetings. They contribute to the preparation of planning reports and may liaise with developers, local authority officers, statutory consultees, and members of the public. Over the five-year programme, responsibilities typically increase from supporting qualified planners on cases to managing smaller applications or projects independently.
Career outlook
Completing this apprenticeship leads to chartered planner status, which opens roles such as planning officer, development management officer, planning consultant, or policy planner. Employers include local planning authorities, central government agencies, national parks, housebuilders, infrastructure companies, and private planning consultancies. With experience, chartered planners can progress to senior planner, principal planner, associate director, or head of planning roles. The qualification is recognised across the UK, and demand for planners is consistent across both the public and private sectors.
1 approved provider
Sorted by achievement rate.
Anglia Ruskin University ARU
Employer: 3.0
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is an innovative UK university offering a wide portfolio of learning ...
Career outcomes
Roles after completion
Completing this apprenticeship leads to chartered membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI), which is the standard professional credential for practising planners in the UK. Typical job titles on completion include Planning Officer, Development Management Officer, Policy Planner, and Planning Consultant. Some completers move directly into Senior Planner roles, particularly those who have built up significant casework experience during the apprenticeship.
Progression paths
Within three to five years, chartered planners commonly progress to Senior Planner, Principal Planning Officer, or Associate Planner level. Two distinct tracks tend to emerge at this point: a technical specialist route, focusing on areas such as heritage, environmental planning, or transport planning, and a management route leading to Planning Manager, Head of Planning, or Director of Planning. In the longer term, senior roles include Chief Planning Officer and Director of Place, or equity-level positions within planning consultancies.
Where these roles sit
Local planning authorities across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are the largest employers, from metropolitan councils to small district authorities. Private sector demand comes from planning consultancies of all sizes, housebuilders, infrastructure developers, and utilities companies. National bodies including Homes England, Historic England, and the Planning Inspectorate also recruit at this level, as do large property developers and regeneration teams within combined authorities.
How it's assessed
How the apprenticeship is assessed
Learning takes place on the job throughout the programme, with the apprentice applying planning knowledge and professional judgement to real projects and casework. Before final assessment, the apprentice must pass through a gateway, at which point their employer and training provider confirm they have reached the required level of competence across the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the standard. Final assessment then confirms that the apprentice can operate as a competent chartered planning professional. Assessment for many standards is currently being updated; the gov.uk page for this standard holds the current specification.
What learners need to prepare
Given the length of this programme, building evidence of workplace practice steadily over time is far more effective than trying to reconstruct it later. Apprentices should keep records of the planning decisions, consultations and projects they contribute to, noting their specific role and the judgements they applied. Working closely with both the employer and training provider to review progress at regular intervals makes the gateway readiness check more straightforward. Familiarity with the Royal Town Planning Institute's competency framework is also useful, as professional recognition is built into this standard.
Choosing a provider
What good looks like
Look for providers with achievement rates above 75% on their FATP profile, given the 60-month duration means attrition can compound quietly over five years. Strong providers will have formal relationships with local planning authorities, development consultancies or housebuilders, not just generic employer advisory panels. For a degree-level standard, the curriculum should engage with current planning policy (the NPPF and its revisions), digital mapping tools such as GIS, and environmental impact assessment practice. Apprentice satisfaction scores and learner reviews that mention real caseload involvement, not just shadowing, are a particularly useful signal here.
Red flags to watch for
Be cautious if a provider cannot clearly describe how apprentices progress toward RTPI-chartered membership, since gaining chartered status is the core professional outcome of this standard. High enrolment numbers paired with a declining achievement rate over recent years warrants direct questions. Providers who are vague about how off-the-job training is structured across five years, or who rely heavily on generic built environment content rather than planning-specific modules, are unlikely to prepare apprentices for the breadth of the RTPI's Assessment of Professional Competence.
Questions to ask before you commit
- What is your current achievement rate for this standard, and how has it trended over the past two to three years?
- How do you structure the curriculum to align with RTPI competency requirements and support apprentices through the APC?
- What planning policy and legislation updates have been made to the programme in the last 12 months?
- Do apprentices work on live planning applications or appeals during the programme, and at what stage does that typically begin?
- Which regions do you deliver in, and do you have employer partners in our sector (local authority, private consultancy, housebuilder)?
- Can we speak to an employer whose apprentice has completed this programme and gained chartered status?
- How do you handle an apprentice who falls behind, given the five-year commitment involved?
Common questions
What qualifications or experience does someone need to start a Chartered Town Planner degree apprenticeship?
Applicants typically need strong A-levels or equivalent qualifications, or relevant prior experience in planning, construction, or a related field. Employers set their own specific entry criteria, so requirements vary. Some providers may accept applicants with relevant work experience in lieu of formal qualifications. Apprentices must be employed in a genuine planning role throughout, as the programme is built around learning on the job alongside academic study.
How much time will an apprentice spend away from their day-to-day work?
Apprentices study while working full-time, combining workplace learning with academic study toward a degree. Some of that study time must be formally structured away from their job role. The precise off-the-job learning requirement is subject to revision under current Skills England reforms, so check gov.uk or the current standard specification for the confirmed figure. Employers should expect to accommodate regular study commitments across the full duration of the programme.
How is the apprenticeship assessed at the end?
Before taking the end-point assessment, apprentices must pass a gateway review confirming they have met all occupational competence requirements. Assessment models for many standards are being updated, so it is worth checking the current specification on gov.uk for the confirmed method. Generally, the apprentice must demonstrate they can function as a competent, independent planning professional. Successful completion supports eligibility for Chartered status with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
How does the funding work for employers?
The funding band for this standard is £27,000, which is the maximum that can be drawn from the apprenticeship levy or government co-investment. Large employers with a levy account use that to pay training costs. SMEs without a levy account co-invest with the government, typically paying a small percentage of costs. Very small employers taking on an apprentice aged 16 to 18 may pay nothing. The funding covers training and assessment costs, not the apprentice's salary.
What does a Chartered Town Planner apprentice actually do at work during the programme?
Day-to-day work typically involves assessing planning applications, preparing planning reports and policy documents, engaging with developers, local authorities, and community stakeholders, and advising on land use proposals. Apprentices may contribute to local plan preparation, infrastructure projects, or development management decisions. The balance of tasks depends on the employer, who may be a local planning authority, a planning consultancy, a housebuilder, or a government body.
What career paths open up after completing this apprenticeship?
Completing the programme and gaining Chartered membership of the RTPI positions apprentices as qualified planning professionals. From there, career options include senior roles in development management, planning policy, transport planning, heritage, or environmental assessment. Progression routes exist in both the public and private sectors. Some chartered planners move into team leadership or directorial positions, while others specialise further in areas such as urban design, regeneration, or planning law.
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Curated by Alex Lockey, FATP founder and editor. Last reviewed: .
Sources include the apprenticeship's official specification on apprenticeships.gov.uk, Skills England guidance, IfATE archive records, DWP funding bands, and provider data sourced directly from the public Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR). Standard reference: 424.
Some sections on this page were drafted with AI assistance from published source data and reviewed by a human editor before publication. See our editorial methodology for how we maintain this content. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.