Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Scotland and the Scottish Government have launched a Digital Skills Portal which has the aim of improving the confidence of planners' digital skills in their everyday roles.
The portal is part of the Scottish Government's digital planning programme which has been designed to help new and existing planners access information, advice, guidance and case studies.
A handbook of information about the types of digital approaches that can be used in different parts of the planning system features in the portal, as well as a diagnostic toolkit that users can use to assess their own skill set and identify areas for further development.
It is hoped that the portal will give planners the confidence to embed digital approaches into their work, and increase understanding and knowledge in order to better use digital planning.
Joe FitzPatrick, Planning Minister, said: "We’ve listened to planners and this portal has been designed to provide a variety of opportunities in response to their direct feedback on how they would like to learn and develop their careers".
"Helping planners improve their skills and understanding of technology will result in a better and more efficient service for the people and businesses who rely on Scotland’s planning system".
RTPI Scotland has been allocated funding through the digital skills development programme to ensure the institute can consistently maintain and update the portal, as well as run a series of linked events, for the next two years. The first webinar is planned for late spring, and a face-to-face event will be held in the autumn.
Dr Caroline Brown, director of RTPI Scotland, said: "I'm really pleased that we are now able to launch the portal as an important resource for planners on digital planning tools and techniques".
"It’s an important output from the Scottish Government’s Digital Planning Programme which will help give planners the confidence and skills to use digital planning approaches effectively and efficiently, improving the quality of their work and ultimately benefiting communities across Scotland".
