Graduates interested in careers in planning are to be offered a new work and study opportunity through the Scottish Government and Heriot-Watt University.
The partnership will enable graduates to apply for a part-time working position at the Scottish Government, coupled with a part-time funded place at either Heriot-Watt University, the University of Dundee or the University of Glasgow. Heriot-Watt offers a two-year Master of Science (MSc) degree in Spatial Planning and Real Estate Development. This is accredited by industry bodies the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and gives students the foundational knowledge and skills needed to work as planners or development surveyors.
The new work/study module is called the Future Planners Programme and is being launched by the Scottish Government in response to a lack of trained planners in local authorities.
Dr Sacha Hasan, Head of Discipline for Planning and Real Estate at Heriot-Watt University and Assistant Professor of Human Geography, said: “Real-world experience is vital for our students, and this is a fantastic opportunity to work with a leading team of planners and architects at the forefront of shaping Scotland’s urban realm.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer our students this opportunity with the Scottish Government.”
The Scottish Government is shaping the Future Planners Programme in collaboration with Heriot-Watt and other universities and this week (w/c 3 Feb 2025) two of its planners spoke to fourth year students studying Heriot-Watt’s Master of Science degree in Urban Planning and Property Development, and its Master of Arts degree in Geography, Society and the Environment.
Holly Gray is a fourth year Urban Planning and Property Development student at Heriot-Watt who took her third year out to work at Edinburgh City Council’s planning department.
She said: “Working in a real planning environment was an invaluable experience and tremendously rewarding. It’s a fantastic career that combines vision, technical expertise, creativity and teamwork. The new Future Planners Programme with the Scottish Government will be an amazing opportunity for incoming graduates.”
The Future Planners Programme is due to be launched by the Scottish Government later this month. The programme will be open to graduates with an undergraduate degree. Over the two years of the programme, students will work and study at the same time. Each week, they will spend three days working with the Scottish Government and two days studying a postgraduate planning degree at either Heriot-Watt University, the University of Dundee or the University of Glasgow.
Heriot-Watt’s Spatial Planning and Real Estate Development MSc is a career-focused programme designed to prepare students to work either in the public or private sectors, advising on the complexities of property development to occupiers, investors, developers and planning authorities.
The degree includes building a deep understanding of the complex interactions and uncertainties of the development process and learning the essential components of economics, valuation, planning, law and regeneration and sustainability principles.
Graduates of the Heriot Watt MSc programme can pursue careers as chartered development surveyors or planners with a specific focus in land and property markets.
Information on the Future Planners Programme will be available online later this month through a dedicated website and on the Scottish Government’s careers portal.
