The standards for entry to positions as professional planners in the local authorities are as follows: candidates must hold a qualification in town planning recognised by the Local Appointments Commissioners and have a minimum of between three and seven years satisfactory post-graduate experience of town planning, depending on the post involved. Newly graduated planners without any professional experience are eligible for assistant planner posts in the local authorities. The assistant planner grade is also open to individuals without a qualification in town planning recognised by the Local Appointments Commissioners but who have a relevant qualification, for example, architecture, engineering, chartered surveying, environmental economics, geography, and who have at least two years' relevant experience. In general, candidates for all planner posts would be expected to possess a high standard of technical training and experience. At present, two third level institutions, University College Dublin and the Dublin Institute of Technology at Bolton Street offer third level planning courses. From September last, an increase in the capacity of the existing planning course at UCD and the introduction of new courses at both UCD and Dublin Institute of Technology will result in a trebling of the output of graduate planners from these courses to 75 per annum from next summer.
A variety of other measures has also been taken to maximise the supply of professional planners to the planning authorities. In order, to meet the short-term demand, the employment of planners from abroad on fixed term contracts is being pursued. In this regard, my Department along with a number of local authorities and An Bord Pleanála, participated in the FÁS Jobs Ireland Campaign earlier this year in the UK and South Africa to source professional planners on a contract basis.