Planning portal chooses sift

Recruiting and retaining town, country and regional planners has never been harder than it is today. Now, with the launch of CareerZone, the Planning Portal ñ a specialised unit launched by the UK governmentís Planning Inspectorate - is attempting to reinvigorate interest in the career opportunities in this essential and inherently exciting area. Set to go live in late November 2003, CareerZone will be accessed via the Planning Portal web site (www.planningportal.gov.uk).

Designed and built by community specialists, Sift, CareerZone is more than just a recruitment site; itís a community in which qualified planners, students - and anybody interested in pursuing a career in planning - can access up-to-date, expert advice and information on career development, the latest job and other opportunities, and in-depth surveys on companies and public bodies.

The new community is the first time such a comprehensive, interactive resource has been available to planning professionals. It is the latest development in the Planning Portalís drive to demystify the planning process. The service was launched in May 2002 by a specialised unit within the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol. Within 12 months of going live, the service had signed up 190 of the 431 local planning authorities in England and Wales. Run along the lines of a private sector start-up business, the Planning Portal is seen by many as a blueprint for the delivery of online services nationally.
ìItís ironic that at a time when thereís huge interest in creating better, more usable and more environmentally sound places and spaces, planning is seldom seen as a preferred career option,î explained Chris Kendall, the Planning Portalís commercial director.

ìAdding a career development resource to the Planning Portal website was an obvious next step. However, we wanted to go further than offering online recruitment. Our long-term objective is that CareerZone becomes the place to go to research, discuss and develop careers in planning. Our initial focus will be on helping professionals find the right post, which, in turn, would mean organisations filling some glaring gaps in their planning teams.î

The Planning Portal web site is intended to be the first point of call for anyone who wants to find out about the planning system in England and Wales. The site provides detailed information on an area that has been generally seen as overburdened with red tape and jargon in language that is accessible to everyone, from central government and local authorities to planning professionals and the layperson.

Kendall continued: ìFor CareerZone to deliver what is required - by planning professionals, young people and recruiters - it has to work as a community. So, this is where Sift comes into the picture. Sift has a proven record of designing successful communities. Sift knows how to create communities that encourage people to return again and again ñ and contribute. This depth and breadth of knowledge and expertise is almost impossible to find elsewhere. Siftís demonstratable experience in dealing with public sector organisations such as The Countryside Agency, the NHS, and the Scottish Executive was a further factor in its favour.î

CareerZone is being developed using SiftGroups online community technology platform, which incorporates a range of integrated modules that provide the features and functionality needed to create a true community website.
Helen, Trim, Sift concluded: ìThe Planning Portal wants CareerZone to offer more than just job listings. Instead, CareerZone has a pivotal role to play in supporting efforts to energise and redefine this sector by helping planners find the right job ñ thereby improving morale - and redressing the skills shortage by attracting new recruits to the profession. By working with Sift to build a community, the Planning Inspectorate is including the profession in the process, ensuring that any change will evolve out of real-world experience and, crucially, be supported and promoted by planners themselves.î

www.sift.co.uk