Thursday, 7 April 2022

• The eighth Public Practice cohort brings vital additional capacity to the public sector with 25 Associates due to start across 18 Authorities including Borough Councils, County Councils, Development Corporations, Shared Planning services and Unitary local authorities.

• A number of roles responding to climate justice in this current cohort, and continued demand for design and digital roles.

• This cohort includes hugely experienced practitioners including Jane Briginshaw, Ketan Lad and Lucy Bullivant.

• Public Practice CEO Pooja Agrawal says “Despite the challenges we see the public sector facing post-Covid, I continue to be inspired by the people who apply to our programme who are driven by social justice…”

• Public Practice continues to grow, on 25 April the organisation will make an announcement on what national locations they will be expanding their Associate programme to next.

In light of the public sector’s commitment to climate justice, there is a high level of interest in multidisciplinary roles responding to the crisis in this cohort. Westminster Council have sought a Place Shaping and Sustainability Officer, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have sought a Sustainability Project Manager. Other roles that address sustainability include Watford Council’s Transport Planning Manager and Greater Cambridge’s Principal Landscape Architect. Public Practice continues to see a high demand for Architecture, Urban Design and Masterplanning including roles with new Authorities including Buckinghamshire Council and Basildon Borough Council; and Digital roles in LB Tower Hamlets and LB Southwark.

This cohort brings a range of skills, backgrounds and experience into the public sector. Including Jane Briginshaw with a vast amount of public and private sector experience, she is a renowned voice for high-quality design; Lucy Bullivant, a place-strategist, author and curatorial director known for advocating for social value and participatory placemaking; and Ketan Lad, an experienced architect with experience of working at Stirling prize-winning Maccreanor Lavington Architects, Adam Khan Architects and Ab Rogers Design, and holding teaching positions at Central Saint Martins and RIBA North West.

Pooja Agrawal, CEO of Public Practice said:

“Despite the challenges we see the public sector facing post-Covid, I continue to be inspired by the people who apply to our programme who are driven by social justice. I am inspired by the breadth of skills, their passion for public service and for making a positive impact on places.

We will work harder to ensure that the diversity of our Associates reflects the communities they serve. As we expand our services nationally, we look forward to being able to support more authorities struggling to attract the right people with the right skills to meet their ambitions. It is an exciting year ahead for Public Practice.”

To hear more about our approach to diversity, read our blog here.

Public Practice continues to grow, on 25 April the organisation will make an announcement on what national locations they will be expanding their Associate programme to next. Homes England, sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), is seed-funding the expansion. The funding will be used to expand the geographical reach of the unique programme that works with public sector authorities to identify gaps in the capacity of planning and place-shaping teams, then matches skilled candidates to year-long placements supported by learning, development and knowledge sharing activity.

If you work in a public sector body and want to be the first to know when Public Practice will be hosting placements in your area sign up for the Authority New Region Alert.

If you are a practitioner with over 3 years of professional experience, you can sign-up for their Associate New Region Alert to know when the organisation will be recruiting for Associates in your area.

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