What is happening to the recently graduated planning students and young professionals?

Planning students and young professionals are faced with a difficult dilemma: in order to be hired they need experience, and in order to gain experience, they must first have a job. Also, layoffs often mean the low folks on the totem pole find themselves back in the job market. We all know that in these rough economic times, it is tough to find anyone hiring in either the public or private sectors. So, the Lilley Planning Group has been working with these young professionals to sharpen their resumes and prepare them for potential interviews.

As we were doing this, we began to ask ourselves... What can we do to help in this tough situation?

We had an encounter with an extremely talented young professional who had been working for over a year in a private firm where they focused on transportation planning. She really wanted to work in a City but had no current planning experience. Her hours had been scaled back to part-time, and she could not find a job in planning to supplement her part-time position. When we heard her story, we contacted City clients who were in need of help but did not have the ability to hire anyone or pay for contract services. We were able to put the two together. The outcome? The City gained an energetic, hardworking professional to help with specific projects at no cost, and the young professional was able to gain valuable experience and build her resume. We were motivated by the satisfaction of helping out.

We have decided not to stop there. We are determined to work with these folks (cities in need and underemployed planners) to develop a network in which we can pre-screen job-seekers to determine the best and the brightest with unique skills that could fit specific needs in the industry. In addition, we are inviting these planners access to a training and mentoring program through our firm. They improve their skills and marketability so they are most qualified when the job market opens up again. It’s a bit of a mix between a tech school for planners and a matchmaking service! We have seen evidence that we are onto something here and it may just be a way for everyone to find what they need during this challenging time.

If you have a question or would like to add your thoughts to this discussion, please drop us a note.

How is it possible to ensure planners have access to training during this tough economic time – given budget cuts and more responsibility being put on a shrinking staff?

Jennifer was a part of a panel that spoke to the Orange County Chapter of APA in February during which the logistics of providing training was again a subject of conversation. So Lilley Planning Group developed an answer to this growing concern.

We are working with agencies and private companies alike to provide creative solutions to their training needs. We have developed a training curriculum that covers everything from public presentation skills, to negotiations, to training for City Council and/or Commissioners. After completed training for the City of Anaheim on Negotiation Skills, one participant shared that being able to attend these types of trainings not only improves his skills but also makes him feel like the City is investing in him as a professional. This builds his morale and makes him want to be an even better employee.

This was a great example to us of how important this type of work is, not only for the agencies themselves, but also for those working in the positions. We have spent the last several months building options to offer to both the public and private sectors to meet this demand. We have looked for ways to tailor our existing programs to fit the budgets, time constraints and other concerns for our clients and perspective clients.

Learn more about how we can help bring professional development training to your team.

How is the recent downturn in the economy affecting current trends and the future of planning in California?

We are seeing many public agencies go through hiring freezes, potential layoffs, and holding off on filling vacant positions. We are also hearing a great deal of concern over budget allocation and how that will affect existing staff.

I believe the recent changes can be an opportunity for public agencies to refocus their attention. During the building boom of the last few years, we were faced with the pressing matter of getting entitlements processed and permits issued. There was little time for much else. Now we have an opportunity to take a look at what hasn’t been working for us and fix it. This is the time for us to evaluate our codes, look at our internal processes, and spend time training and developing our staff resources.

The Lilley Planning Group is working with our clients to come up with creative ways to lessen the cost of training. One way we are doing this is by offering joint workshops. This allows agencies to share the cost and increase the results of a workshop by having multiple jurisdictions come together to share insights and gain information together.

The recent change has not affected what we already knew to be true. We are anticipating the highest rate of retirement and movement at the management level of public agencies over the next three to five years. Knowing this change is on the horizon, our firm is working to provide training, mentoring, and transition skills to help prepare the next generation of management professionals. We believe it is not always a natural transition to go from practicing planner to planning manager. We want to provide the tools and resources necessary to prepare our next generation of leaders. We also are working with existing Directors and Managers to collaborate with them after their retirement to offer their expertise and experience with public agencies to help lessen the impact of this change.

For all of us in the profession, now – more than ever – it’s all about the quality of the work and the people that we serve. At the Lilley Planning Group, this is our motto and why we do what we do.

In a time when it is difficult to trust government, companies, and institutions, we can take this opportunity to improve the perception the public has of government at the local level. We think the best way for this to happen is to include the public early and often. We have the time to be sure that collaboration is used in a way to educate the public on the development process, to include the public throughout in order to build transparency and understanding of how decisions are made, and to provide an avenue for feedback to the decision makers before the final answers are given. A real investment on the front end can really pay off and be a big value to the system in the long run.