The state government is launching a series of strategic initiatives to build a skilled workforce and better prepare students in the planning professions.

First lectures have already commenced for the new planning degree delivered by the South Australian Government and Flinders University, with 27 students enrolled for 2025.

The Government is also launching a series of initiatives to strengthen industry partnerships with students to ensure future professionals are equipped with skills and expertise needed to meet evolving challenges:

• Industry Insights – a student session with planning professionals –Dynamic, three-hour session at Flinders University will immerse students in meaningful discussions with industry experts and practicing state planners
• Graduate Rotation Program – Graduates to rotate across key agencies within DHUD including Renewal SA, SA Housing Trust and Planning and Land Use Services.
• Urban and Regional Planning Scholarship Program – Aims to attract and nurture emerging talent in the planning profession. Designed to reduce barriers to entry, they will ensure a steady flow of skilled professionals into the field.

The Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning is a comprehensive undergraduate planning program, designed to develop work-ready graduates at completion of the 3-year degree.

Co-designed with industry experts and professional bodies, the course provides graduates with a combination of academic coursework and practical workplace experience to meet the needs of South Australia’s planning industry.

The degree includes a greater focus on workplace learning in the second and third year than is traditionally included as part of a planning degree, better preparing graduates to step straight into the planning workforce.

South Australia has only increased its planning workforce by 35 per cent since 2006, the lowest rate in the nation and SA also has the second highest number of residents per planner in Australia, ahead of only ACT.

The course complements a new surveying double degree which started at Flinders University last year with 23 students enrolled in the first year of study in the Bachelor of Geospatial Information Systems / Bachelor of Surveying double degree.

The last intake of students in 2022 into the previous surveying degree run by UniSA had only four enrolments.

These degrees build on the TAFE Diploma of Local Government (Planning), which began in 2023 and the Para Planner Cadet Program, launched by the South Australian Government in partnership with TAFE SA earlier this year, designed to bridge the skills gap and help fill entry-level planning vacancies.

Increasing pathways into the planning profession is crucial to address the current housing shortages and is part of the South Australian Government’s Housing Roadmap to tackle the housing crisis.

For more information on the career pathways available click here.