The graduate identity of the professional planner in South Africa

𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 The professional identity of planning is contested in planning literature. In South Africa three stakeholder areas drive professional planning education; these are SACPLAN as regulatory body, SAP! that represents planning practice, and planning academics. A strong agreement among the three stakeholder areas on the competency profile of a professional planner will strengthen the planning profession and clarify the identity of a professional planner in South Africa. The study investigated whether the 20 core and functional themes in the draft SACPLAN competency guidelines describe the graduate identity of a professional planner in South Africa. The study found that there is little consensus among the three stakeholder areas on the competency profile of professional planners. This does not indicate that the 20 core and functional themes in the draft SACPLAN guidelines should not form the basis of a graduate identity for professional planning, but rather that more debate is needed regarding competency profiles for planners in South Africa.