The Landscape Institute say a major focus for themelves is ensuring that the landscape profession develops the skills it needs to remain relevant and successful in the future.
Many major external drivers and trends have an impact on landscape professionals. Urbanisation, climate change, technology, an ageing population, health and wellbeing, resource scarcity and inequality are just some of the issues on the horizon.
To this end, the LI are investing in a large, cross-discipline review of education and practice in not just landscape design, but all areas and specialisms of the profession spanning management, science, planning and urban design. A wide diversity of roles now exist in the sector, and they want new practitioners to be able and ready to meet these demands.
A statement from the Institute said, "We also need to be mindful of what technical and professional skills practitioners need to develop at different stages in their careers. This will require successful dialogue between educators, industry bodies and professional bodies, and our insight will help us maintain standards and procedures that facilitate this. It will also identify what we can do to encourage more young people from a wide diversity of backgrounds to follow careers in landscape and place making."
The survey project they are undertaking will run from now until December, with the main survey running from 5 to 27 September, and interviews taking place throughout the summer. Two organisations are working with the LI to conduct this research:
The State of Landscape will be the first study of its kind conducted since CABE and English Heritage commissioned the green space skills national employer survey in 2009.
Get involved
The Landscape Institute want to hear from anyone - LI member or otherwise - who works in the natural and/or built environment sectors. This includes landscape managers and planners, ecologists, urban designers and place makers, engineers, heritage workers and conservationists, architects, researchers, town planners and surveyors. They also want to hear from professionals involved in landscape education, including academics, lecturers and careers advisors.
Once you have registered your interest via the form below, they will be in touch regarding how you can contribute to their research:
- telephone interviews
- face-to-face sessions
- electronic surveys
Participation will help the LI answer a number of key questions:
- How has landscape education changed, and how might it change in the future?
- What is the best way to attract a broader and more diverse range of high-calibre students to our universities?
- How can we forge closer links between academic and industry bodies to ensure that students entering the profession meet industry needs?
- How broad is the scope of the landscape profession, and how do different disciplines interact to deliver their services?
- What skills and competencies are required in modern landscape practice, and what skills are lacking?
- How does the landscape profession contribute to the economy and society?
This insight will help the LI to:
- develop new strategies to link educational and professional bodies
- improve their accreditation offer to universities
- explore new ways to deliver landscape education
- tailor their marketing and promotional material to attract the talent the industry needs
- identify and deliver needed CPD and training to cover skills shortages
- boost their relevance to professionals in other key disciplines
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