ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses discusses the process South African Council for Planners (SACPLAN) used to formulate a set of standards and competencies for the profession. SACPLAN approached this task from the angle of the ideal outcome and competency set for a new graduate, taking into consideration the substantial differences in the types and levels of the various qualifications. In November 1995, the then Department of Land Affairs held a workshop at Club Mykonos on the future of the urban and regional planning profession. The universities that offer urban and regional planning programmes have begun to align their qualifications to the requirements set out in the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework and to the Competencies and Standards Guideline document published by SACPLAN. SACPLAN has seen the development of the standards and competencies as a dynamic process that will be re-evaluated continually and re-assessed to ensure its relevance, legitimacy, and effectiveness.
