The education and socialisation of professionals: A study of British town planners in the 1980s

The relative importance of recruitment, education and work in reproducing the ideologies of town planners was examined. One postgraduate and three undergraduate courses with different orientations and institutional settings were studied. The impact of external pressures on socialisation, notably the parent profession, was also examined. The main findings were: (i) Course content varied between schools because of staff differences but the undergraduate courses had a common form reflecting the influence of professionalism. (ii) Tensions between staff, reflecting conflicting views of planning and different disciplinary backgrounds, caused anxiety and confusion about the nature of planning among undergraduates. ( iii) Formal education was important for the socialisation of British undergraduates, as they adopted the view of planning held by the majority of their teachers. Anticipatory socialisation was more important for the socialisation of postgraduates and overseas undergraduates. Postgraduates entered their school already holding its 'radical' view which was reinforced there whereas the prior socialisation of overseas undergraduates in authoritarian cultures meant they adopted a 'conventionalist' view of planning, irrespective of which school they attended. Most students, however, entered planning school believing that planning education ought to be vocational. (iv) When starting work graduates experienced 'reality shock' with a number of consequences: they adopted a narrower conception of planning; they displayed a shift towards a 'radical' view of planning, including a keener appreciation of politics; and, they felt ill-prepared for the routine aspects of work, particularly development control. Many also became frustrated with planning. This was not due solely to 'reality shock' but also to poor career prospects and a hostile political climate towards planning.