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The UTP Employers’ Forum was established in 2001 to provide a dialogue between the UTP members, as providers of Master level education in transport, and the employers of their students, helping ensure that the UTP courses meet the needs of employers and their staff in both content and delivery. But, by providing an opportunity for the employers to meet, its role has developed, and now covers a range of interest common to both employers and the UTP members, including the development of transport professionals and their careers in transport, and attracting good new entrants.

The Forum, which is chaired by Martin Richards OBE (Chairman of consultants MVA until he retired in 2000), meets every April and September at Imperial College London.

Membership of the Employers' Forum was originally open, and free, to any employer of UTP Transport Masters graduates.  However, as a result of a decision by EPSRC to withdraw funding support for vocational Masters courses, the Forum is now a subscription based organisation, with membership open to any employer of staff with a transport Masters. 

The members of the Forum include employers in both the private and public sectors, large and small. They all share a commitment to the development of high quality professional staff, benefitting from a transport Masters education at a UTP university.

The subscription for 2010 is £50 for local authorities and any organisation with 20 or fewer staff in total, and £250 for all others.  These subscription rates are due to increae to £100 and £500 for 2011.

Since its first meeting , the Forum has had a significant influence on the UTP Transport Masters courses, including, most notably:

• an increased emphasis on management within courses, and the launch of courses that combine transport with business management.
• greater emphasis on key principles, and less on “how to”, in certain areas including transport modelling
• the restructuring of courses so that part time students need only attend the university for one, full, day a week,

and it was in response to a suggestion made by Forum members that the UTP members now meet regularly with those responsible for membership and development in the key professional institutes, CILT UK, ICE, CIHT and RTPI.

The Forum gives extensive consideration to the development of transport planning as both a career and a profession. It has made major contributions to the development of National Occupational Standards in Transport Planning as well as to the development of the Transport Planning Society's Professioonal Standards and Professional Development Scheme for Transport Planners.

It has also considered the potential impacts of the Bologna Agreement and the asociated European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), under which it is intended that the (full-time) duration all EU Masters courses should be normalised at 2 years, and has made representations to the Home Office, seeking to ensure key transport skills are on the Shortage Occupations list.

The Forum publishes a newsletter, The Right Lines, evey Spring and late Summer, and this complemted by news items.

Anyone interesting in joining the Forum should contact its Chairman, Martin Richards, whose address is given on the Contacts page

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