Once you have registered on the Pathway to Chartership your first step is to meet with your mentor. You and your mentor should:

• Discuss how you will work together to help you achieve Chartership
• Review and assess your existing level of knowledge and understanding in relation to the syllabus and the requirements for entry as a Chartered member
• Develop an overall learning strategy which sets out how you intend to develop your knowledge and understanding

Based on your first meeting, your mentor will then complete and submit your initial review, stating your knowledge of the learning objectives within the syllabus. This is the officially recorded benchmark against which all your future development and readiness to proceed to the exam is reviewed. It is important that this is an accurate description of your current level of knowledge and experience. It can then be used to give you a good idea of how much you know, and which areas you need to develop.

Your mentor can submit your initial review at any point in the year, it doesn’t have to coincide with the quarter deadlines.

Blank initial review form

Sample initial review

Every quarter you submit a development pack online, recording your experience, personal development and progress as measured against the syllabus. This consists of:

• Development logs: Briefly describing how particular events or activities have contributed to your understanding of areas of the syllabus.
• Projects: Briefly describing how projects you have worked on have helped your knowledge and understanding of the syllabus.
• Quarterly statement: Summarising and reflecting on the experience and knowledge you have gained, and your priorities for the coming quarter.

The best submissions are concise, reflecting on your experience and how this relates to the syllabus.

The quarterly submissions are read by your mentor, supervisor, and eventually by your examiner. Present yourself in a professional manner, reflecting on if things haven’t gone to plan, and making positive targets for the future. Leave time to read through your development pack prior to submitting it, to double check for sense, grammar and spelling. Although your spelling and grammar are not being assessed, if your submission is easy to read that makes your mentor’s and supervisor’s role easier.

Update your projects and development logs once a week. This gives you the chance to reflect on the week and plan for the next; make entries while they are fresh in your mind; and reduces your workload at the end of the quarter.

Before the quarter deadline you must submit your development pack. You can review all the items you have added, and update your CV as necessary. Your mentor and supervisor are unable to see your development pack until you have submitted it fully.

Sample development pack 1

Sample development pack 2

The LI recognises that you are taking on the Pathway to Chartership in addition to your regular work. You are therefore only expected to submit four development packs in the year, and will receive formal feedback from your mentor and supervisor after you have submitted your development packs. You must have submitted your packs no later than midnight on the last day of each quarter. Mentor deadlines are one week after your development packs have been submitted, with supervisors providing feedback the following month. As a professional, we expect that you respect these deadlines, as a client would expect you to.

Extensions of up to a week can be granted in advance of deadlines, in exceptional circumstances. Please contact pathway@landscapeinstitute.org as soon as you know you will require an extension. Extensions cannot be arranged after the deadline has passed.