Alison McCandlish, Lecturer in City Planning & MSc programme Director has posted a NewsBlog blog on ‘The importance of participation in the IHBC Annual School as an academic’, part of a push for new thinking on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for interdisciplinary Conservation Professionals at IHBC Schools.
IHBC Director Seán O’Reilly said: ‘This blog from Alison, a distinguished academic and longstanding if now occasional consultant to the IHBC, is especially welcome. It represents a core thread in our ongoing push for new thinking on Continuing Professional Development (CPD).’
‘Our Schools are not only for accredited IHBC members as interdisciplinary Conservation Professionals, but for anyone who wants cost-effective access to top quality CPD that addresses the holistic fundamentals of best and exemplary practice in conservation. And the best example of just how we have been changing is that our new School model boasts a default blended learning supporting inclusive and low-cost access to online CPD.’
‘So please do keep an eye on our NewsBlogs for more help on your IHBC School CPD, and how we are supporting even our trustees and volunteers to help everyone make the most of our Annual Schools.’
Alison McCandlish writes:
As a learning and teaching focused academic who is a full IHBC member, the Annual School is something I always look forward to. In a ‘past life’ I have worked as a planner in development plans and development management, as a conservation officer, and as a project officer on grant aided heritage projects so for me the Annual School is a precious window into current conservation practice on the ground.
Beyond the obvious immediate professional benefits of updating my IHBC professional development plan (recording as CPD) I find immense value in the school; academics are often naturally reflective and are encouraged to align professional development to their career path via regulations and tools such as the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education or the Vitae Researcher Development Framework which both incorporate reflection. I teach courses in urban conservation, planning, urban design and applied built environment research methods and manage the MSc City Planning and Real Estate development programme so for me, the case studies and professional contacts are important, and personally it also gives me the soft skills of networking and learning from different ways of presenting –as a historic building conservation professional working in education I need to be able to speak to anyone from a potential applicant, a school student learning about University, a potential graduate employer, or a University principal!
Meeting people at the IHBC Annual School helps me understand the developments in career paths in industry and as my postgraduate students come from diverse locations and backgrounds, this understanding paths into and around academia is really important to me. Some of my cohort study part time, some want to change career, some are seeking to pursue research focused careers, and some receive a scholarship (for example as part of the Scottish Government ‘Future Planners’ scheme which specifically aims to attract new talent into planning). The School helps me with ideas for signposting students to resources and opportunities, and gaining up-to-date knowledge.
Tours and talks on the Annual school and the exhibitions give me a peek into heritage skills and technology, and where residential is an option it also little like a micro immersion in a new part of the world I would not otherwise have seen. In my courses I use active learning and field trips, so these case studies are so helpful, I take photos I can use in my lectures and follow them up with more detailed reading.
A snippit of some of my highlights over the years include seeing the beauty of a George Skipper art nouveau arcade at Norwich 2015 (as well as finally visiting Elm Row which was a drawing on my grans wall when I was little), my first visit to Orkney and helping IHBC make some of the first forays into digital media engagement through creating and collating social media content (Edinburgh 2014), speaking at IHBC Belfast and being on the panel with Bill Drummond (2018), hearing Jan Gehl at my first virtual school (Brighton 2021) and viewing the Ironbridge and picking up my very own tiny Jackfield works palmette tile (Shrewsbury 2025).
It has been a privilege to be involved and be able to attend both in person and virtually over the years as the School has given me enduring professional connections and lifelong memories. I am looking forward to Newcastle 2026 as this is where I grew up and the North East of England is where I started out in; it is a small world.
Dr Alison McCandlish MRTPI IHBC is Lecturer in City Planning,Director of MSc City Planning and Real Estate Development programme, Urban Studies and Social Policy, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow
See more on Alison at https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/alisonmccandlish/ and https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/city-planning-real-estate-development/
See more IHBC School-linked NewsBlog CPD updates and links at:
- IHBC’s Annual School ‘Save the Date’ notice & Home Page launch: IHBC’s 2026 Newcastle School, 18-20 June, on ‘Adaptive Reuse’ & up to 20 hours CPD – accessible, interdisciplinary, cost-effective
- PASS IT ON: – Win £500 + free place at #IHBCNewcastle2026 as IHBC’s 2025 Student Award has closing date extended to 30/09
- #IHBCShrewsbury2025’s first CPD scoping on ‘Boosting your School CPD’: Interim updates on adding value to School learning, with a call for examples & suggestions from delegates
- IHBC’s 2025 Shrewsbury SchoolCPD Circular‘Special Edition’ now out – ‘Heritage in Context:Value | Plan | Change’;Day School & Virtual School still open, from only £35+VAT (13/06)
See more IHBC ‘CPD and Learning’ QUICK LINKS
See more on the IHBC’s MATE service supporting applicants seeking conservation accreditation from the IHBC
Sign up for your CPD Circular HERE
