The Strong Start Cadetship aims to cut down development application (DA) backlogs and speed up planning assessment times in about half of NSW's local government areas.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said planner shortages have led to a 28 per cent increase in council DA assessment delays - from 69 days in July 2021 to 116 days in March 2023.

"Councils and communities are crying out for a new generation of skilled young planners to replace those who are retiring at a rapid rate," Mr Scully said.

"Some positions in regional areas have remained vacant for years, and there are some cases where more than 80 per cent of jobs aren’t filled in the planning team,

"This program is also about building a new and exciting momentum around careers in urban planning and regional development."

"It's clear we need to take a look at the planning system through a fresh lens. Young planners are heavily invested in their careers because they've got a stake in the future they're helping to shape.

Mr Scully said the Australian National Skills Commission included planners in its latest list of jobs with a strong future demand.

“The Commission singled out NSW as the only state in Australia with a planner skills shortage and it’s clear from the state of the system we’ve inherited that this needs an urgent fix,” Mr Scully said.

"We’re inviting councils to get involved and apply for the funding, with successful councils also set to gain ongoing end-to-end support to make sure the program’s benefits are realised."

The $25,000 grant is available for 64 applicants in regional and rural councils to be used to fund one planning cadet’s tuition fees for an undergraduate certificate, graduate certificate, diploma, bachelors degree, or masters degree in planning at a NSW university.

Applications open from 19 May 2023 and close on 9 June 2023. For more information, visit www.planning.nsw.gov.au/strong-start