Editors comment Invest in people Spread your wings and fly, says Louise Parfitt Some people are born knowing what job they want to do. I envy them. Apart from the usual childhood aspirations of astronaut and superhero (mine was to be a jockey), many of us are not so fortunate to have a clear plan of what we want to be when we grow up. I fell into journalism in the same way many of you tell me you fell into parking. Like you, I became hooked, and the rest, as they say, is history. But would I have felt the same if I wasnt given the training and opportunities to learn and progress? Maybe not. I certainly feel a long way from my first role in a book publishers: a path that has taken me via the tax and legal environment, along the road of international development, and then into the world of membership communications. Providing training and progression helps people to feel valued, but it can be a bit of a minefield as to what is available and how you access it which is where the BPAs new Professional Development Framework will help. Our lead feature this month looks at this in more detail and explores some of the training options available (pages 16-18). Our mover and shaker this month is Stevie Steel, a woman whose drive and determination has taken her from school work experience placement to Marstons senior account manager and British Parking Awards winner within a short time (pages 14-15). And if you need more inspiration, then our features this month on some of your initiatives will not disappoint: we have solar car parks that produce enough energy to power the offices they serve (pages 20-21); environmentally friendly technology (pages 23, 27 and 40); an initiative to take the pain out of the school run (page 36); and the story of an awardwinning university parking team (pages 32-33). By sharing best practice and innovations, we can help make changes for the benefit of all and inspire the next generation of parking people. This autumn, we have ample opportunities to do that, including Octobers BPAs Annual Conference and this months Parking Scotland Expo (see page 24-25). I look forward to seeing you at these events. Louise Parfitt editor@britishparking.co.uk Unparalleled data mining down to the bay level. Maximized ops control with data-driven insights. Elevating CX through intelligent infrastructure. The worlds only patented camera-based smart PGS. The innovation hub for next-generation parking. Our pioneering smart-sensing parking guidance system (PGS) continues to anticipate the future. Empowering you to streamline operations, reduce costs, drive new revenues and increase parker satisfaction. Ask us how. +1 917-793-5400 www.parkassist.com britishparking.co.uk 7 PN Sep19 pp06-07 Editors Comment.indd 7 22/08/2019 11:43