Scenario

You should create, maintain and present a well organised portfolio of evidence - a Personal and Professional Development Portfolio. This will be collated by applying an effective approach to study and research. A Personal and Professional Development Portfolio is a folder/file in which, throughout this programme, you will store and organise evidence of achievement and development.
The portfolio should contain a record of the personal development planning tasks and activities that you have undertaken over the duration of this year as well as a review of the outcomes from this. A range of methods and techniques should be applied, as outlined below.
The activities provided in the units classroom sessions, should provide ample opportunities for you to generate and gather the required evidence of achievement.

Task 1

Using a range of classroom based activities and your own research; you are required to diagnose your development needs. Each of these diagnostic tools should be included within the final portfolio.

Task 2

Create a report exploring why you chose your particular objectives; within this include:

• An evaluation of your own current skills and competencies against a specific job application of your choice.
• With reference to the weaknesses on your SWOT analysis, how will you change such weaknesses into strengths?
• Identify development opportunities which would strengthen your application.
• Discuss the processes and activities required to implement the development plan. Include the importance of time management within this process.

Task 3

Using the information gathered from your research devise a personal and professional developmentplan.
A booklet will be issued as guidance but if you prefer to use a different format that is also acceptable.

Task 4

You are to prepare a 10 minute presentation and deliver this to your tutor. Your presentation will study the impact such skills have had on both your personal and professional life.

This will be given as a formative activity.
Your presentation is to evaluate approaches to self-managed learning with a focus on the lifelong learning skills you have developed during this unit. You need to explore self-managed learning and its contribution to the work place. Consider if any of the approaches to learning are better than others. Discuss how organisations could promote the importance of self-managed learning and the advantage and disadvantages of doing so. Give 3 ways in which the interpersonal and transferable skills and the lifelong learning skills you have developed in this unit could be applied to your personal life AND 3 ways in which the skills could be applied to your professional life. You must give one example of a study or work-based problem that you have solved using the interpersonal and transferable skills. Which of the interpersonal and transferable skills were used to solve your problem?

Task 5

Over the duration of the academic year regularly keep a learning journal. Within this ensure you include additional comments to evidence your progress in meeting objectives.

Task 6

At the end of the unit you are required to write a short report which includes the following:

• Critically reflect on your learning throughout this unit with a focus on the original aims and objectives set in the plan.
• Evaluate a range of time management strategies.
• Which strategies have you used, evaluate their success or otherwise.
• Create a new PDP for your future development

LO1 Understand how self-managed learning can enhance lifelong development

1.1 evaluate approaches to self-managed learning
1.2 propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be encouraged
1.3 evaluate the benefits of self-managed learning to the individual and organisation

LO2 Be able to take responsibility for own personal and professional development

2.1 evaluate own current skills and competencies against professional standards and organisational objectives
2.2 identify own development needs and the activities required to meet them
2.3 identify development opportunities to meet current and future defined needs
2.4 devise a personal and professional development plan based on identified needs

LO3 Be able to implement and continually review own personal and professional development plan

3.1 discuss the processes and activities required to implement the development plan
3.2 undertake and document development activities as planned
3.3 reflect critically on own learning against original aims and objectives set in the development plan
3.4 update the development plan based on feedback and evaluation

LO4 Be able to demonstrate acquired interpersonal and transferable skills

4.1 select solutions to work-based problems
4.2 communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various levels
4.3 evaluate and use effective time management strategies.