Essential Academic and Professional Skills for the Modern Workplace

This report discusses the importance of developing academic and professional skills in the modern workplace. It explores the global context of higher education and identifies essential skills such as adaptability, communication, creativity, problem solving, self management, IT, and team work. The report also provides an action plan for improving weak skills through professional development.

Identify academic and
professional development
needs that are essential in the
modern workplace

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
The Global Context of Higher Education........................................................................................3
Essential academic and professional skills needed in the modern work place................................3
Action Plan.......................................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Over the period of time, working pattern of individual is also changing day by day for the
common motive of executing work in quicker manner. In order to perform so, individuals
indulge into self development so that they can improvise their working pattern and gain
maximum knowledge. It is important for every individual to develop their academic and
professional development skills in the timely manner so that they can easily survive at Modern
workplace. The present report provides description on global context of higher education. It
further specifies essential academic and professional skills needed in the modern work place. At
last effective professional development plan has been developed for improving weak skills in
quicker manner.
The Global Context of Higher Education
Higher education refers to the education provided to individual by university or college
level. With reference to the global context, it can be said that higher education is helpful for
individuals in their career advancement as it provides them support in developing their
knowledge in quicker manner. Higher education allows people in developing knowledge over
their latest technology, career, continuous flow of information among people etc. At international
scale, higher education provides range of opportunities to people as well as business association
as they are getting well developed and trained staff who will provide their level of contribution in
their growth only.
Essential academic and professional skills needed in the modern work place.
Academic skills refers to the set of skills that is required to be owned by individual so
that they could effectively accomplish their academic goals and responsibilities in effective
manner. Some of the main example of academic skill includes independent learning, self
management, presentation skill, research, etc. Whereas, professional skills are termed as career
competencies which learnt by individual during his/her coursework. These skills collaboratively
provides contribution in the career development and success of the individual effectively. Few
examples of professional skills are IT, communication and collaboration skills, problem solving,
time management etc.
With the passing period of time requirement of these skills were not that much required
but still it has been determined that over the period of time need and requirement of all skill are

very important as it makes it easier for individual to execute their job responsibilities effectively
at workplace which also improvises their sustainability within the company for longer period of
time. At the same time it also provides opportunity to the individual in enhancing chances of
growth and success in their professional life. With reference to modern workplace, it can be said
that employees have to go through several things and perform several things at the same, thus it
is required by them to execute all work in the smarter so that they wind up all of their work in the
provided time frame in effective manner. By analysing needs of the modern world it has been
analysed that individuals are required to have their strong command over few skills so that they
could easily manage up all their work effective manner. In addition to this, it can also be said that
by having effective command over these skills it is easier for the individuals to attain success in
success in their professional life in quicker manner. On the basis of required skills in the modern
workplace it has been determined that adaptability, communication and collaboration skills,
creativity skills, independent problem solving skills, IT skills, self management, team work skills
etc. Some of essential academic and professional skills needed in the modern work place are
explained as below in detailed manner:
Adaptability: Adaptability is concerned as the effective skill that shows ability of
individual in acquiring new things in quicker manner according to the requirement of
surrounding zone. This simply shows adjustive capability of the individual that helps them out in
surviving in new or unfamiliar conditions in effective manner. With reference to the modern
workplace place, it can be said that this skill is highly important for every individual seeking
their career in modern business world. It has been seen that if some has good command over this
skill then it is easier for them to grab new things at workplace. In addition to this, they can also
develop new skill according to their job role in quicker manner.
Communication skills: Communication is seen as one of the important skills in the
academic as well as professional life of the individual. Having good command over this skill
makes it easier for individual to convey their part of information or message to other and person
and also acquire same part of information from them in order to accomplish their specific targets
ineffective manner. According to the modern workplace, it essential for all to have good
command on the respective skill so that they maintain their relationship with one another and
also exchange the information at workplace. As per the requirement of modern culture, it is
essential for the professionals to make use of soft and polite spoken in the form of verbal

communication in order to avoid conflicts at workplace. On the other hand, while talking about
written communication, it is highly important for every professional to use correct and
professional words so that they can easily convey their message to their respective colleagues.
Creativity skills: Creative simply means bringing something new that is quite different
from the already existing working pattern. It can be individuals are expected to have good sense
of creativity in their working pattern so that they can influence interest of other towards them
with their uniqueness. In addition to this, it also allows individual in performing their work in
such a manner that is quite new and attractive for all.
Independent problem solving skills: Workplace is consist of several people who
belongs to different back ground. This simply develops chances of conflicts as well as issues at
workplace. In order to deal with this situation, it is important for the individual to have good
command over problem solving skill so that they can handle the situation in relevant manner.
Problem solving skill is also helpful in resolving vast range of problems at workplace in the
starting stage only.
Self management: Self management is considered as the effective and beneficial
characteristic of individual which supports individual remaining more productive at workplace. It
can be said that if an individual has good level of self management then it is easier for them to
maintain their professional working in the company. Along with this, inclusion of this skill
simply enhances working capability of individual that simply boost up their performance and
make them attain their respective goals and objectives in effective manner.
IT skills: In modern working era, IT skill is highly important among professionals as it
allows them in executing their work effectively by making use of computer and other technology
oriented tools. Having good command over IT skills not only helps individual in executing their
work in effective but manner but it also simplifies working pattern of the same person along with
this, it also reduces level of time consumed for similar work.
Team work skills: It is mainly related to the collaborative skill. This simply means that
team working skill is very important in modern working era as individuals have to interact with
so many people and adjust with them effectively. Thus, it can be said that if these people have to
survive longer in the professional era then they could simply accomplish their respective
objectives in quicker manner.

Action Plan
As per my own analysis, I have analysed that I have my own competencies towards the
above stated skills. In some of the skills I am too good while on the other hand, in some areas I
am not having good command. In order to improvise my weak areas, it is important for me to
improve my weak skills in order to develop myself and attain success in the near future in
quicker manner. According to my own evaluation, it has been determined by me that I am not
having higher range of proficiency in IT skill, time management, problem solving and team
working skill. In order to improve all of these skills in quicker manner, I have developed
effective professional development plan that is supportive in developing knowledge as well as
command over the respective skills one after another. Description of this plan is stated below in
detailed manner.
Objectives
(my needs)
Task
(What you need to
do)
Success criteria
(How can you
measure success)
Time Frame
(When will the task
be complete)
IT skill In order to improve
my IT skill it is
important for me to
attend some technical
sessions in which I
will get knowledge
about latest
technological tools and
applications as per the
job role. This will
definitely make me
aware about the work
and also helps me out
in enhancing my
working capability in
the near future.
Success of this skill
can be measured by
checking or tracking
my working capability
associated with the
working pattern
towards the same.
45 days

Time management
skill
For developing time
management skill in
effective manner, I
will formulate to do
list of whole working
pattern which will
include all working
activities along with
the expected deadline.
This will allow me to
complete the work
within the timely
manner and improve
my team working skill
in effective way.
Success criteria of this
skill could be tracked
by me superiors at
workplace by
monitoring work in
effective manner.
40 days
Problem solving For improving
problem solving skill,
It is important for me
to ask my superiors to
indulge me into
several issues and their
resolving process so
that I can improvise
my self in the problem
solving zone.
This could be
effectively judged by
my superiors at
workplace while
analysing my
performance and
reaction at the time of
facing any sort of issue
within the company.
60 days
Team working skill Team working skill
can be effectively
developed by
indulging into several
activities in which
My success criteria of
the team working skill
can be mapped by
checking my level of
adjustments made
30 days

whole team or group
of people have to
perform single task.
While indulging into
similar kind of activity
will allow me to
develop good
relationship with the
team members that
ultimately provides
support me performing
my assigned work in
effective manner.
while working in the
team. In addition to
this, my team
members could also
judge my
improvements
effectively by
checking that whether
I am able to deal with
the team task or not
and how effectively I
am able to handle
others in team or
group.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above described report, it has been determined that success is the one and
only motive of every individual for this they places numerous of efforts in order to attain it
quicker and in satisfied manner. Also, it is seen that everyone have to their develop their skills
according to the changing time so that they can maintain their sustainability at workplace and
remain competent among the colleagues. Communication, team working, IT, problem solving
etc. are identified as the main skills that must be developed by the individual time to time so that
they can attain success in the quicker manner. In addition to this, it can be further said that
development can done effectively by initially analysing oneself and after developing effective
professional development plan on order to develop the weak areas as per requirement. Usage of
action plan in the form of PDP is supportive for individual in emphasizing on the lack areas so
that they can easily take required measures for developing them and attaining success in the
quicker manner.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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Routledge.
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conditions and professional development needs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province of
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Allen-Johnson, A., 2017. Framework for 21st century school nursing practice: Framing
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Sachs, J., 2016. Teacher professionalism: Why are we still talking about it?. Teachers and
Teaching, 22(4), pp.413-425.
Day, C., 2017. Competence-based education and teacher professional development.
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