Skills and Professional Development

This document discusses the significance of skills and professional development for career growth. It covers the components of a portfolio, continuous professional development activities, benefits, and barriers. It also provides insights into CPD plans and various skills like negotiation, decision making, and time management.

Skills and
Professional
Development

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
COMPONENTS OF PORTFOLIO.................................................................................................1
CONTINOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD).........................................................2
ACTIVITIES THAT CONTRIBUTES TO PROFESSIONAL GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT ......................................................................................................................3
BENEFITS OF CPD...................................................................................................................3
BARRIERS OF CPD..................................................................................................................4
REFLECTION.................................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Employability skills refers to the skills and abilities which is being developed within an
individual from their past experiences which he/she will be able to transfer on their workplace.
These skills and abilities makes an individual to seek jobs as per their personality and
capabilities along with the analysis of how they are going to present themselves. On the contrary,
Professional development is concerned with the development of an individual's skills and
knowledge through the learning from professional challenges and the related aspects which
makes an individual to grow. It is essential for an individual to inherit necessary employability
skills and professional development to get a positive impact from being performing in an
organisation. In the above report, the chosen organisation is Tesco which was established in UK
in 1919. The report includes the main purpose of developing a detailed plan about how managers
enhance and improve the skills and knowledge of all the individuals so that the individual and
organisational goals will be achieved (Viinikka and Ubani, 2019).
CIPD professional map is generally concerned with the various standards which organisation
implements as a guidance to improve and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the work.
The main objective of this is to inherit a professionalism among those people who are working in
an organisation by applying the standards which is being followed in CIPD professional map.
The map acts as a guidance for finding out a number of professional value for improved decision
decision rather than directly what to do exactly in their respective areas. Moreover, these defined
value doesn't only provides a path to the individual but also the groups and organisation for the
successful implementation of the plans and strategies (Price and Campbell, 2020).
COMPONENTS OF PORTFOLIO
The Personal Development Plans (PDPs) refers to those aspects which lack in an
individual for achieving their objective. It notifies an individual about at what stage he is at
present, what he wants to achieve and what are the necessary steps he has to take for the
accomplishment of his goal. These plans consists of the necessary required skills and knowledge
which is being important for the individual along with his/her present skills and knowledge he
exhibits for the achievement of his goals (Vernon-Feagans and et. al., 2018). It tells an individual

about the difference in the actual and planned standards so that an individual can analyse the
corrective measures and should take corrective measures to be on the right track of achieving the
personal as well as organisational goals which will be achieved through Continuous
Development Plans (CDPs).
Aims and Objectives
The above information showcase the CPD plan of HR manager of Tesco. It is being
applied to know what are the skills set and knowledge which are in lack and it should be
improved only through working harder. The aims and objectives are as follow :
 To improve the skills set of the HR manager which will be achieved through performing
well in the operations.
 To improve the decision making ability of the manager by working on the analytical
abilities.
 To improve the grievance handling in an effective way so that the best outcome can be
retrieved from the team.
 To improve the ability of the manager in terms of time management so that he can allot
time efficiently in a way that all the tasks would be completed in a minimum time.
 To enhance the negotiation skills which will help the organisation to acquire skilled
labour at a low cost.
CONTINOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD)
The Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is the process of indulging in those
activities which aids an professional individual to work upon their skills and abilities by learning
from the activities he is performing. These plans mainly involves a range of aspects such as
training, workshops, conferences and events, e-learning programs and brainstorming which all
are contributing to the professional development of an individual (Johnson and Smith, 2018). In
the plans individual engaged in the dual development which includes academic and practical
application to keep them updated so that they will not get obsolete which helps in individual to
compete with those persons who acquire the same skill sets which prevents that individual to
sustain in the competitive environment.

HR manager of the Tesco in indulged in a range of activities such as acquiring skilled workers
by analysing their talents and skills so that they can be assigned at the work place for performing
the operations of the business (Sprott, 2019). Similarly, the HR manager is being continuously
involved in maintenance and coordination of all the individuals in an organisation to ensure that
the activities must be performed in the right direction towards the accomplishment of
organisation goals. With the passage of time, the skills and knowledge of the manager also gets
improved by facing the challenges and overcoming them.
ACTIVITIES THAT CONTRIBUTES TO PROFESSIONAL GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT
Below are the advancements which contributes to the career development of an
individual :
 Opting formal degree programs.
 Obtaining certifications related to different concepts.
 Be a part of conferences at different geographical levels.
 Presenting research papers in workshops and conferences.
 Be a leader by coordinating the activities of an event which is being organised by the
organisation.
BENEFITS OF CPD
Below are the advantages which a CPD offer to those professionals who applied this :
 It helps in developing confidence and credibility among the individual which is being
obtained through the learning which an individual has gained thoroughly.
 It develops an urge along with potential to earn more with an individual.
 It makes an individual be potential enough to get promotion in their respective goals.
 By indulging in these activities continuously, helps in making an individual flexible and
adaptive to the working environment (Cammarata and Haley, 2018).
 It also aids in giving a demonstration of a productive approach to their career
development.
 It encourages an individual to implement their learning experiences in their practical life.

 It makes an individual to address the gap between their skills and knowledge in respect to
their goals for preparing the necessary plans to remove the shortcomings.
BARRIERS OF CPD
 It requires a lot of time to be invested in the professional development of an individual
which he has to manage along with the work of an organisation (Ziedonis and Ahn,
2019).
 It requires a money to be invested to pursue any certification or degree which acts as a
barrier for those who don't have funds.
 There is a lack of employer support to the individual as sometimes they don't allow them
to keeping aside the work of organisation for pursue other courses.
 When there is a low morale at the workplace.
 When there is a lack of opportunity being available to the individual to develop their
skills and knowledge at the work place.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Plan
Identifying
learning
needs
Define
expected
learning
outcomes
Identify
learning
activity
Resources Timescale Communication Evaluation
Complaint
Handling
Skills
The outcome
of being
efficient at
the
complaint
handling is
that it helps
in improving
the goodwill
of the entity
along with
For
inheriting
complaint
handling
skills, an
individual
has to
involve
more in
direct
interaction
The
resources
which are
needed to
obtain
these skills
are
guidance
from the
team
leader,
19th
December,
2020- 2nd
February,
2021
The individual
has to take help
from both oral
communication
as well as written
communication
to overcome the
grievance and
complaint of all
the stakeholders
of the
CPD is
being
prepared to
develop an
individual
in a best
possible
manner. It
helps in
identifying
where an

the
achievement
of high level
of customer
satisfaction
as if the
organisation
take care of
the
grievance of
the
customers of
the
organisation
then the
people will
purchase
more good
or services
of entity.
with the
customers
along with
the courses
such as
taking
courses,
seminars,
technical
training.
operational
manager
and other
team
members.
organisation. individual
is lacking in
necessary
skills to
solve
various
complaint
handling
areas.
Negotiation
Skills
The result of
these skills
is that it
helps in
improving
the
relationship
among the
customers
The
learning
activity
which is
included in
inheriting
negotiation
skills are
that
The
necessary
resources
which are
required to
acquire
such skills
are mentor,
team
6th
December,
2020- 15th
March,
2021
For the purpose
of adapting
necessary
negotiation
skills, it is
essential for an
individual to
make an efficient
utilization of oral
CPD is
being
prepared in
order to
enhance the
negotiation
skills by
involving
continuousl

and
suppliers of
an
organisation.
Apart from
this, it aids
in increasing
the revenue
for the
organisation
along with
the decrease
in the cost
involved in
acquiring the
supplies.
attending
workshops,
reading
books etc.
An
individual
can learn a
lot of
negotiation
aspect
when he is
getting
continuous
involved in
the
operations
of the
business.
leader
which
guide them
in the
operations
of a
business
regarding
negotiation
involved in
a range of
aspects
such as
getting
employees,
selling
goods to
customers,
getting
supplies.
communication
while dealing
with the
intermediaries of
an organisation
to get an positive
result from the
interaction which
helps in
increasing the
revenue for the
organisation
along with the
development of
negotiation skills
within an
individual.
y in the
respective
areas in
which it is
applied for
improving
the oral
communica
tion in such
a way that it
leads to
better
interaction
with the
outside
world.
Decision
Making
Skills
The outcome
of this skill
is that an
individual is
being able to
take
decisions
more
quicker and
The
learning
activity
which is
being
needed to
achieve
these skills
is to follow
The
resources
which are
required to
get these
skills are
time, space
and
guidance
25th
November
,2020- 30th
March,
2021
In order to
acquire these
skills an
individual has to
utilize both oral
communication
and written
communication
for conveying
CPD is
being
prepared to
enable an
individual
to take
effective
decisions
without any

more
effectively
which helps
in
developing
more
enhanced
analytical
skills within
an individual
which will
ultimately
benefits the
organisation
to achieve its
goals and
objectives
(Chuang,
2019).
the leader
or
managers
about how
they are
analysing
the
problems
and taking
corrective
measures
in such a
way that
the
problem
will be
turned into
opportunity
.
from those
superiors
who are
indulged in
the process
of decision
making as
by seeing
and
learning
from them
they can
also get to
know
about how
they
should
handle
situations.
their suggestions
or opinions
among the
people who are
involved in the
issue.
occurrence
of loss for
achievemen
t of
organisatio
nal goals.
Time
Manageme
nt Skills
The outcome
of this skill
is that it
helps an
individual to
manage
his/her time
in an
effective
manner by
The
learning
activity is
that an
individual
has to
analyse
significantl
y about
that is
The
resources
which are
needed for
this are
time,
money,
efforts and
scheduled
charts.
31st
November
, 2020-
30th
January,
2021
For the effective
implementation
of this skill an
individual use
more of written
communication
as to make a
schedule of
his/her including
the time of the
CPD helps
the
individual
in analysing
how much
he has done
through the
schedule or
which tasks
are being

emphasizing
much on the
major
aspects of
the concern.
This will
ultimately
helps in
increasing
the
productivity
of an
individual.
being more
important
to him
which
includes all
the aspects
of his
professiona
l life rather
than his
personal
life
task which are
being arranged in
such a form that
the major task
must be done
first (Valiandes
and Neophytou,
2018).
left to be
done. This
helps
him/her to
see what
are the
activities
have been
done
towards the
goals.
REFLECTION
It is essential for me to analyse the skill set audit in order to identify my strengths and
weaknesses. Through Professional Development Plan (PDP), it has become possible to identify
the strong and weak areas which needs to be improved. My strong areas are communication
skills, decision making skills, empathy and conceptual skills. As far as I am concerned I am
efficient in conveying my opinion and views to the superiors as well as to my subordinates which
helps me to learn more aspects (Makovec, 2018). If I found any mistakes in the operation I can
directly communicate to the superiors about the improvements which can be done in that. Apart
from this, I have a good analytical skills which helps in taking various decisions regarding the
operations of the business along with ensuring that the impact of my decisions will be in a
positive manner. I am also being practical at my work, I don't indulge my personal emotions into
the work so that I can take decisions more accurately (Alt, 2018). Also I have a good knowledge
about the concepts and their practical implication which helps me to perform the operations more
efficiently.

On the contrary my weaknesses are complaint handling, negotiation and time
management. I am not good at handling the complaint which has being raised from the clients as
I don't have the solutions for their problem. For improving this, I am emphasizing more on
getting guidance from my superiors or team. Moreover I am also not performing well in the
negotiation part whenever I get in contact with the customers or suppliers I have faced difficulty
in negotiating with them and for getting this improved I am continuously reading book and
consult my seniors about how can I deal with these type of scenarios. Talking about the time
management skills, I am facing much issues to getting my tasks get done on time as I am unable
to prioritize my work which leads to increment in the work pressure which affects the
performance also that creates a barrier to my career growth. For getting this on right track I keeps
on analysing my task and understanding what is being more important to me so that I can
manage my time efficiently.
At the end, I found out that it is essential to link Personal Development Plan (PDP) with
the Continuous Professional Development (CDP) as through the achievement of personal goals I
can also improve on the organisational goals which will eventually help me in improving the
strengths and overcoming my weaknesses in a best possible manner. Although, I should more on
the CDP to enhance my required skills on the workplace which helps getting success along with
the development as a whole (Hanshaw and Hanson, 2019).
CONCLUSION
From the above report it is being concluded that organisation is a group of people and
every people has a necessary skills, abilities and knowledge which they can utilize in an efficient
manner for the achievement of organisation goals. For improving their performance, it is
essential for the individuals to analyse their strengths and weaknesses in an effective manner. As
far as I am concerned as a HR manager, I should analyse all the employees who are being
assigned at the workplace. Through personal development in a range of aspects such as
negotiation, decision making, complaint handling and time management, an individual can
achieve the professional development as well by utilising their skills and abilities at their
workplace which will enhance their learning from the work. This skill development makes an

individual to achieve higher standards in a life for which he has to update their knowledge and
skills with the time so that they can compete with the changing environment.
REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Alt, D., 2018. Science teachers' conceptions of teaching and learning, ICT efficacy, ICT
professional development and ICT practices enacted in their classrooms. Teaching and
teacher Education. 73. pp.141-150.
Cammarata, L. and Haley, C., 2018. Integrated content, language, and literacy instruction in a
Canadian French immersion context: A professional development journey. International
Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 21(3). pp.332-348.
Chuang, S., 2019. Exploring women-only training program for gender equality and women’s
continuous professional development in the workplace. Higher Education, Skills and
Work-Based Learning.
Hanshaw, G.O. and Hanson, J., 2019. Using Microlearning and Social Learning to Improve
Teachers¡¯ Instructional Design Skills: A Mixed Methods Study of Technology
Integration in Teacher Professional Development. International Journal of Learning and
Development. 9(1). pp.145-173.
Johnson, C.S. and Smith, C.M., 2018. Preparing Nursing Professional Development Practitioners
in Their Leadership Role: Management and Leadership Skills. Journal for nurses in
professional development. 34(2). pp.99-100.
Makovec, D., 2018. The teacher’s role and professional development. International Journal of
Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education. 6(2). p.33.
Price, D.W. and Campbell, C.M., 2020. Rapid Retooling, Acquiring New Skills, and
Competencies in the Pandemic Era: Implications and Expectations for Physician
Continuing Professional Development. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health
Professions, 40(2), pp.74-75.
Sprott, R.A., 2019. Factors that foster and deter advanced teachers’ professional
development. Teaching and Teacher Education. 77. pp.321-331.
Valiandes, S. and Neophytou, L., 2018. Teachers’ professional development for differentiated
instruction in mixed-ability classrooms: investigating the impact of a development
program on teachers’ professional learning and on students’ achievement. Teacher
Development. 22(1). pp.123-138.
Vernon-Feagans, L. and et. al., 2018. Improving struggling readers’ early literacy skills through
a tier 2 professional development program for rural classroom teachers: The Targeted
Reading Intervention. The Elementary School Journal. 118(4). pp.525-548.

Viinikka, K. and Ubani, M., 2019. The expectations of Finnish RE student teachers of their
professional development in their academic studies in the light of twenty-first-century
skills. Journal of Beliefs & Values. 40(4). pp.447-463.
Ziedonis, D. and Ahn, M.S., 2019. Professional development for clinical faculty in academia:
focus on teaching, research, and leadership. Psychiatric Clinics. 42(3). pp.389-399.