Personal Development Plan for Career Growth

This assignment presents a detailed personal development plan designed to enhance essential skills necessary for professional growth. The plan specifically targets improvements in numeracy, information and communication technology (ICT) proficiency, and problem-solving abilities. It outlines strategies, resources, and timeframes for achieving these skill enhancements over a two-year period. The document emphasizes the significance of these core skills in navigating future career opportunities and demonstrates a proactive approach to personal and professional development.

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
& DEVELOPMENT PLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................3
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL.........................................................................................................3
SUMMARY AND ACTION PLAN..........................................................................................8
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Core skills are basically the five skills which are required in the individual. People are
not expertise in these skills but they have some of the traits which help them to achieve the
objectives. This report will focus on the importance of the core skills and its need in the
future time. further, development plan will be made regarding the development needs of the
individuals, further actions required to fulfil the plan is described.
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
(Communication skill)
What is the core skill?
Core skills are the important skill required in an individual. Communication is one of the
most essential skills which will help me effectively delivering my thoughts and ideas to the
management.
Why is this core skill important?
Communication skills- In the organization, I have witnessed that, communication skills plays
a significant role. This helps to make a good impression on the colleagues and the superior. I
believe that communication skill is needed at every level because the individuals are required
to communicate with others (Kimani, 2014). Besides this, when one becomes supervisor in
the company, then it is require to convey the messages as well as give instruction to them.
For this reason, I required to have strong communication skill so that I can convey my
thoughts easily to them. on the other hand, it is not only required in the professional context
but in the personnel level only good communication skills helps in solving the problems
arising in the future.
How competent are you currently?
These are the core skills which are required in every individual. I believe that I have all these
skills but the difference is that some skill is less and some are more. The best feedback on the
skills can be given by the superiors as well as the peers. Superiors are the one who judge the
skill but the peers are the individuals who every time communicates with us.
Through the feedback I have known that I have good communication skill because I am able

to effectively coordinate with the members of the organization (Pedler, Burgoyne and
Boydell, 2013). On the other hand, my superior said that I am good at giving presentations to
the audience. Besides this, I effectively instruct my juniors in terms of the task which are
required to be done by them. Even my peers also said that I have good communication skill
because they easily understand the work which is communicated by me. They said that I am
good in oral as well as written communication both. Most of the letters and emails which are
to be forwarded to the upper management are written by me.
Can you identify any contradictions or allowable weaknesses from your
analysis?
On the other hand, I believe that communication skill in written I need to improve because
there are few errors which I made and besides this, I have to improve my vocabulary so that I
can use different words in my writing.
How will this skill help me in the future?
In case of the communication skill it is required for lifelong because anytime, the individual
will communicate with others also. In the professional life, through good communication skill
the employers can promote me to the next position. The reason is that they need those
individuals who can give good presentation in front of the clients. Further, as the organization
always seeks for expansion, so new clients can only develop when the future plan and
strategies are communicated to them effectively. This will help in gaining a good position in
the organization. Further, can assist me in making contacts which will help me in future
career.
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
(Problem solving skill)
What is the core skill?
The core skills are the skills which are compulsory needed in the individual to carry out the
basic function of the organization. Core skills can be basically termed as those skills which
are combination of technology and production skills to execute the operations of the
organization. Problem solving is one of the core skills which are important in developing

positive environment in the organization.
Why is this core skill important?
Problem solving- This skill is related with solving the issues and the problems which arise in
the personnel as well as professional life. This skill involves three areas which include critical
thinking, organizing and planning the task effectively and lastly reviewing and evaluating the
work. This skill is important for me because for becoming a manager this is the qualities
which are required in the manager. This is importance in the organization because it aids in
developing a positive working environment (De Vos and et.al., 2011).
How competent are you currently?
Problem solving is another skill which is important in the personnel as well as professional
life. According to my peers and mentor, I am good at problem solving skill. They believe that
I can handle the human resource effectively in the organization. Besides this, at the time of
allocating the task even I easily sort out the issues arising in between the employees. I feel
that the reason behind this is that I know certain problem solving concepts which are
effective in resolving the issues immediately. Due to this reason, I effectively apply in the
situation. I feel that the reason behind problem solving is that I listen to the problem of the
manpower and due to this reason I give them appropriate solution for the problem.
Can you identify any contradictions or allowable weaknesses from your
analysis?
On the other hand, I believe that my problem solving skills are not that good. The reason is
the problems which arte faced in the organization were general. But according to my review I
feel that if tough problem would arise then I will not be able to solve it (Saunders and Zuzel,
2010).
How will this skill help me in the future?
This is the skill which is important in the future because it is required in the future to carry
out the activity. It has been seen that at the time of recruiting employees in the organization,
the firm seek the problem solving skill in employees as they believe that by having this, the
manpower can easily achieve the goal.

Problem solving skills are important for me in the future because when I will become
manager, I will be managing the team of few employees. If I am not good at problem, solving
skill then my team working will get hampered. In the future, managing has become essential
for the organization and this is only possible because of the problem solving skill. Through
this skill I will be able to satisfy my team as well as my subordinates in the future.
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
(Information and communication)
What is the core skill?
Core skills can be defined as those skills which are required by the individuals in every
organization. As I have witnessed that the individual is not proficient in all the skills but still
some of the ability regarding the skills is required (About Core Skills, 2017).
Why is this core skill important?
Information and communication technology-In the present time, there is no organization
which is not using information and communication technology in the organization. So this is
the main reason because of which I am required to develop proficiency in this field. Advance
computer system has been adopted by the organization and all the work are carried out on
them. So it is vital for me to gain the numeracy skill. Besides this, information and
communication technology makes the work easier and it also takes less time to accomplish
the goal. Due to this reason, I require to develop this skill to work effectively.
How competent are you currently?
In information and communication skill I am medium because I know the basic computer
skills which are needed to carry out the operations. On the other hand, according to my peer
and the superior they give me work regarding excels etc. so I am able to accomplish it. But
according to my superior they feel that there are many new technologies which are introduced
so to achieve competency it is required to adapt those learning which can make the task all
the more easier as well as effective (Carr, Bowe and Ní Fhloinn, 2013). There are several
tools which are required in the office such as SPSS etc so now with the increasing
competition; it is needed to effectively learn. Even I feel that by focusing on the information

and communication I can gain expertise in the field.
Can you identify any contradictions or allowable weaknesses from your
analysis?
Further, information and communication skill is that field where I need to learn many new
aspects because the software is becoming outdated so I am required to learn the new
techniques to accomplish the tasks.
How will this skill help me in the future?
Information and communication in the present time has become the medium of the
competition. As the industry competition is increased so same rivalry among the subordinates
have been raised. Information and communication is important in the future because the
organization requires the skilled employees who have knowledge regarding different software
etc. On the other hand, for me the job opportunities for the skilled employees are more in the
future and even the firms are paying good packages for the people who are good in this skill.
Even for my present organization, my chances of promotion will be good and I can do the
work with more expertise with consuming less time (Gijselaers, 2013). This will help in
increasing my capability and I believe that huge development will be witnessed in me
through this skills. Further, this skill can help me in building competitive advantage over
other employees.
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
(Numeracy skill)
What is the core skill?
The five core skills which are needed are communication, numeracy, and information and
communication technology, problem solving and working with others. In this, numeracy skill
will be discussed as it is important in the techno savvy world.
Why is this core skill important?
Core skills are important because they are the skills which help the individual in carrying out
the day to day activities of the firm. For me these skills play a huge role in the life because

without them I would not been successful in my field
Numeracy skills- This skill is related with the numbers, graph, symbol, diagram as well as
calculators. For carrying out the day to day work numeracy skill is important. From my
experience, even in small work calculation will arise. This is because you are required to
calculate some or the other things. Besides this, in the professional life, the profit, loss and
sales etc parameters are depicted through the graph as well as diagram. So I need to develop
my numeracy skill so that I can interpret the data effectively. Further, as the technology is
increasing so most of things are presented graphically that effectively depicts the data
(McGrath, 2014). On the other hand, numeracy skill has become the most crucial part of day
to day life.
How competent are you currently?
In case of the numeracy skills I am not that perfect because in my calculations my superior
found out few errors. But still I can do tough calculations which can support me in my work.
On the other hand, according to my superior I am not good at interpreting the graph and due
to which they say that I face problem regarding understanding the issue and problem (Dunne,
2014). Further, I feel that I can that I do use the calculators to calculate small calculations. So
due to this, it helps me to save lot of time and make work speedy.
Can you identify any contradictions or allowable weaknesses from your
analysis?
According to my views of peers and superiors I have identified that my numeracy skills are
good. The problem which rose was not because of my error. Besides this, I feel that I am
good in the numeracy skill.
How will this skill help me in the future?
Numeracy skills are important in future because as the technology is increasing, numeracy
skills are gaining more importance. The reason is through graphical representation, the data is
accurately interpreted which help the organization in effectively making the strategy. It is
useful for me in the future because for the higher posts this is essential because all the aspects
regarding the work in converted into the graph only (Calkins, Ehrenworth and Lehman,
2012). Besides this, in the top organization, numeracy skills are the major part which is tested
in the employees. The reason behind this aspect is that the new tools of the information and

communication conclude the result in the graph form. So due to this reason it is important to
attain expertise in this.
SUMMARY AND ACTION PLAN
Table 1: Strength and weakness
CURRENT
SKILLS AND
COMPETENCIES
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
Communication skill I am good at communication skill. I
can effectively speak and make
people understand the task. Even I
am good at giving presentations to
the managers as well as senior
delegates. Further, my written
communication is also good as I
have good command on words.
I believe that I can enhance my
vocabulary so that I can write
good words in the letters as
well as drafts.
Numeracy skill I am good at the numeracy skill but
according to the advancement in the
field. I interpret the data easily which
help me in arriving at the conclusion
I believe that I only have the
basic knowledge. The
numeracy skills need to be
perfect because this will help in
my future career.
Information and
communication
I am medium at IT skills as I have
knowledge regarding software.
Further, I have also worked on
different software so it is not
difficult for e to operate the new one.
My major weakness regarding
the IT skill is that I do not have
knowledge regarding the
advanced tools which are used
in the organization. Further, I
lack the ability to learn the

techniques effectively.
Problem solving I am good at problem solving if the
situation is between only two
employees. In this case, I easily
solve their problem and satisfy them
according to their requirements.
The major weakness I face
regarding problem solving is
that I am not able to solve the
problem if it has occurred
between more than two
employees. As I am not able to
handle the situation and further
I also become nervous.
Table 2: The development plan
SKILLS REQUIRED ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN TIME FRAME
Numeracy skill For strengthening the numeracy
skill I will learn different skills
from the books. There are different
concepts and the theories which
are made regarding the numeracy
skill. Further, there are several
games also which are generally
used in mathematics; this will help
in enhancing my numeracy skills.
The time frame which will taken
in enhancing the numeracy skill
will be around 5-6 moths as this
require more time because it is
difficult to obtain knowledge
regarding it.
Information and
communication
For enhancing my information and
communication skills I will join
the advanced computer classes.
There are several courses which
are given to the individual. This
will help me in increasing
knowledge regarding the tools and
techniques which are used in the
organization.
It will require around 2 year the
reason is that I will learn more
than 1 course and the advanced
courses lasts for more than 1 year.
Problem solving There are several theories and In this, less time will be taken

concepts which are given by the
authors. They are given on the
specific situation. This will give
me ideas regarding solving the
issues of the employees. On the
other hand, by learning through
books I will gain knowledge
regarding the environment in the
organization.
because I can learn the theories
and the concepts in 2-3 months.
CONCLUSION
From the report it can be concluded that the core skills are important for the
individuals. For my future, these skills are important for my development. With the help of
core capability, I will get more options in the future. Besides this, through the actions
demonstrated I will be able to increase my capability and skills regarding this. My
development plan will be accomplished within 2 years.

REFERENCES
Books and journal
Calkins, L., Ehrenworth, M. and Lehman, C., 2012. Pathways to the common core:
Accelerating achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Carr, M., Bowe, B. and Ní Fhloinn, E., 2013. Core skills assessment to improve mathematical
competency. European Journal of Engineering Education. 38(6). pp.608-619.
De Vos, A. and et.al., 2011. Competency development and career success: The mediating
role of employability. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 79(2). pp.438-447.
Dunne, E., 2014. The learning society: International perspectives on core skills in higher
education. Routledge.
Gijselaers, W., 2013. Effect of using a personal development plan on learning and
development. Journal of Workplace Learning. 25(3). pp.145–158.
Kimani, G., 2014. Personal development plan. Docs. school Publications.
McGrath, M., 2014. Personal development plan. Leading the Way. 11(1). p.21.
Pedler, M., Burgoyne, J. and Boydell, T., 2013. A Manager's Guide to Self-development.
McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Saunders, V. and Zuzel, K., 2010. Evaluating employability skills: Employer and student
perceptions. Bioscience education. 15(1). pp.1-15.
Online
About Core Skills. 2017. [Online]. Available through:<
https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/37801.7292.html/>. [Accessed on 21st April, 2017].