Personal Development Plan for Students

This assignment explores the importance of a personal development plan (PDP) for students at GSM London. It emphasizes the need for PDPs to enhance both present academic proficiency and future career opportunities. The report delves into three essential skills – communication, management, and self-reflection – required for effective personal and professional growth.

Personal Development
Planning

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
1. Computer literacy...............................................................................................................1
2. Communication Skills........................................................................................................2
3. Leadership Skills................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Personal development plan is a strategic framework of composing one's own skills and
abilities with a prior approach of enhancing their knowledge into the requisite arena. A PDP is
thereby referred to be a predefined structure of certain valid documents that directly represents
the existing capabilities of an individual. It is thence considered as a basic procedure along with
a collective activity of reflecting someone's strength and achievements by together recognising
the needed areas to be focused upon for an apt amendment (Astroulakis, 2011). It however
recommends to clearly identifying the major areas of development with a prior focus of setting
some definite goals for enhancing the future. This will help the individuals to aptly develop both
their personal and professional skills with a precise aim of timely attaining the future objectives.
It also provides a self reflection to build a firm action plan along with an ongoing cycle of being
cognizant about the future requisitions.
MAIN BODY
1. Computer literacy
Today's modern lifestyle is precisely known to be an information age with a prior
recognition of being technically proficient. Due to which, a major number of firms are constantly
achieving a similar perception of rapidly enhancing their services through varied innovative
means of technology (Swain, 2008). Beside that it is also considered to be a cheapest and fastest
method of the firms for aptly servicing their clients and customers. In this particular regard,
almost all the employers are thereby opting for a technically skilled employee who can
effectually operate the ongoing functionalities of their firm. Computer literacy is hence referred
to provide an insight knowledge about the key concepts in regard to understand the basic
functionalities of a computer (Alsop, 2013). This together consists of certain limitations and
abilities to proficiently utilize the technological aspect of work. Therefore, with a similar consent
of enhancing the technical skills of their students, most of the educational and professional
institutions are obligatorily inculcating a distinguished syllabus of computer science into their
basic educational forum. It is however with a need base consideration into which almost all
businesses have successful adopted the ongoing trend of computers into their basic operations as
well.
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It has therefore replaced the traditional work procedures of using books and its related
tools with a completely differentiated scenario. The basic functionalities of reading and writing
has thereby replaced the earlier procedure of reading and writing. This is thereby a proven fact
which principally states the vital requisition of enhancing one's technical skills and knowledge to
a leading step (Burkšaitiene, Tereseviciene and Kaminskiene, 2011). A computer literacy course
is consequently segregated into three major sections for gradually instructing the students with a
need base formulation of severally acknowledging its assorted levels. The primary section is a
key to refer the fundamentals of computer with its certain conventions. The secondary part
consists of educating them about a particular software with its related functioning. It however
depends on the to select a definite software as per its roles and requirement (Dalakoura, 2010).
For example, several programs of Microsoft office is mostly used as a standard set of teaching
the students to effectively gain requisite knowledge into these basic software's which is
commonly used in all organizations. Lastly, there is an inclusion of introducing them with the
recent developments of computer with an increased usage of internet and its varied
functionalities.
2. Communication Skills
In today's competitive world, an expertise communication is referred to be a vital life
skill that together represents the quality of an individual. It is therefore considered as a major
requisition of one's overall intellectual development which mostly signifies the three basic
functions of reading, writing and making an apt verbal interaction with others. These basic skills
largely helps an individual to effectively stand by the later requisitions of making sound
presentations and speeches at their workplace (Hilderbrand, 2011). An appropriate skill of
communication thereby helps an individual to sustain a prosperous career in their future. With a
similar perspective, today's educational sectors have significantly introduced the basic necessity
of inculcating into the formulation of adopting a modern work culture. It defines a significant
need of enhancing the major areas of expression skills into their respective curriculum. The
expression skills can however be achieved with an apt skill of listening. Expression skills thus
reflects the ability of an individual to effectively represent an exact state of his words and
emotions with its definite meaning.
Therefore, it is vital to teach the students about acquiring an effective listening skills for
aptly making the conversation with an advisable etiquette. It thereby reflects both their personal
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and professional skills which is a major preference of today's employers. Furthermore, the
respective institutions largely follows the two major activities of developing the communication
skills of their students. The foremost activity to suitably develop the communication skills of
students is by promoting activities in group. This approach is considered to succeed a long term
goal by making effectual interactions among the students. Another approach is to encourage a
peculiar habit of inculcating an active listening into their daily lifestyle (Hotho and Dowling,
2010). For this particular purpose, the teachers can adopt a regular regime of reading a magazine
in front of their students by later raising certain related questions to check their active
participation in it. Such procedures will thoroughly develop the communication skills of the
students which will together promote and serve both their personal and professional
development.
3. Leadership Skills
Leading skills are yet another crucial requirement of effectively sustaining today's
competitive work environment. Leaders are considered to set a prospective direction for their
followers with a basic procedure of accurately influencing their attributes. It is therefore
important for an individual to gain some definite skills of leadership. Such skills of leadership
thus promotes to attain an apt ability of communicating with an effective strategy of planning
and decision making. A leader is therefore recommended having a perfect vision for a timely
accomplishing of stated organizational goals (Killian, 2010). This can however be done by
building apt commitments of work to fulfil the recognised missions by together leading the
subordinates. It also requires to have a clear assumption of risks and failures with a prior
responsibility of accepting a successful recognition.
The educational institutes coexist with a similar perspective of developing the leadership
skills of their students to effectively prepare them for their future career objectives. It is therefore
opted as an extracurricular activity into their existing syllabus which comprises no specific
grades or marks in examination. However, it is with a need base consideration of preparing them
to gradually fulfil their lifetime objectives of receipting a superior position at work (Nutley,
2008). A significant skill of leadership helps an individual to primarily gain a requisite
confidence in performing the assigned tasks by together attaining an apt recognition at the
workplace. It is therefore related to the above specified ability of communication which
mechanically gives an insight approach of acquiring apt skills of management.
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CONCLUSION
The above report has profoundly showcased an art of personal development plan (PDP)
with a need base importance for successfully inculcating it into the lives of each individual. It
has briefly demonstrated the role of PDP to serve both the objectives of short term and long term
development for students at GSM London. Into which, the short term objectives were clearly
recognised as enhancing their present proficiency of education. However, a long term objective
is in regard to successfully contribute into the achievement of varied career opportunities in their
upcoming future. The report was thereby sectioned into two major parts in which there was a
principle foundation of PDP with its major need and importance. It was later followed by three
requisite skills for aptly developing both the personal and professional skills of an individual.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Astroulakis, N., 2011. The development ethics approach to international development.
International Journal of Development Issues. 10(3). pp.214–232.
Alsop, A., 2013. Continuing Professional Development in Health and Social Care: Strategies for
Lifelong Learning. John Wiley & Sons.
Dalakoura, A., 2010. Differentiating leader and leadership development: A collective framework
for leadership development. Journal of Management Development. 29(5). pp.432–441.
Hilderbrand, J., 2011. Bridging the Gap: a training module in personal and professional
development. Karnac Books.
Hotho, S. and Dowling, M., 2010. Revisiting leadership development: the participant
perspective. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. 31(7). pp.609–629
Killian, S., 2010. Designing leadership development initiatives: clarifying the why, who, what,
how and when. Development and Learning in Organizations. 24(5). pp.15–18
Nutley, T., 2008. The Little Book of Personal Development. 2nd ed. Tony Nutley
Burkšaitiene, N., Tereseviciene, M., and Kaminskiene, L., 2011. Portfolio use for documentation
of personal and professional growth gained outside academia. Baltic Journal of
Management. 6(2). pp.245 – 262.
Online
Swain, H., 2008. The art of personal development planning. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/oct/14/students-highereducation>.
[Accessed on 26th April 2016].
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