Developing Employability Skills Through CPD Module and University

This report analyzes the contribution of attending university and a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) module to the development of employability skills. The report utilizes Gibb's reflective cycle to assess the impact on skills like communication, research, and ICT skills. It details the positive and negative aspects of the experience, including an analysis of skill gaps such as teamwork and time management. The report concludes with a SMART action plan aimed at improving skills like teamwork, networking, time management, research, and problem-solving, crucial for career advancement. The report emphasizes the importance of these skills for securing employment and achieving professional goals after completing university education. The report is a great resource for students looking to improve their employability skills.

CPD
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Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Gibb’s reflective cycle............................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFRENCES...................................................................................................................................9
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INTRODUCTION
Students which attend university need to focus on building their employability skills and
sturdy skills as attainment of growth opportunities in academic career or professional career after
completing university is dependent in the presence of these skills. Employability is defined as the
capability of student to attain employment, sustain employment and search for new employment
easily (Coelen and Gribble, 2019). The present report utilises suitable reflective model to
understand the contribution of attending university and CPD module in development of
employability skills such as communication skills, research skills, ICT skills and other essential
skills required to secure employment. A SMART action plan to enhance these skills in the future
is also provided this report.
MAIN BODY
Gibb’s reflective cycle
Gibb’s reflective cycle is a reflection model which provides six stages of reflection is
used in order to determine the contribution of university attendance in building employability
and study skills. This reflection model is widely used and enables reflective description of a
particular experience (Huang, 2021). Gibbs reflective cycle in context of development of
employability skills during attending university and participating in CPD module is provided
below:
Description
I was able to gain employability and study skills by participating in the module. My
verbal communication skills were developed as I had to interact with my peers and faculty
members in order to present my ideas and put forward questions. By attending university I
understood formal report structure and ways to write my ideas in a concise and presentable
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manner. In addition to this by participating in the CPD module has increased my ICT skills as I
had to complete various assignments by using power point and excel sheets. My research skills
have improved in terms of proficiency level by attending university as I have to conduct research
from reliable sources in order to complete assignments. Apart from this, I have been introduced
to problem solving skills with the help of CPD module because of the assignments given by the
faculty and classroom discussion which require problem solving skills for participation. My
teamwork, networking and time management skills have improved from the level before
attending the university but are still ate low level in terms of proficiency.
Feelings:
 Before the event: I was eager to participate in this module as attending the university has
already introduced me to so many employability skills and this experience helped me
gain proficiency in certain skills such as verbal communication. In addition to this I was
concerned about my ability to gain positive outcome by participating in this module as I
was unsure if this module will improve my performance in some weaker employability
skills.
 During the event: During the completion of the event I was required to participate in team
assignment, this increased my concern about my overall performance in this module as I
am not able to perform as effectively in team setting when compared to individual
settings. This increased my stress as I felt that attending this module will get wasted as I
will not be able to learn anything in team settings.
 After the event: Looking back at the experience of attending and participating in the
module I am satisfied with my decision to put forward my best effort while participating
in this module. This is because participation in this module introduced me various ways
of increasing my employability and working on the skill gaps so that every employability
skill is enhanced. In addition to this I feel that this module will help me in not only
securing employment but also gaining swift career progression as I will be able to use the
knowledge gained from this experience to continuously work on improving my skills.
Evaluation
Positive aspects of the experience: The main positive aspect of the experience was that I
was able to gain proficiency in my verbal and written communication skills. I understood ways
to clearly construct report which is effective in business context. This is helpful as I professional
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writing is an important skill and helps in development of various business reports such as
marketing audit and business concept plan (McLain, 2018). Apart from this after participating in
this module my ICT skills were also developed as I learned about tools to increase efficiency and
creativity in building power point presentation’s and excel sheets.
Negative aspects of the experience: The module included team based assignments and I
was concerned about my performance in team setting. By participating in this module I have
realised that teamwork skills are the weakest skill in my employability and study skill-set as I
was not able to effectively coordinate with my team members which affected overall
performance of my team. Coordination is crucial to high performance in team activity (Grainger,
2020). I have learned about problem soloing skills with the help of this module but I was not
able to effectively utilise this skill in classroom discussions which has kept my proficiency level
for this skill low. The lack of this skill affected my performance in group assignments as I was
not able to contribute any unique ideas to the team.
Analysis
I have developed various skills by participating in the CPD module which will play an
important role in my career development after completion of university education. I have
improved my communication and ICT skills with the help of this module which will play an
important role in securing employment and gaining success in my professional life. My research
skills have also improved for betterment but still require more improvement so that I am able to
complete high quality research on any area. After the completion of this module I have analysed
that my performance and concentration on group based or individual tasks is affected because of
my ineffective time management skills. Time management skills are essential to both personal
and professional development (Quinn and Buzzetto-Hollywood, 2019). I have to focus on
building time management skills in order to maximise my learning potential and securing job.
This is because current corporate world requires employees which are able to work optimum
capacity. In addition to this I also have to build my teamwork skills in order to ensure that my
performance is not affected after gaining employment. This because corporate employment
involves working with other staff members as team.
Conclusion
From the above discussion it is determined that employability skills can be attained by
attending university and participation in continuous professional development module. Gibb’s
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reflective cycle is helpful in determining the positive and negative aspects of the experience
which uncovers areas for improvement. In addition to this with the help of Gibbs’s reflective
cycle individuals can understand reasons behind their weaknesses and underperformance and
develop pathways for overcoming the weakness and increase capabilities.
Action Plan
The SMART action plan for improving employability and study skill areas which are teamwork
skills, networking skill, time management skill, research skill and problem solving skill is
provided below:
Objective Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time bound
To develop
time
management
skills
This is specific
objective as it
focuses on
building time
management
skills for
completing
tasks in timely
manner.
The
measurement
criteria for
this objective
are the ability
to prioritise
tasks, create
effective
schedule and
follow
developed
schedule to
finish tasks in
timely
manner.
This
objective can
be attained
easily. This is
because of
the usage of
The
Pomodoro
Technique.
This
technique
helps enhance
time
management
skills and
complete
tasks in given
time (Cirillo,
2018).
This is
relevant skill
as time
management
is necessary
for perfuming
effectively in
business firms
after securing
employment.
5 Months
To enhance This is specific This objective This is This is 4 months
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research
skills
objective as
the ability to
quickly
complete
reliable and
accurate
research is
covered in this
objective.
can be
measured by
understanding
the swiftness
in completing
research with
reliable
sources.
attainable
objective.
This
objective can
be attained by
using CRAPP
test. This will
help in
completion of
accurate and
authentic
research
swiftly.
relevant
objective.
This is
because
effective
research skills
are highly
desired
employability
skills.
To build
problem
solving skills
This objective
is centred
around
particular area
which is
problems
solving. This
makes this
objective
specific.
The
measurement
of this
objective can
be completed
with the help
of McKinsey
problem
solving test.
This test
assesses
problem
solving
capabilities of
individuals
(Conn and
McLean,
2019).
The method
used for
attainment of
this objective
is difference
reduction
method.
Reduction
difference is
one of the
most
common and
effective
methods of
problem
solving
(Buheji,
2018).
This objective
is highly
relevant to
securing
employability.
This is
because in
order to clear
selection
process
problem
solving skills
are required.
3 months
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To gain
proficiency in
teamwork
skill
This is specific
skill as it
involves
increasing the
ability to
perform
effectively in
group
performance.
This skill can
be measured
by the ability
to maintain
synergy
within the
group and
formulate
exceptional
results in
group
settings.
The skill is
easily
attainable by
participating
in team tasks
and
understanding
every point of
view to make
democratic
and collective
decisions.
The relevancy
of this skill is
high in
context of
employability.
This is
because
teamwork
skills not only
are
requirement
to acquire
employment
but are also
helpful in
ensuring
optimum
performance
in a business
firms which
functions as
team of
individuals
(Phakathi,
2017).
9 months
To improve
networking
skills
This objective
focuses on
building
networking
capabilities
which makes
This skill can
be measured
by
understanding
the ease with
interpersonal
This skill can
be attained by
networking
through
social media
and
This is
relevant to
future career
progression
and builds the
ability to
8 months
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this objective
specific
relation is
formed with
others.
connecting
with online
contacts
offline.
search for
new jobs.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it is determined that in order to make progress after the completion
of university it is important to build employability and study skills. These skills play an
important role in helping students secure suitable employment after leavening university or move
upwards in their academic career. Communication skills, research skills, time management skills
are crucial to achieve professional goals and grow after completion of university. Attending
university is vital to development of employability and study skills. It is important for students to
build a SMART action plans in order to address employability and study skill gaps and enhance
these skills father.
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REFRENCES
Books and Journals
Buheji, M., 2018. Re-Inventing Our Lives: A Handbook for Socio-Economic “Problem-Solving”.
AuthorHouse.
Cirillo, F., 2018. The Pomodoro technique: The life-changing time-management system. Random
House.
Coelen, R. and Gribble, C. eds., 2019. Internationalization and employability in higher
education. Routledge.
Conn, C. and McLean, R., 2019. Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill that Changes
Everything. John Wiley & Sons.
Grainger, A., 2020. Team-working: our part in making it effective. British Journal of Healthcare
Assistants, 14(10). pp.474-480.
Huang, L. S., 2021. Improving Learner Reflection for TESOL: Pedagogical Strategies to Support
Reflective Learning. Routledge.
McLain, T. R., 2018. Integration of the video response app Flipgrid in the business writing
classroom. International Journal of Educational Technology and Learning, 4(2). pp.68-
75.
Phakathi, S.T., 2017. Production, safety and teamwork in a deep-level mining workplace:
Perspectives from the rock-face. Emerald Group Publishing.
Quinn, K. and Buzzetto-Hollywood, N., 2019. Faculty and Student Perceptions of the
Importance of Management Skills in the Hospitality Industry. Interdisciplinary Journal
of E-Learning & Learning Objects, 15.
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