HND International Travel and Tourism Management Skill Audit Report

This report presents a comprehensive personal skill audit and professional development plan, designed for an individual seeking career advancement within the travel and tourism industry, specifically focusing on the Holiday Inn Telford Hotel. The report commences with an introduction to personal and professional development planning, emphasizing its significance for career progression. Task 1 delves into the benefits of ongoing professional development for various stakeholders, highlighting the advantages for both employers and employees, such as increased employability, improved retention rates, and enhanced self-awareness. It also investigates employer expectations of skills and competencies, particularly for front office employees, including effective communication, computer literacy, professional standards, multitasking, and problem-solving abilities. Task 2 focuses on self-assessment, evaluating the author's skills and competencies in relation to the front office executive role. The report concludes by summarizing the importance of continuous professional development and its impact on meeting employer expectations and achieving career goals within the specified organizational context.

Personal Skill Audit
and Professional
Development Plan

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................4
TASK1.............................................................................................................................................4
P1 Examine the key benefits of on-going professional development for different stakeholders
within a specific organisation.................................................................................................4
P2 Investigate professional employer expectations of skills and competencies within a specific
organisational context.............................................................................................................5
M1 Evaluate the importance of on-going professional development and the associated
professional skills requirements within a specific organisational context.............................7
D1 Critically evaluate own skills and competencies to meet the employer expectation of
professional skills required for employment within a specific job role.................................7
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................8
P3 Assess own skills, abilities, and competences for a specific job role...............................8
P4 Review a range of learning theories and approaches used for personal and professional
development processes...........................................................................................................9
M2 Evaluate own skills and competences and the most appropriate development approach to
develop personal and professional skills for a specific job role...........................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Personal and professional development plan is a process in which an individual create an
action plan that helps him to achieve the goals in objectives related to personal growth. It is vital
for individual to know about his strengths, weakness, value and awareness so that the planning
process is facilitated. It tells the individual about his/her career, education and self-improvement
(Roberts, 2018). This report is based on developing a professional development plan for employ
that want promotion in travel and tourism industry. The organisation considered to carry on this
report is Holiday Inn Telford Hotel. There is discussion related to professional development plan
and it's important. There is discussion related to various skills and competencies that are required
by an employee for accomplishing the goals and objectives. Various theories are mentioned in
the report in respect to construct a suitable professional and personal development plan.
MAIN BODY
TASK1
P1 Examine the key benefits of on-going professional development for different stakeholders
within a specific organisation
Personal and professional development is a continuous process. It is important for an
employer to know about the skills and requirement that the individual possess and the one that
are desired to complete the goals and objectives on time. That helps in making the employee
successful and gaining attention of employer (Allen and et.al., 2019). Also an individual want
promotion so it is vital to know about the abilities and competencies that are already present in
the person and then comparing it with those that are required for the job he want to apply.
The advantages of PDP for employer are mentioned below
Greater employability: As the numbers of opportunities are increasing in the market the
employer want highly skilled and educated workforce that have good knowledge and capacity to
complete the work assigned to them. Seen that with the help of personal professional
development the employees are ready and prepared to learn and develop new skills. This will
help the employer of Holiday Inn Telford Hotel to hire the employees that are aware about their
skills and ready to learn and develop new ones.

Increase retention rate: As the organisations are spending a lot on training and
development the personal development plan helps to identify the skills and knowledge that have
been increased in the employ. This will help the Holiday Inn Telford Hotel to increase the
retention rate by spending on the employee that really needs training and taking advantage of the
session and using it for the benefit of the organisation.
Make succession planning easier: PDP helps to create future leaders by providing them
training. It helps in promoting the employees that are within the organisation and not hiring from
outside of the business (Wareing and et.al., 2017). This increases the opportunities for the
employees of Holiday Inn Telford Hotel and they work more effectively and take the training
sessions more seriously for the growth of the company and for their promotion.
The benefits associated with personal development plan in relation to employees are discussed
below:
Self awareness: One of the major benefits associated with personal and professional
development plan is dead the employee comes to know about his strengths and weakness that the
person has. The poison to work on weakness and convert them into strength and is benefit for the
organisation in which the individual works.
Increase chances for promotion and high salary: As the employee applies for the
certifications and professional development related education the value of employ increases and
the employer considers him more useable. In relation to Holiday Inn Telford Hotel it is seen that
the employees that regularly work on their skills get higher chances of promotion.
The above mentioned are the various benefits to the employer and employees in an organisation.
It is important for the employees and beneficial as well to workknow about the professional
skills so as to work effectively. If the employees will work effectively then it will also be
beneficial for the employer. Overall the personal development plan contributes to the success of
the overall organisation.
P2 Investigate professional employer expectations of skills and competencies within a specific
organisational context
It is important for an employee to have particular skills and competencies to work at the
post that he is planning to. All of these help him to work as per the desire of the employee and
achieved the task effectively as well as efficiently. The employer expects that the work assigned
to the employ will be completed on time without any mistake. In regard to front office employee

of Holiday Inn Telford Hotel the various skills that are important to be considered are explained
below:
Effective communication skills It is desired that person sitting at front office and front desk
should treat employees with a smile. The person is desired to have good communications skills
and a positive tone while communicating with the guest. Effective communication skills help to
create good impression and also create a good image of Holiday Inn Telford Hotel.
Computer literacy: As all the details, the records, payment and all the other task related to
the guest are recorded in computer it is vital that the person has knowledge about computer
(White, 2017). The individual should know about the software and have capability to learn new
and updated technology. Nowadays most of the work is done on computer and digitally in
Holiday Inn Telford Hotel.
Professional standard: It is also important that the person follows all the ethical and
professional standards. It is vital work according to code of conduct and respecting each other.
The employee is supposed to be punctual and always wearing the uniform. These are the
expectation of employer from the employee of Holiday Inn Telford Hotel. As if the employees
follow all the standards it is beneficial for the organisation as well as for employees. It helps to
enhance the brand image of Hotel in the mind of customers and in the market.
Multitasking: As he is the first person the guest comes in contact with so it is desired that
the person should create a good impression in front of the customer. He should handle the
customer in an effective way and understand his needs and wants and solve the one in a positive
way. The person should make effort to build relations with the guest and talk with courtesy.
Problem solving: As all the problems that are faced by the clients are taken to the front
desk employee (Filipe, Mack and Golnik, 2017). The stop setting at front office should have
effective problems welding skills so that as and when the customer asks about the problem the
individual is able to solve it and give recommendations to the guest.
All these skills are expected by employer of Holiday Inn Telford Hotel in the front office
staff in the organisation that is able to treat the guests effectively (Joshi, 2018). These are the
skills that are expected by the employer and the employees should have so that they are effective
in working. It is important that the employees are aware about these skills and work on them so
that all the tasks in the organisation are done effectively.

M1 Evaluate the importance of on-going professional development and the associated
professional skills requirements within a specific organisational context.
It is vital for an employee to become part of on going professional development. There are
various benefits of professional development as the employee gets prepared to work in the
organisation. The benefits are mentioned below:
o It helps to build those skills that are required at the time of job. So the employee is able to
work effectively as well as efficiently in the organisation. This is expected by the
employees of Holiday Inn Telford Hotel as they will help to achieve the goals and
objectives of the organisation in an effective way.
o The employee learns and develops the professional skills that help to satisfy the needs
and wants of the customers in a professional way. That also helps to retain the customer’s
for long on the organisation.
o It ensures that the employee is expertise in the current situation. The person becomes
more mindful of the profession's emerging patterns and paths (Goria, Kilvinski and
Dogan, 2019). That helps to work effectively and as per the new trends.
o With the help of continue professional development the employee is abler to make
meaningful contribution to the organisation. As the person works with the updated skills
and that help in success of the Holiday Inn Telford Hotel.
o It also enhances the confidence level of the employees and they are motivated towards
the work the work assigned to them. Motivated and confident employees are asset for the
organisation.
o The professional skills and imparting them in the organisation is helpful. As it attracts
more customers and satisfy them. So it then contributes to gaining competitive advantage
and more loyal customers.
The above mentioned are the benefits of on-going professional development and the
associated professional skills that Holiday Inn Telford Hotel are getting.
D1 Critically evaluate own skills and competencies to meet the employer expectation of
professional skills required for employment within a specific job role.
The job role is front office employee. It is important to know and evaluate the skills that are
required to become effective for the job role. As it cannot be said that a person has all the skills

that are required to suit the job role. Below mentioned are the skills that will help to work
effectively as front executive. The skills and competencies that are required are discussed below:
o Communication skills are required the most by front office executive. As he is the one
that greats the guest and create first impression over the customers.
o It is also seen that the person should also has good knowledge and skills related to
computer so that all the work that is assigned is complete on time (Akrivou, Scalzo and
Orón, 2020). It is also important to keep all the records of the customers.
o There is requirement of professional skills as well. The front office executive is expected
to be profession and follow all the code of conduct that is desirable.
o The person should be multi tasking as he/she has to perform various tasks all together. It
will be beneficial if the person is able to deal with all the tasks that occur altogether. It is
also important that the person has problem solving skills. As the customers faces various
quarries that the front office executive has to solve and keep them satisfied.
If a person will all these skills or any one of the skill then it will be difficult for him/her to
work effectively as front office executive.
TASK 2
P3 Assess own skills, abilities, and competences for a specific job role
As I want to become a front office executive, I have analysed the skills that are required to
work as front office executive. The skills that I have and match the requirement of being front
office executive are as follows:
Strong interpersonal skills: I have good interpersonal skills that will help me to work
effectively. As a front office executive needs strong interpersonal skills to carry all the work that
is assigned to them. As there is need to talk to the customers and create good impression.
Flexible: I am a flexible person and ready to serve the customers in the way they want. It is
important to be flexible as the needs and wants of customers are diverse and need to be fulfilled.
A flexible employee is honoured by the organisation as well (Howard and Eddy‐Imishue, 2020).
Being flexible also helps to satisfy the customers in an effective way.
Effective written and verbal communication: I have good writing as well as
communication skills that help me to work as front office executive. It is seen that there are

various front desk responsibilities necessitate the ability to accurately interact in written as well
as verbal way, from responding to guest emails to writing down directions to the team.
Computer literacy: I have good knowledge of software and the required knowledge. As the
technology is update and all the records are now kept on computer and laptop. I have analysed
that there is requirement of good computer literacy to perform the job in an effective way. The
management is also facilitated due to use of technology.
Guest service: I am able to serve the guest in an effective way. As I have examined that a hotel
can't remain in existence if there aren't any customers. As a result, there is high demand of ability
in front desk work and provide guest service (Davies, Curtin and Robson, 2017). It entails being
polite and helpful, operating effectively and reliably, fixing problems, and doing whatever else is
appropriate to ensure that hotel guests have a pleasant experience.
These are the skills and abilities that I have and that help me to become a good front office
executive. As these are the skills that I already have and will help me. There are various other
skills that will work on and develop so that I do not face any problem while working. Also
training and development will help me to perform my duties effectively.
P4 Review a range of learning theories and approaches used for personal and professional
development processes
There are four theories of learning and discussion related to each of them is mentioned below:
Classical Conditioning
It is the first theory and it is a form of conditioning in which a person reacts to a stimulus that
does not ordinarily cause such a reaction. It is the process of learning to link a specific object in
the world to a prediction of what will occur next (Kiesslin, 2021). One of the most common
types of conditioning is classical conditioning, which involves associating one event with
another desired event and resulting in actions. A conditioned stimuli and an unconditioned
stimulus are used in classical conditioning. The unconditioned response is the reaction to what
happened if unconditioned stimuli occur.
Operant conditioning
It is second type of conditioning. As per the theory behaviour changes due to punishment or
reward. It says that behaviours of a person to learn new things vary according the situation. It
also has a major impact on daily learning. Reinforcement and punishment happen all the time in

natural environments, as well as in more formal settings like schools and in training of the
employees in an organisation.
Cognitive Theory
This theory covers the thoughts of an individual, knowledge of interpretations, understandings of
events, or ideas that are related to environment. It is a process which involves use of memory and
active learning (Sanders,and Pickering, 2018). It is believed that in this learning process took
place completely in the mind and did not include any physical movements or actions. It is
conditioned by both inherent and extrinsic forces, resulting in an individual's learning. The
cognitive learning it is believed that the various learning systems can be clarified by first
examining behavioural processes. It assumes that learning is faster with successful cognitive
mechanisms, and that new knowledge can be retained and memorised in the brain for a longer
duration of time.
Social Learning Theory
It is also known as observational learning, it has emphasises on an individual's capacity to learn
by watching what other people do rather than simply being taught about something. It is seen
that the individuals learn through parents, models, coaches, pictures, colleagues, TV artists,
managers, and others (Merelli, Liò and Kotenko, 2018). Many behavioural traits are learned by
studying others' actions and observing them. The fundamental problem in this theory is said to be
the power of models. There are four models that have influence on the behaviour of the
individual. The processes are:
1. Attention Process: It is believed that being attentive is the crucial part of learning.
2. Retention Process: It can be said that the learning is impacted by the retention level of the
individual.
3. Motor reproduction process: After following the model and observing a new action, the
watching must be transformed to doing. It involves recalling the model's habits as well as
performing one's own actions and comparing them to the model's.
4. Reinforcement process: It is believed that the behaviour of individual is impacted through
the rewards and recognition.

M2 Evaluate own skills and competences and the most appropriate development approach to
develop personal and professional skills for a specific job role
As per the discussion above it can be said that there is requirement of various skills and
competencies that are required to become a front office executive. I have analysed that first of all
there is requirement of good and effective communication skills as there is regular interaction
with the clients. Along with that it is important to have good writing skills. As there are various
messages that can be communicated through emails (Leporati, Danese and Merelli, 2019). It will
help me to work effectively and attract and retain the customers in the organisation. There is
need of computer literacy so as to keep the data and record of the customers. Along with that it
help further in giving them offers and discounts. It is also important to have managing and
organising skills. As I have to work in a team and it will be easier if all the things are working in
an organised manner. All these skills are required to work effectively and achieve the tasks
effectively and efficiently.
There is discussion related to four theories and it is analysed that cognitive is more
appropriate as per the theory of learning active memory processes speed up learning process and
that new information will be stored and memorised in the brain for a long period of time.

CONCLUSION
From the report it can be analysed that it is important to know about the personal
development plan to prepare that to get a good job. The benefits of PDP are described in the
report. The expectation of employers to the employees about the skills is also evaluated in the
report. Various skills, abilities and competencies for a job role are discussed. Along with that
there is discussion related to various learning theories that help an individual.