Academic Skills & PDP: Personal & Professional Development Plan

This report provides a comprehensive overview of personal and professional development plans (PDP), emphasizing their importance in enhancing academic and professional skills. It defines the concept of a PDP, highlighting its role in improving personality and awareness through various activities. The report discusses the value of short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals, providing examples for each and explaining how they contribute to personal and professional growth. It also elaborates on the benefits of a personal development plan, including improved personal attributes, enhanced strength and faith, and better preparation for achieving objectives. The conclusion summarizes the significance of PDP in improving an individual's skills and knowledge, enabling them to gain competitive advantages and boost confidence in decision-making. The report references various books and journals to support its arguments and provides a structured approach to understanding and implementing a personal development plan.

Academic Skills and
PDP

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.............................................................................................................................................3
The concept of personal and professional development plan...................................................................3
Value of short term goals with examples.................................................................................................3
Value of medium term goals with examples............................................................................................4
Value of long term goals with examples..................................................................................................4
Value of a personal development plan.....................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................7
Books and Journals:.................................................................................................................................7
APPENDIX................................................................................................................................................8
Personal development plan......................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Personal development plan plays a very vital role in an individual's life. It is a record of
individual’s activity in order to create opportunities for his career. In academic life an individual
develop many different skills in order to become more productive and proficient. In this report
the concept of personal development plan and its importance are defined in a very exact way
(Bellini, R. and Et.al., 2020). The report is also outlines the different types of individual goals
and professional development plan through which a person can achieve his goals.
MAIN BODY
The concept of personal and professional development plan.
Personal development plan of an individual includes different activities which require to
improve his personality and enhance awareness. When a student or a person is going through his
academic learning life he required to carry out with different practices which are necessary to
become a proficient regarding his career. It can be described also as a document which facilitates
an individual and academy to make an active role in learning activities which includes different
challenges in order to achieve essential knowledge on a specific subject but in a very precise
manner (Han, D.). It is a process of using suitable training in order to develop talents, evaluating
existing circumstances, potential in order to increase knowledge, setting goals and objectives and
determining professional gaps. In order to develop skills, a reflection is an important instrument
and extremely significant as a method while possessing attention to the meaningful subjects that
needs improvement. An individual can be better understand with the help of reflection about his
career goals and how will he get into his life. It helps to make him more concentrated on the
skills which needs to be developed in order to get qualified or promoted in order to achieve
something. Personal and professional development plan also consists with preparation,
mentoring and evaluation which helps a person through college courses or training sessions,
learning from professions about approaching difficulties or problems, leading or guiding
someone else who is new in the academy or organisation. This includes several courses, formal
learning, apprenticeships or internships or informal study, as well as highly focused on progress
into the career which may include with different tasks such as attending networking, seminars or
conferences. In academic life there are different types of skills which can be improved such as
stress management, leadership skills, time management, communication skills, interaction skills
and many more in order to support a person to achieve definite professional growth that is why
personal and professional development plan is very important (Herrman, H., 2020). The personal
and professional development plan includes three types of goals of a person’s life; short term,
medium term, and long term goals.
Value of short term goals with examples.
Generally short term goals are set by an individual in order to get them in a shorter period
of time. An individual is liable to achieve short term goals within a period of 12 months or less
than a year. An individual take an incremental step towards medium term goals in order to make
them realistic and accessible. When an individual achieve his short term goals it will help to
motivate them as well as get closer to accomplishing the medium term goals and long term goals.

Short term goals can be accomplishing within a certain days or weeks or months. These goals are
easier to achieve in comparison with long term goals, simplify in a precise method to a person.
This makes a person significant in his personal and professional life. When a person move
forward in order to achieve short term goals on a regular interval of time they make them
actionable and definite. The period of accomplishment of these aims maybe dissimilar to person
to person and it is highly depends on individual objectives (Jabbour, J., 2017). Short term goals
helps a person to experience the success along his journey while testing patience in order to
achieve them. This provides concentration in order to enhance the concepts of oneself while on
the other side it also delivers failure and anxiety in order to accomplish the long-term goals.
Every move towards the success requires to be progressed. Along with this every step also helps
to achieve respect of improving personal values.
Examples of small term goals:
 Improving English writing skills.
 Improving vocabulary in public while making presentations.
 Managing stress.
Value of medium term goals with examples.
When long term goals takes a longer time in order to get completed then medium-term
goals are the best option in order to maintain the motivation level of an individual while
considering the progress until they achieve their long-term goals. The medium term goals can be
accomplished within three to five years in order to be achieved. An individual accomplish their
medium term goals in a precise way in order to get competitive benefits in the academic life.
Medium term goals plays as milestones so that one can celebrate the journey to achieve the
ultimate goal. It also facilitates enough time to make a decent progress as well as short enough
one can make himself a different personality (Park, S. and Santos, C. A., 2017). It is essential to
record and pay enough attention so that a visible growth can help a person how much efforts or
time he will require to get achieved. It also shows a person's determination towards their goals.
Examples of medium term goals:
 Developing team management skills.
 Get promoted after being recruited.
 Develop skills to optimum use of available resources.
Value of long term goals with examples.
Long term goals of a person are those goals which takes long time to get achieved. It
takes five years or more than five years. When a person has beliefs and principles throughout his
journey then these goals can be achieved. It refers to a fundamental change since these objectives
describe a person's achievement, commitment, dedication, hard work and patience. These goals
are accomplished in future as it takes time in comparison with the short term goals and medium
term goals. A person's personal and professional development, these goals act as a crucial role
because these are considering with several career opportunities. An individual is likely to have
long term goals in order to become a person who has totally different values and priorities
compared to when he initiated his goals in order to achieve (Satar, A. A., 2020). When a multiple

moves are done by a person in order to go ahead in his life to achieve long term objectives.
When a person is career oriented and focused on his future then these goals are very significant
in order to plan about their job where they want to grow and succeed in his career. Long term
goals also indicates that an individual is passionate, motivated, patient as well as ambitious while
doing his job. These goals also supports an individual to be defined, achieved and succeed
(Persad, A., 2020). It delivers a purpose, direction and values to a person's life.
Examples of long term goals:
 Build successful career and work throughout the life independently.
 Being a person who have leadership and management skills.
 Planning to open my own venture.
Value of a personal development plan.
Personal development plan of an individual is a document of action plan which consists
of several activities such as reflection or goal setting of varieties of beliefs and values which
helps to develop and grow a person and his professional and personal life. Personal development
plan defines an individual only, about life, study, believes, values, future and career. When an
individual think about his future and wants to move ahead in his life he will take certain steps in
order to get something and being successful in his life. It also helps to understand the
performance of an individual and enhance the ability while evaluating. These plans have several
benefits to a person's life as it helps to improve personal attributes, improve strength and faith,
make a person prepare and able to achieve their objectives; in their education it helps to develop
themselves independently, make them ready to initiate their own projects as well as self-directed,
In professional way it helps an individual to encourage themselves and enables likelihoods of
their employability. It helps to set a certain time period to achieve those goals and objectives. It
grips an individual analysis of opportunities, lifestyle, threats, positioning, resume and so on. An
individual to plan for his future and career it signifies with the simplest method in order to being
responsible towards health proficiency (Pugh, L., 2018). It is consist with life long process which
must be often studied. As a reflection of a person it delivers authentic appraisal which includes a
person's strength, weakness, opportunities and threats. PDP defines an ongoing employability of
an individual in order to enhance the proficient skills and knowledge. When a person is planning
about his future goals and development plan he must be clear about his thoughts and opinions so
that he can provide a strategic plan and specific course of action in order to get them. The initial
stage of PDP shows a definite degree of strong image, goals as well as open self-analysis which
should be domineering the organisational objectives (Smola, M. and Et.al., 2019). It helps to
signifies and denotes all the three mentioned goals of an individual. PDP can be organized in
certain structure and formats. PDP supports a person but it does not include any exact or
incorrect structure it defines an idea in order to get something while increasing the motivation at
every stage when it get completed. (Continue in appendix)
CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned report it has been summarized that personal development plan
is a major tool in academies that is used to improve an individual’s skill and knowledge so that
he can grow and improve his skills in personal and corporate life. With the help of PDP plan an

individual is able to gain competitive benefits in his academic life as well as further in his
corporate life. As a document it helps to boost the confidence level in order to represent in front
of peoples while making significant decisions in his management. This plan makes him
significant in order to balance his both the life. Along with this a person can grow and succeed in
his life and make a different personality which will be visualize in the eyes of himself and other
people.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Bellini, R. and Et.al., 2020. Practical management plan for invasive mosquito species in Europe:
I. Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). Travel medicine and infectious disease, 35,
p.101691.
Han, D., Leader, Government, and Market: The Economic Development of South Korea and
Taiwan in the 70s and 80s. Studies in Asian Social Science, 5, pp.1-17.
Herrman, H., 2020. Report on the WPA Action Plan at the end of the triennium 2017‐
2020. World Psychiatry, 19(3), p.404.
Jabbour, J., 2017. Environmental and social management plan (ESMP) for Section R7 Asphalt
plant (No. SFG3532, pp. 1-127). The World Bank.
Park, S. and Santos, C. A., 2017. Exploring the tourist experience: A sequential
approach. Journal of Travel Research, 56(1), pp.16-27.
Persad, A., 2020. The Effectiveness of Induction Mentor Support During Beginning Teachers'
First Individual Learning Plan (ILP) Cycle: A Multiple Case Study (Doctoral dissertation,
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona).
Pugh, L., 2018. Change management in information services. Routledge.
Satar, A. A., 2020. A Problem, a Plan, and South African Youth: Actively Involving the Youth
in Tackling Social Issues. In University–Community Partnerships for Promoting Social
Responsibility in Higher Education. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Smola, M. and Et.al., 2019. Forest management plan in Domogt Shariin Gol, Mongolia is
elaborated on ecological and sustainable principles. Journal of Landscape Ecology, 12(2), pp.92-
115.
Stewart III, J. W. and Gilbert, K., 2021. Quality Enhancement Plan Progression to Profession.

APPENDIX
Personal development plan
Skills to be
developed
Development plan Resources Target date
Managing stress I am planning to read
different books so
that the values and
principles I found I
can apply in my life
as well as develop my
routine in order to get
sooth my soul so I
can be able to calm
and relax.
I will do yoga
sessions or
meditations and
“stress management”
book will be helpful.
October 2021
Improving verbal
communication
In my corporate
world it is very
essential for me to be
confident enough in
order to represent
myself among several
other peoples. I must
be able to
communicate
confidently so that I
can make everyone
impress. I will take
part in several tasks
so that I can improve
my communication
Corporate activities,
seminars,
conferences and
many more.
December 2021

skills,
Planning to open a
new venture
I am planning to
invest in a small
portion of land in UK
so I will find sources
where I can raise
funds or take loan.
Leaders and mentors
of mine in my
corporate life will
help me to further
guide me so that can
be able to make my
own venture.
July 2025