Report on Personal and Professional Development and Skills Assessment

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of personal and professional development, encompassing various aspects crucial for individual and organizational growth. It begins by exploring self-managed learning, detailing different approaches such as seminars, internet resources, and social media, and emphasizing their role in skill enhancement. The report then delves into lifelong learning, outlining strategies for self-motivation, self-management, and self-monitoring. It evaluates current skills and competencies against professional standards, using a table to highlight strengths and weaknesses. The report identifies development needs and proposes activities like managerial guidance, conferences, and simulation training. Furthermore, it presents a detailed personal and professional development plan, including learning objectives, current and target proficiency, and timelines. The report also examines solutions to work-based problems and discusses different time management strategies, offering valuable insights for both personal and organizational effectiveness. The document is a student submission available on Desklib, a platform offering AI-based study tools.

PERSONAL
AND
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Approaches to self managed learning .................................................................................1
1.2 Ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional context could be encouraged
.....................................................................................................................................................2
1.3 Benefits of self managed learning.........................................................................................2
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................3
2.1 Current skills and competencies against professional standards and organisation objectives
.....................................................................................................................................................3
2.2 Own development needs and the activities required to meet them.......................................5
2.3 Development opportunities to meet current and future needs..............................................6
2.4 Personal and professional development plan based on identified needs...............................6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................7
3.1 Process and activities required to implement the development plan....................................7
3.2 Undertaking and documenting developing activities as planned..........................................8
3.3 Own learning against original aims and objectives set in developmental plan ....................8
3.4 Updating of developmental plan based on feedback and evaluation....................................9
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................9
4.1 Select solution to work based problems..............................................................................10
4.2 Learning styles that helps in overcoming issues.................................................................10
4.3 Different time management strategies for individual and organisation..............................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
In order to stabilise their place and grow as an individual in an organisation it is
important for increase their skills on regular basis. Personal and professional development adds
value to the employee in terms of his growth potential. There are several ways of learning like a
person can learn from society, internet, experience team work (Avalos, 2011). This up gradation
of skills is on the basis of strength and weakness that a company has. This helps to increase the
potential of an employee in grasping opportunities that is around them. By inculcating personal
and professional procedures in life they can encounter various challenges that arises in the path
of success. This report focuses on various aspects of personal and professional development. It
highlights various learning methods that helps to increase the skills that help in an organisation.
TASK 1
1.1 Approaches to self managed learning
In individual's life self managed learning plays a vital role. People enhances their self
learning by number of methods such as meetings, seminars or conferences etc. These methods
help individual in improving their position in the company and increasing their skills at the
workplace. Some of these approaches are as follows:
 Seminars: These are the events in which people assemble to learn from the various
discussions taking place at that place. Here people gathers to share their knowledge and
experience which helps every one in increasing their skills.
 Internet: In the modern era of technology use of internet in day to day works have
increased. So is its use have increased in the learning process (Brody and Hadar, 2011). It
is one of easiest way of learning about how to increase the skills. People can access
numerous documents from internet that provides information about the required skills.
 Social media: One of the greatest platform to interact with people around the world.
People can share their knowledge and experience with others using social media. There
are large number of people who are attached to these sites who can share their skills with
others.
Self managed learning can be improved by using these approaches as they help in increasing
personal and professional development objectives.
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1.2 Ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional context could be encouraged
There are various ways for lifelong learning could be encouraged in personal and
professional context. A person's life long learning relies on setting short and long term goals.
Lifelong learning helps in increasing the skills and potential of the individual. Some of the ways
are as follows:
 Self motivation: It is one of the important factor that helps in increasing the skill of an
individual. It helps people in the times when they encounters depression, negativity and
frustration.
 Self management: This is the way in which individual can organise their life. Self
management requires codes, self respect and principles.
 Self modification: It is important for the individual to make modifications in their life.
This modification can be achieved by making some role models (Carreira and Kagan,
2011).
 Self monitoring: In order to develop as a personality it is important for the person to
monitor his/her strength and weakness. Self monitoring helps individual in evaluating and
scrutinizing their skills. This includes analysis on the basis of one's talent, interests, skills
and values.
1.3 Benefits of self managed learning
Self managed learning has significant role in personal as well as professional life. This
helps individuals in enhancing their skills and improving their performance at the workplaces.
There are various benefits of self managed learning to both individual and organisation and can
be understood by following points:
Benefits to organisations
 Self managed learning helps employee in increasing their effectiveness and efficiency
which ultimately increases the productivity of an organisation.
 Any company wants skilled labour because that helps organisation in achieving their
goals and objectives in a much easier way (Cleary, and et. al., 2011).
 It helps organisation to invest less on improving the skills of their employees.
2

Benefits to individual:
 Self managed learning helps individual in improving their skills and abilities which
ultimately helps them in performing their assigned responsibilities in a much more better
way.
 This learning helps worker in tackling day to day work related problems in the
organisations.
 This helps people in increasing their knowledge and experience about various concepts
that arises in every day operations (Cooke, 2012).
 It helps to improve individual's leadership and communicative skills that helps in growth
of their skills.
TASK 2
2.1 Current skills and competencies against professional standards and organisation objectives
Evaluation of own skills and competencies against the standards that is present in
professional life is necessary as it helps individuals and companies in achieving their goals.
These are some of the criteria that are illustrated by these following points.
 Conceptual skills: It is an important skill for any worker. This helps to identify the
upcoming threats, organisational opportunities, boost up their improvement process. It
helps to grasp informations that are vital from parameter of population. These skills helps
individual to do business model, instant presentation and other perpetual actions at the
time when required.
 Effectiveness skills: It is a way to show preferences and priority roster set up. In order to
maintain project standards its important for the employees to increase the effectiveness of
their skills. It helps to evaluate bargaining and implementing procedures (Elliott, 2011).
In order to achieve quality standards in an organisation effectiveness skill is necessary.
 Interpersonal skills: These skills are highly important for the growth of individual within
an organisation. It can be developed from attending seminars, training , gathering
knowledge from books and other online mediums. These skills not only help individual
inside the workplace but also outside it. Inter personal skills helps individual in boosting
up their functionality standards in different between other co workers.
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 Communication skills: One of the most important part of personal and professional skills.
As all other skills are dependent on this skill. It is the era of working as a team. This skill
helps an individual to emerge as a leader. Using this skill an individual can persuade
others, manipulate as an when required and make contact with different people that helps
in earning knowledge from other's experience (Eros, 2011). Through good
communication skill an individual can make better customer relationship which helps to
increase company's base consumers.
Table below acts as a evaluation table against professional standards:
Sl.
No.
Skills and Competencies Score Score from
others
Variances
1 Problem solving skills 6 7 -1
2 Team building and management 7 8 -1
3 Good advisor and listener 6 8 -2
4 Research related to new concept and methodologies 7 6 1
5 In providing motivation 7 5 2
6 Effectiveness and efficiency of mine 8 6 2
7 Quality standards 6 8 -2
8 Effective team member 8 8 0
9 Leadership style 8 6 2
Positive value shows my strengths and Negative values represent my weaknesses. My
CV according to the above mentioned criteria.
Name:
Address:
Telephone number:
Email:
4

Carrier Objective: To grow as an individual while using my skills in achieving business
objectives.
Academic Qualification:
 Graduate Masters in Human resource
Experience: Working in Tesco from past one year
Personal skills:
 Overcoming issues
 Honesty
 Leadership skills
 Team spirit Time management
Declaration:
I solemnly declare that all mentioned information are correct.
2.2 Own development needs and the activities required to meet them.
These analysis regarding my own capabilities against the professional standards helped
me in knowing my own competencies (Forte and Flores, 2014). There are certain needs that are
to be fulfilled as they help in developing my own abilities. Some of them are as follows:
 Approach utilisation
 improvement of research skills
 Enhancing managerial capability
 Responsibility and acceptance
There are certain activities that help in this process:
 Managerial guidance: To improve decision making process senior managers are asked to
provide the required guidance.
 Conferences and seminars: Participating in these activities enhance the knowledge and
skill of individual. As experts experience is shared at these places (Gamrat and et. al.,
2014).
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 Simulation training: To identify and take right decisions a virtual environment is created
around the person this helps to enhance his or her ability.
2.3 Development opportunities to meet current and future needs
Various opportunities are essential in order to achieve current and future defined needs.
There are various activities that will be attended in order to achieve long and short term needs
(Hadar and Brody, 2013). Some of the developmental actions that needs to be taken place are as
follows:
 Engage more and more in process of decision making.
 Participating in session that will change the mindset.
 Research skill improvement through the use of library.
 Formulating and implementing goals while Using SMART criteria.
 Conferences and seminars helps a lot in this process.
2.4 Personal and professional development plan based on identified needs
SL.
no.
LEARNING
OBJECTIVE
/GOAL
CURRENT
PROFICIENCY
TARGET
PROFICIENCY
DEVELOP
MENT
OPPORTU
NITIES
CRITERIA
FOR
JUDGING
SUCCESS
TIME
SCALE
EVIDENCE
1 Leadershi
p style
Right now
using
authoritative
or parental
style of
leadership.
Need to
become more
democratic.
Can learn
from other
managers
especially
experience
d ones.
Role plays
and
simulation
training.
Judgement by
senior
managers.
1 week Report of
top
manageme
nt.
2 Efficiency
and
Ways used are
not effective
Adopting new
tools and
Guidance
from
Performance
report could
Minim
um 3
Judgement
by
6

effectiven
ess
now. methods will
provide better
results.
seniors. be used. months
.
administra
tor.
3 Motivatio
nal skills
I have some
negativity
inside me
which has to
be removed in
order to grow
as an
individuals.
By using
theories of
motivation.
Conferenc
es
motivation
al
speeches,
workshops
on
profession
al
developme
nt and
seminars.
Judgement by
Co-workers
1
month
Judgement
by
colleagues.
TASK 3
3.1 Process and activities required to implement the development plan
There are several process and activities that can help in implementing a developmental
plan. For continues up gradation of current skills and abilities these plans are important so is its
implementation. It is a set of process that helps in the implementation (Hopkinson, 2014). They
are as follows:
 Setting up time scale: Without time limit no plan is effective i.e. all activities needs to
be completed in a given time frame so as to make it efficient.
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 Assessment of Skills, knowledge and abilities: In order to achieve all their task properly
an individual needs to assess all there abilities, skills and knowledge in a efficient
manner.
 Strategies of learning: There are several approaches and styles that can adopted. It
differs from person to person according to their requirements. It is chosen as per
suitability.
 Resources: Learning process is accomplished by using suitable resources like books,
journal, internet, guide, research material etc. these are required for completing learning
process.
 Evaluation and feedback resolution: Evaluation is important in identifying the quality
of learning and training process. It helps in changing the training process as per
requirement (Ifanti and Fotopoulou, 2011). It aids in identifying performance gap.
Whereas feedbacks helps in sorting out various problems in an effective manner.
3.2 Undertaking and documenting developing activities as planned
Undertaking and documenting activities as planned is necessary as it helps to evaluate
activity. To improve and remove weaknesses and variances numerous activities are undertaken
they are as follows:
 Change management: It is important to record every changes. These are administered and
recoded by managers or people those are responsible for it.
 Learning strategies: These strategies helps to register company's high level growth rate.
 Research: These are done to collect data relating to various activities.
 Evaluation and monitoring: Any activity must be evaluated so as to find the variances.
Monitoring of these activities helps to address issue prevalent in a more effective manner.
It helps to make changes as per requirement of the situation.
3.3 Own learning against original aims and objectives set in developmental plan
Evaluation of own learning is important against the original aims and objectives set as it
helps to address issues that are present in the learning process. Original aims and objectives may
be different from what is gained by own learning (Jaipal and Figg, 2011). There are several ways
and methods that can be used to evaluate the learning process. These are as follows:
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 Formal meeting: For the re development purpose it is essential for the individual to
present their growth report in front of senior or experienced staffs. This helps in
identifying issues that cannot be identified by self evaluation.
 Use of experience of others: Seniors or experienced personnels can help individual in
updating their plans. Experience of others helps to reshape the learning process and also
assists to achieve all their goals.
 Self motivation: Outside motivation fails every time without own motivations from
inside. If the person is not motivated by themselves the task cannot be achieved in a
proper manner (King, 2014). It is that zeal to achieve something that helps in the success
of learning process irrespective of whatever may be the original aims and objectives set
in the development plan.
3.4 Updating of developmental plan based on feedback and evaluation
It is necessary to up date developmental plan. It can be on the basis of evaluation by own
or some other senior members. Feedbacks helps in reconstructing plans that enables person in
tackling a situation. Updation of plan must be done on regular basis as stagnant plans are not so
effective and can lead to change of roads in the way of achieving the desired standards. Some of
the things that needs to be done in order to develop plan are as follows:
 Change of training methodologies: It is required to change the training methods as per the
requirement of the learning plan. Various on job and off job training needs to be provided
for this purpose.
 Different approaches: Person needs to follow various styles and approaches that can be
used to make learning process more and more effective.
 Motivational requirements: For an individual to develop his or her personality it is
important to keep his motivational levels as high as possible (López‐Pastor, Monjas and
Manrique, 2011). Reading motivational stories and speeches of other experienced persons
helps in fulfilling motivational requirements.
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TASK 4
4.1 Select solution to work based problems
There are several issues that arises at work place. These all issues needs to be
encountered. Company faces various problems in its operations. One of such issues and its
solution is as follows:
Collaborative working: In today's world working in team has become essential. In the company
there is lack of team spirit and communication. There is lack of co-ordination which is resulting
in loses. To make sustainable use of resources it is important to work as a team. There are
various rules that hinders people ability to communicate and co-ordinate in an efficient manner.
There are multiple solutions to this problem some of them are as follows:
 Developing communication channels: Top managers of the company must check that the
communication channels are required to create environment that assists proper flow of
information at various levels of organisation (Lumpe and et. al., 2012). Communication
channels must be flexible and has to be developed as per the requirement.
 Reducing confusion regarding structure of organisation: It is the role of top management
to ensure that there must not be any doubt in the minds of worker regarding hierarchy and
organisational structure. Re induction training must be done so as to clarify this doubt.
 Team building exercises: These exercises helps in increasing the team work spirit inside
the organisational structure. This helps in achieving organisational goals in a more
effective manner. These exercises helps in sharing each other experience and
knowledges. Team members gains skills through this activities.
4.2 Learning styles that helps in overcoming issues
In an organisation there are various learning styles in order to overcome identified
problems. Each employee learns through different methods. Selection of styles must be on the
basis of the requirement of the employees (Maskit, 2011). Managers helps in this selection
process. It is managers duty to change the mental status of every employee so that they can adapt
these changes. Logical, solitary and verbal are three types of styles using which new style will be
developed.
There are established channels that are used as to communicate different levels of
organisation. For example interacting with operational level managers who uses controlling and
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direct instruction style of communication. Mangers can use supportive style at the time of
strategic level interactions. Managers can also use analyser and promoter style to check to
understand his perception.
4.3 Different time management strategies for individual and organisation.
Management of time is essential as it assists individuals in achieving all task in a
effective manner. This also boosts the rate of efficiency which aims to achieve tasks in a limited
period of time (Moon, 2013). There are several time management strategies available and some
of them are as follows:
 Setting Objectives: For establishing the reason first things that needs to be done is Setting
Long and short term goals.
 Organise: To use resources in an effective manner it is important for the company's
managers to organise their resources.
 Scheduling: There are several strategies and all has to be scheduled. All these strategies
have to planned and has to be completed on time.
 Time bound: All Objectives of organisation and individuals has to time bounded so as to
achieve them efficiently. It gives competitive edge over others.
 Proactive: In this approach managers looks at all the activities in a proactive manner in
order to gain knowledge about workers performance.
 Focused: In order to complete task on time employees needs to be focused on their
efforts.
CONCLUSION
From the above stated report it can be concluded that Personal and professional
development is very necessary for the growth of an individual. It not only helps individuals at
workplaces but also outside the workplace. There are various Strategies that are used for learning
process and it is selected as per the requirement. Books, magazines, conferences etc. helps in self
motivation of the employee which is necessary for learning process especially which are self
managed. There are many issues that arises in workplace all can be resolved by skills that
various employees poses. Evaluation and monitoring helps in changing the learning process.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Avalos, B., 2011. Teacher professional development in teaching and teacher education over ten
years. Teaching and teacher education. 27(1). pp. 10-20.
Brody, D. and Hadar, L., 2011. “I speak prose and I now know it.” Personal development
trajectories among teacher educators in a professional development community.
Teaching and Teacher Education. 27(8). pp. 1223-1234.
Carreira, M. and Kagan, O., 2011. The results of the National Heritage Language Survey:
Implications for teaching, curriculum design, and professional development. Foreign
Language Annals. 44(1). pp. 40-64.
Cleary, M., et. al., 2011. The views of mental health nurses on continuing professional
development. Journal of clinical nursing. 20(23‐24). pp. 3561-3566.
Cooke, N.A., 2012. Professional development 2.0 for librarians: Developing an online personal
learning network (PLN). Library Hi Tech News. 29(3). pp. 1-9.
Elliott, J. ed., 2011. Reconstructing teacher education (Vol. 221). Routledge.
Eros, J., 2011. The career cycle and the second stage of teaching: Implications for policy and
professional development. Arts Education Policy Review. 112(2). pp. 65-70.
Forte, A.M. and Flores, M.A., 2014. Teacher collaboration and professional development in the
workplace: A study of Portuguese teachers. European Journal of Teacher Education.
37(1). pp. 91-105.
Gamrat, C., et. al., 2014. Personalized workplace learning: An exploratory study on digital
badging within a teacher professional development program. British Journal of
Educational Technology. 45(6). pp. 1136-1148.
Hadar, L.L. and Brody, D.L., 2013. The interaction between group processes and personal
professional trajectories in a professional development community for teacher
educators. Journal of Teacher Education. 64(2). pp. 145-161.
Hopkinson, C., 2014. Personal and professional development. Becoming a Nurse: A Textbook for
Professional Practice, p. 383.
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Ifanti, A.A. and Fotopoulou, V.S., 2011. Teachers’ perceptions of professionalism and
professional development: A case study in Greece. World Journal of Education. 1(1).
p.40.
Jaipal, K. and Figg, C., 2011. Collaborative action research approaches promoting professional
development for elementary school teachers. Educational action research. 19(1). pp.
59-72.
King, F., 2014. Evaluating the impact of teacher professional development: an evidence-based
framework. Professional development in education. 40(1). pp. 89-111.
López‐Pastor, V.M., Monjas, R. and Manrique, J.C., 2011. Fifteen years of action research as
professional development: Seeking more collaborative, useful and democratic systems
for teachers. Educational Action Research. 19(2). pp. 153-170.
Lumpe, A., et. al., 2012. Beliefs about teaching science: The relationship between elementary
teachers’ participation in professional development and student achievement.
International Journal of Science Education. 34(2). pp. 153-166.
Maskit, D., 2011. Teachers’ attitudes toward pedagogical changes during various stages of
professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education. 27(5). pp. 851-860.
Moon, J.A., 2013. Reflection in learning and professional development: Theory and practice.
Routledge.
Mwalongo, A., 2011. Teachers' perceptions about ICT for teaching, professional development,
administration and personal use. International Journal of Education and development
using information and communication Technology. 7(3). p. 36.
Olsen, B., 2015. Teaching what they learn, learning what they live: How teachers' personal
histories shape their professional development. Routledge.
Pallisera, M., et. al., 2013. Personal and professional development (or use of self) in social
educator training. An experience based on reflective learning. Social Work Education.
32(5). pp. 576-589.
Roeser, R.W., and et. al., 2012. Mindfulness training and teachers' professional development: An
emerging area of research and practice. Child Development Perspectives. 6(2). pp. 167-
173.
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