Personal Portfolio: Academic and Professional Skills Development

This portfolio showcases a student's journey in academic and professional skills development, emphasizing self-reflection and continuous improvement. It details the approaches taken for personal learning and development, highlighting transferable skills already acquired. The portfolio includes a SWOT analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, informing an action plan for future skill development in personal, workplace, and academic contexts. Learning models such as VAK (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic) and DISC assessment are utilized for self-assessment and personalized learning strategies. The document also includes a personal development learning log, a CV, and a detailed action plan, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to enhancing employability and career progression. Desklib offers similar resources for students seeking academic support.

PROFESSIONAL AND
ACADEMIC SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
PORTFOLIO..............................................................................................................................................3
Identifying and reflect on approach that take to personal development and learning and transferable
skills..................................................................................................................................................3
Transferable skills that I have developed.........................................................................................5
Skills that I would like to develop during my personal life, workplace and academic studies........6
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................................8
Appendix....................................................................................................................................................9
Personal development learning log...................................................................................................9
CV.....................................................................................................................................................9
Action plan......................................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Skills development whether it relate to academic or professional field defined as process of
developing competencies that help to grow a person and made them capable to achieve set aims. This
procedure also consider as an effective approach of detecting skill gaps and developing these abilities.
It is one of those vital methods that empower individual candidate and safeguard their future. Academic
and professional skills' development enhance employability among individual candidate. The current
assignment will explain self-reflection based on approach that take into consideration for personal
learning & development as well as transferable competencies that have already developed.
Furthermore, it will justify skills that individual seek to develop during academic studies, workplace
and personal life and will also clarify personal development learning log, action plan and CV.
PORTFOLIO
Identifying and reflect on approach that take to personal development and learning and transferable
skills
I want to describe my personal experience that I have experienced while taking approach to my
personal learning and development that play vital role in my career success. At individual level, I have
learned who to interact and communicate with other people, which is quite essential to do so in
appropriate way. It is one of those competencies that I have learned during this module, which help me
to perform specific task whether it relate to academic or employment field, and accomplish on time. In
this module, I learned those skills that are related to academic and professional fields, which play
significant role for career growth of individual candidates in the context of business and management.
Critical thinking, problem solving, etc. are the best examples of these competencies that enable me to
conduct set of activities as a productive and efficient employee in a firm, where I work hard and effort
to obtain expect outcomes. Along with this, I also had learned transferable skills that contribute to
enhance my employment career progress and allow me to enjoy that pleasure.
Approach-
In regard to personal development and learning I have taken varied approaches into
consideration, which assist to develop those areas where I am lack. For example, in term of approach, I
prefer to utilize SWOT analysis, which one of those strategic tools that enable user to conduct self-
assessment and determine key areas where they need further and current improvement, as I seek to do.

It is impossible for me to develop and learn some new skills at personal level, without understanding
and gathering information about my strengths, weakness, and opportunities that I will use to overcome
possible threats that put negative impact on my continuous progress. By using chosen model as
approach, I have determined my competencies and areas where development or improvement require
(Büyüközkan, Mukul and Kongar, 2021).
Strengths-
 I am able to communicate to other as it has
communication skill, which is my strength.
 Critical thinking skill enable me to take
better decision, which is my another
strength.
 I have team working, problem solving and
presentation making competencies.
Weaknesses-
 I do not posses great knowledge about
collaborative skill.
 Unable to have ICTs competence.
 Lack of leadership skill is my another
weakness.
Opportunities-
 Action plan is the best opportunity that I
will grab to overcome my weaknesses.
 Group activities is another chance that I
will obtain and use according to situation.
 Usage of training and development
approaches.
Threats-
 Emerging needs and expectations of
employers as well as recruiters in regard to
employment skills among candidates.
 Increasing competition level in job market.
VAK model-
It is another approach that I have taken into my consideration and obtain unexpected benefits
through that in term of developing personal skills along with academic by following and implementing
three activities in practical way, these are;
Visual learning-
According to chosen approach of learning, I had effort to learn and develop my skills at
personal level regarding business and management by watching other people who do their work on
time and implement suitable methods as per the situation, which enable them to obtain desire results

(The VAK Learning System, 2021). Visual learning style provide unexpected benefits to me in recent
time, in term of enhancing my capable to achieve set aim and objectives. There are varied types of
sources accessible in the world that I have considered for learning new topic and developing new skills.
For example, videos is the best example of visual learning, through which I watch and learned a
competence.
Auditory-
As effective approach to personal learning and development, I have taken auditory learning
style into my consideration, which allow me to learn new ways and techniques to conduct a task and
accomplish project without any mistakes by listening what other says to me. Verbal lessons also benefit
in the context of personal development and learning, just like above method do so. It enables me to
interpret actual meaning of speech.
Kinesthetic-
With this kind of approach I had effort to learn best through a hands on method, and effectively
exploring practical terms around me. By doping activities and implementing my understanding
regarding specific subject into practical manner, I have learned how to deal with varied situations and
react accordingly. Without conducting practical practices, it is impossible for everyone includes me as
well to determine how each method benefits individual.
DISC assessment-
As key method many people used this technique, so as I am, which enable me to give
personality test through which I have found out my communication style and lacking areas, which I
would effort to develop in precise manner and use in the future while working in a company that had
great reputation in their sector and also have wide customer base which is the main source of increasing
organizational productivity as well as profitability. As self-assessment tool I used DISC that is
originally based on 1928 dominance influence compliance steadiness emotional & behavioral concept
of great psychologist William Moulton Marston.
Transferable skills that I have developed
I have already developed combination of transferable competencies during my personal life and
academic studies. For example, I had developed time management skill during my academic study,
where I prefer to complete each task on time, which enable me to focus on my study and personal life
as well. By developing this competence I had obtained many advantages, along with above. For

instance, I complete my project on time and provide appropriate quality of work that influence other to
do the same. Time management skills made me more efficiency and productive as well as allow
focusing on further career progress as an efficiency employee.
Furthermore, as transferable skill, I had also developed data analysis competence during my
academic study, where my tutor provided specific assessment and regard to that I have to gather a lot of
data by using primary and secondary sources, which help to developed my data analysis skill. I have
developed my ability to analyze key information that drive me towards effective decision that turns
myself into an indispensable member of my study group.
During my personal life, I had developed problem solving competence, which in recent time is
one of my strengths that I had used many times, to solve critical issues and challenges.
Skills that I would like to develop during my personal life, workplace and academic studies
In today's competitive environment, individual person effort to develop or improve set of key
skills and abilities, which they may use to obtain employment opportunities that are accessible in bulk.
Just like these individuals, I also work hard and seek to develop new competencies that would provide
benefits to me in the future and enable to become an effective as well as productive candidate among
many that already perform in a company to achieve common goal.
I would prefer to develop leadership skill, which an employer further seek to find among
candidates who tend to work with their organization and contribute to build strong brand image in
market, against key rivals.
Along with this one, I also seek to develop ICTs competence, because it is in demand. As each
brand in the world of business whether it is small or large use advance technologies which made them
capable to gain competitive edge. According to this situation, chose skill play vital role in my career
develop, when I would take action to develop this.
I also effort to develop collaborative skill that would also provide useful benefits to me, just
like other two do the same.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above discussion, it has been concluded that personal development and action
plan has contributed to enhanced and developed set of personal as well as academic skills that has
provided unexpected benefits to individual learner. It has been determined that by conducting self-

analysis, individual has identified their key strengths and weaknesses that successfully overcome by
developing effective and appropriate action plan. Furthermore, from above analysis, it has been
summarized that by gaining key opportunities they obtained benefits in term of skills development and
overcome threats. It has been analyzed that VAK, SWOT and other learning models developed person
at personal and professional extent.

REFERENCES
Book and Journals
Büyüközkan, G., Mukul, E. and Kongar, E., 2021. Health tourism strategy selection via SWOT analysis
and integrated hesitant fuzzy linguistic AHP-MABAC approach. Socio-Economic Planning
Sciences. 74. p.100929.
Martin, C. and Rusk, C., 2021. Youth livestock programs provide intangible benefits through life skill
development. Animal Frontiers. 11(2). pp.64-71.
Schiavio, A., Biasutti, M. and Antonini Philippe, R., 2021. Creative pedagogies in the time of
pandemic: a case study with conservatory students. Music education research. 23(2). pp.167-
178.
Online
The VAK Learning System. 2021. [Online]. Available Through:
<https://www.southwesterncc.edu/sites/default/files/VAK_Learning_Styles.pdf>

Appendix
Personal development learning log
Date of event What was the
development activity?
What have I learned How will I apply this
learning
30/06/2021 Critical thinking  Idea formation
 Strategic plan
development
I would apply this
learning in term of
developing a project
based on specific topic.
15/07/2021 Problem solving  Solve critical
issues
 Boost morale
I also use this learning
in the future in form of
handling complex
situation by developing
better solutions.
28/07/2021 Team working  How to work in
a group.
 How to
collaborate with
other.
I would use this
personal learning in
term of working with
many people as team
member.
CV
Name- John Smith
Contact- B,12 high street
Email- [e-mail]
Number- 15496456154
Skills and knowledge-
 Effective communication.
 Decision making
 Problem solving
 Critical thinking

 Interpersonal skill
Academic qualification-
 MBA in marketing
Interest-
 Horse ridding
 Bike ridding
 Music listening
Action plan
What do I want to
learn?
What do I have to
do?
What support and
resources will I
need?
How will I
measure success?
Target for review.
Leadership Reading books and
novels about
successfully
leaders. Taking
experience from
them.
Experience person,
internet, and good
research sources.
By determining the
productivity and
employee retention
rate in
organization.
5 months
ICTs Take part in
training and
development
sessions.
Expert opinions
and suggestions.
By analyzing
improvement in
my technical skills.
6 moths
Collaborative
skill
Interact with other
people and
collaborate with
them.
Team project. By identifying my
performance in a
group.
1 month