Personal and Professional Development Plan: A Report

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PERSONAL AND
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................2
1.1 Evaluate approaches to self-managed learning......................................................................2
1.2 Propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be
encouraged...................................................................................................................................3
1.3 Evaluate the benefits of self managed learning to the individual and organisation..............4
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................5
2.1 Evaluate own current skills and competencies against professional standards and
organisational objectives.............................................................................................................5
2.2 Identify own development needs and the activities required to meet them...........................6
2.3 Identify development opportunities to meet current and future defined needs.....................7
2.4 Devise a personal and professional development plan based on identified needs.................8
Task 3.............................................................................................................................................10
3.1 Discuss the processes and activities required to implement the development plan.............10
3.2 Undertake and document development activities as planned..............................................11
3.3 Reflect critically on own learning against original aims and objectives set in the
development plan.......................................................................................................................12
3.4 Update the development plan based on feedback and evaluation.......................................13
Task 4.............................................................................................................................................14
4.1 Select solutions to work based problems.............................................................................14
4.2 Communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various levels...................15
4.3 Evaluate and use effective time management strategies......................................................16
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................17
References......................................................................................................................................18

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Benefits of self managed learning.....................................................................................4
Table 2: Skills required for welcome manager................................................................................5
Table 3: Methods of improving skill deficiencies...........................................................................6
Table 4: Professional development plan..........................................................................................8
Table 5: Documentation of PPD plan............................................................................................11
Table 6: Updated PPD plan...........................................................................................................13

Introduction
The personal and professional development is identified as means in which individual focuses on
setting strategies, goals and outcomes of training and learning that helps in developing career of
an individual. The current study will describe self learning approaches, lifelong learning and its
benefits in reference to National Trust. It will further analyse present skills and competencies, it
will determine own needs, determines development opportunities and develop PPD plan that is
according to identified needs. Furthermore, it will discuss activities of development plan with the
documentation, reflect own learning against objectives and aims and update development plan
according to evaluation and feedbacks. Moreover, it will discuss work based problem solutions,
communicates with different styles and provides effective strategies of time management to grab
the planned goals.
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Task 1
1.1 Evaluate approaches to self-managed learning
Self-managed learning refers to a method of creating circumstance in which learning is managed
by person and aims on positioning organisational needs. In this, person takes responsibility to
decide what to learn and whom to work with. The field is selected by an individual according to
personal preference that helps in developing person and its career. As visitor and membership
welcome manager in National Trust, that is indulged in conservation projects such as forest, fens,
moorland, nature reserves, garden, mills etc various changes can be made in guiding employees
by explaining the importance of self managed learning (Cunningham, 2017). The employees and
team that takes parts in providing protection to natural things requires being skilled and
knowledgeable for performing tasks according to personal knowledge that comes from practises
of self managed learning. Thus, the approaches are discussed below:
Seminars and Conferences – As welcome manager in National Trust it is duty to provide warm
gesture to customers and visitors for which conferences and seminars has given huge knowledge
to deal with large visitors groups. The self learning through conference and seminar helps to gain
idea about techniques and body language use for greeting people that makes prior satisfaction to
visitors. It will be best way for team to learn tackle visitors.
Social Networks – The learner can focus on using social and online platform that aims on giving
better ways to gesture the visitors. Different method is shown in form of videos that can guide
employees and team members at huge level. Thus, this method can be at second option for team
members for improving work quality (Bennett, 2017).
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1.2 Propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be
encouraged
National Trust is giving quality environment to visitors by saving all traits and nature belongings
that helps in attracting customers. The team can improve visitor service with lifelong learning
that will provide different ways for learning new techniques. The concept for lifelong learning is
created for enhancing consistent development in person to obtain professional as well as personal
growth. As welcome manager in firm, it is important for guiding and promoting team for lifelong
learning approaches usage so to develop careers (Cremin, 2019). Following are objectives that
can be initiated in firm for team enhancement that includes:
Planning Apprenticeship Programs – This is determined as training sessions that aids in giving
improvement to team skills. According to qualifications and practises require in National Trust,
manager can plan learning programs for regular periods so that employees will be able to serve
quality environment.
Continuing Professional Development – Regular development plan must be initiated by
manager for team members that will help in improving work quality that has major impact on
sales of products and services of National Trust. It can be done using development classes that is
to be conducted every week for improving quality and grooming personalities of staff for giving
customer satisfaction with sales hike (Hildebrand, 2018).
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1.3 Evaluate the benefits of self managed learning to the individual and organisation
The National Trust provides services for customers such as dispensing coastline of 780 miles,
500 historic houses, ancient monuments, natural reserves, castles, 248000 hectares land and art
work that is maintained by this charity firm. It is important as manager to promote employees for
lifelong and self managed learning that helps in achieving quality work at firm by enhancing the
skills and abilities of an individual in most competent manner (Brewis and Williams, 2019).
Such types of learning methods are liable to provide several benefits to firm as well as individual
that are listed below:
Table 1: Benefits of self managed learning
Individual Benefits Organisational Benefits
The workforce in firm will become more powerful
and competent that will provide opportunities to
team for practising to obtain higher positions in
job. For example – person becomes assistant or
head of department with new practises learned.
The programs like apprenticeships conducted on
specific timeframe by firms helps in improving the
delivery and quality of products and goods that are
presented in front of customers for increasing the
sales.
The self learning and lifelong learning will help in
dispensing quality skills and abilities in staff by the
plans of manager that will give better
communication, delegating practises, resource
planning as well as delegating job roles etc.
The services and products for customers will be
prepared by practising better techniques for
conserving natural belongings that helps to boost
interest of customers to visit National Trust
properties for sightseeing (Cunningham and
Dawes, 2016).
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Task 2
2.1 Evaluate own current skills and competencies against professional standards and
organisational objectives
For obtaining position of manager in National Trust, there are various skills and competencies
that plays major role in fulfilling requirement of job role. For becoming the successful welcome
manager in firm it is important to analyse my own skills, professional standards and objectives
need by firm so to create effective development plan (Sangster, 2017). According to my
evaluation following are skills that are present and some are not available according to
organisational requirements that includes:
Table 2: Skills required for welcome manager
My Current Skills Professional Standards Objectives Planned by National
Trust
Team Leadership Skills
– Through self and
lifelong learning I had
studied about managing
teams and giving tasks
and orders to team from
which I just gained
theoretical knowledge not
practical.
The visitor and membership welcome
manager has various responsibilities
to tackle the team for serving best to
customers for boosting sales and
profits by mentioning conservation
techniques.
Welcome manager needs to create
volunteers and staff with better
skills. He will recruit enthusiastic
people for coaching and developing
by explaining objectives by
dispensing regular reviews and
feedbacks for performances.
Risk Handling Skills –
As employee, it is my
duty to manage risk but
as newly appointed I had
not faced tough
situations.
Managing risks at workplace helps in
developing personality for obtaining
higher position in business (Jaeger,
2018).
Manager and its team needs to
comply with methods for reducing
risk to contractor, staff and public.
Based on National Trust policies,
relevant legislations must be used for
cash handling and stock control.
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2.2 Identify own development needs and the activities required to meet them
In above task, various skills have been determined that showed current situation of employee in
which several deficiencies has identified. It is important to follow different improvement method
that helps in developing current skills as an employee for capturing role and position of manager
in National Trust (Zepeda, 2019). Following table shows improvement styles for skills that
comprise:
Table 3: Methods of improving skill deficiencies
Skills Needed for
Improvement
Improvement Operandi
Team Leadership Skills In National Trust, the job of all staff members is very responsible for which
leading the team is one of crucial task that requires effective knowledge,
practise and understanding. Looking to my senior manager’s activities and
skills of tackling team by motivating and influencing for completing goals will
be practised. Creating effective strategies and directions for completing tasks
on time and with quality by creating employee benefit schemes that makes my
personality of handling visitors at workplace with team.
Risk Handling Skills It can be learnt by senior most managers in firm that provides security at
workplace and properties of National Trust including public, contractor and
staff. The knowledge of legislations should be taken by books and journals that
will provide guidance of controlling stock in firm and managing cash that is
paid by customers as well as suppliers. The cash handling practises can be
learnt by accountant of firm that will provide different systems to analyse
situations (Perry, 2017).
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2.3 Identify development opportunities to meet current and future defined needs
The professional development plays key role in maintaining strong positions in firms and further
provides higher position and packages according to skills and abilities. Being the employee of
National Trust, numbers of skills are required to become welcome manager by practising various
activities and operations. The earning source of organisation is depended on donations, legacies
and membership fees and commercial operations are source of revenue generations. To maintain
this, it is important for meeting current as well as future needs by grabbing huge opportunities
(Rhode, et.al, 2017). As an employee, I must have knowledge to manage financial performance
by achieving targets and following instructions. It can be done by listening properly by my
seniors or team leaders from which I can learn many things for performing to obtain manager’s
position. Even I need to understand how the resources are distributed and converted into finished
products so that I can get knowledge of handling teams within firm.
In addition, the role requires experience and knowledge in sales and marketing that is in field of
visitor services, tourist and heritage that will be practised by me in my extra free hours so that
my idea and experiences related to welcome manager field gets boosted and I can perform in best
manner by serving customers and staff effectively. It will further provide me idea of promoting
products and services to customers by bringing best people in firm as employees (Bates, et.al,
2016).
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2.4 Devise a personal and professional development plan based on identified needs
It is important to craft development and improvement in personal and professional growth that
helps in giving effective time, plan and idea for improving the skills according to National Trust
requirements. For performing just like manager it is important to create development plan that
will decide criteria of changing employee personality as of manager (Choy and Chua, 2019).
Thus, the development plan is created below:
Table 4: Professional development plan
Improvemen
t Objectives
Priority Activities Needed Development
Sources
Timeframe
for Changing
Evaluation of
Success Criteria
Team
Leadership
Skills
High Able to provide services
to customers every time
by using service
promise behaviour
skills. Managing visitor
engagement at National
Trust property by
developing higher
standards of visitor
welcome and
presentations.
The guidance of
senior managers in
dealing with regular
customer can be
learned. For creating
high standards of
services online and
social sites can be
used.
8 to 12 months. Taking feedbacks
from seniors and
asking consumers to
rate the visit and
behaviour of
manager.
Risk
Handling
Skills
Very
high
The techniques must be
learnt for minimising
risk to public,
employees and
contractors. The
legislation’s
understanding related to
cash handling and
controlling stock must
be present in welcome
manager (Cullingford,
2017).
It can be done by
listing various safety
standards at
workplace that can be
initiated by manager
by determining tools
that are not present at
workplace. The idea
of different rules can
be taken by libraries
and using such for
handling cash can be
1 year Consulting top
management for
reviews by analysing
safety of people and
management of
transaction criteria.
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done with help of
accountants.
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