An Analysis of Professional Development for Thomas Cook Employees

This report delves into the realm of professional development, using Thomas Cook as a case study to analyze its significance. The report begins by outlining the benefits of continuous professional development for stakeholders, including increased efficiency, enhanced employee energy, and boosted confidence levels. It then explores the skills and competencies desired by employers, emphasizing the importance of a learning-oriented mindset. The report further assesses the skills, abilities, and competencies required for specific roles within the organization, highlighting the use of skill audits. A critical review of learning theories, such as behaviorism, cognitive theory, and social learning, is also provided, demonstrating how these theories can be applied to improve both professional and personal development. Overall, the report underscores the importance of continuous learning and development in achieving organizational goals and fostering employee growth. This report is contributed by a student and is available on Desklib, a platform providing AI-based study tools and resources.

Professional Identity &
Practice

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Task1................................................................................................................................................1
Continuous professional development for stakeholders and benefits....................................1
Skills and competency desired by employer to perform job responsibility...........................2
Importance of continuous professional development.............................................................2
Task2................................................................................................................................................3
Assess skills, abilities and competencies for a particular role................................................3
Critical review of learning theory and approach in professional and personal improvement4
REFERENCE...................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Professional identity termed as state of employee attribute, values, experience and objects
with the help of which a person is attracted towards accomplishing organisational goals.
Professional termed as an individual those who perform their work in an independent with the
use of their personal skill and knowledge as to increase organisation production. Each and every
entity recruit person profession those who are capable to understand changes and overcome that
in order to gain high profitability (Bainbridge, 2016). Present report has been placed on Thomas
Cook Europe which is established in UK and offers numerous range of travel and tour packages.
In this report formative discussions has been a been made on concept of professional person
development required by organisation. Further, report include ongoing professional development
along with their benefits. Lastly skills and competencies that are required by employer also
included in this report.
Task1
Continuous professional development for stakeholders and benefits
Overview about organisation: Thomas Cook operate its business operations in international
travelling sector. Company was formed in the year 2007 and established by Thomas Group. It is
one of the most popular industry who effectively operate their services in travel and tourism
sector. This company offer airline services in the provinces of UK and are trading on London
Stock of Exchange.
Benefits from ongoing professional development
It helps to increase efficiency:It helps to increase efficiency performance Development
Plan effectively lead towards improving employees efficiency with the help of which they can
simultaneously increase their job performance. In context with Thomas Cook group with the help
of different types of training and development programmes organisation can actually increase
employee opportunities through which they can learn diverse range of new things and can apply
same in their working process as to increase productivity.
Provide more energy to staff: professional development effectively leads towards
improving employees efficiency with the help of which they can increase their growth
opportunity career along with this development programs can increase Thomas cook employees
skills and knowledge with the help of which employees can work in more stimulating manner.
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Organisation by providing these programs can re-energize Their employees to conduct work in
more creative manner.
Build confidence level: The confidence level professional training program effectively
that towards increasing employee confidant. For an instance employees of Thomas Cook with
the help of professional training do not feel any kind of skill gap while they perform their job in
addition with is it also helps in building confidence level.
Helpful to take risk: Thomas Cook manager effectively perform their functions while
taking rest for an example continuous development benefit towards increasing confidence with
the help of which risk can be taken as to expand business in order to make increase in
organisation profitability.
Skills and competency desired by employer to perform job responsibility
Organisation performs their business as to simultaneously increase profitability and
product ability. In order to accomplish these organisation manager is required to have highly
skilled Employees with the help of which they can stimulate organisational performance. Thus,
Thomas Cook group effectively offer different type of training to their employees with the help
of which they can increase competencies in them company higher potential candidates those who
can offer expertise service in department of food service, room service, amenities, room cleaning
and more. Thomas Cook have certain expectation from employees which is mentioned below:
Willing to learn employer of organisation want candidates who are tend towards learning
process by training and development programme on continuous manner. This help organisation
to fuel their candidates with the help of new skills and knowledge.
Importance of continuous professional development
Continuous professional development plan acts as an key Essential elements with the of
which Industries can effectively able to solve organisation problems. As if workforce are not
qualified and skill enough and find difficulties in framing decisions while solving problem. Thus,
by providing learning process business organisation can actually able to offer opportunities to
employees to learn new things with the help of which they can increase their level of service. In
context to the Thomas Cook organisation provide training with the help of which employees can
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learn new skills towards solving customers problem and leader organisation towards more
sustainability.
Task2
Assess skills, abilities and competencies for a particular role
It is important for every individual to have the own skills and competencies with the help
of which they can able to increase the capability of learning along with solving business issue.
Skills are mainly termed as an attribution, qualities that helps an individual to complete their task
with the help of which individual can able to effectively perform their functions by learning new
things. While competencies throws a light on a fact that employees are capable as to accomplish
a task in a given period of time. Along the, it has been seen that skills and competencies equally
help individual to achieve their target for an instance managers along with employees of Thomas
cook skills and competencies of self. With the help of proper communication that lead towards
solving problem in easy and effective manner. For an example company required to recruit
marketing manager who possess experience in job along with Marketing degree in this applicants
are required to have skills and competencies that are required by job position as company need
marketing manager with the help of which they can easily able to increase total number of
Traveller and tourist via help of marketing process and advertisements. Thus, after evaluating
self skills employees can easily able to apply for the job in addition with this it is essential for
manager of Thomas Cook to evaluate skills and capabilities of persons those were applied for the
job.
Skill audit acts as most essential tool that can be utilised by employee and employer both
as to effectively evaluate attributes and qualities. In addition with this it is also help in defining
gap within an enterprise for the with the help of this training can be provided as to perform a
particular job for this Thomas cook manager take help of this tool with the help of which they
can easily able to evaluate competencies and skill while performing their rules in organisation
imagine below there is a table that can be utilised by manager.
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No. Skills and competency which is
required in organisation
Scores Scores from other
people
1. Communication skills (listening
and speaking )
8 9
2. Able to make successful plan,
organise and give prioritise job
7 7
3. Competent to attract the customers
and tourists
8 6
4. Problem solving skills and taking
corrective decision.
8 8
5. Interpersonal skills 7 9
Critical review of learning theory and approach in professional and personal improvement
Thomas Cook take advantage of different types of learning theory along with approaches
with the help of this we can able to solve problem and learn new things with the implementation
of this theory we can able to increase productivity of employees. Along with organisational
profitability it mainly includes different type of theories and approaches that are:
Behaviourism:
This mainly includes changes and behaviour that lead towards respondents; it has been
believe that knowledge takes place in an independent manner along with outside of person. In
addition with this it has been also said that learning behaviour changes (Woo and Baltrinic,
2016). For instance Thomas Cook group is looking forward to take advantage of numerous form
of new technology that will help them to gain the traction of wide range of customers by
adopting this technology employee can we analysed as the according to their behaviour
approach.
Cognitive:
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Cognitive theory is mainly based on approach which is depend on thought process behind
behaviour with the help of this individual can learn to receive rather than to respond and stimuli.
In this theory manager effectively observed the thing that goes in learner mind. In context with
Thomas cook employee with the help of this theory can analyse what is going through in
manager mind. Cognitive theory help to effectively read learners mine and further learn
numerous things by reading their mind.
Social learning: This is one of the best effective approach that are used by main use all
the organisation in this employees continuously learn new skills with the approach of observing
individuals. For instance employees of Thomas Cook observe organisation manager and learn
the manner in which manager cope up and challenge critical situations as to formulate best
effective decisions.
As per the above-mentioned analysis it has been learning theories act as an most essential
element that helps an individual to learn different types of new skills and solve problems that
have been face in operating business operation. Thomas Cook group take advantage of social
learning and behaviourism approach with the help of which they can easily able to observe
individual behaviour. This further help them to motivate Their employees and guide them in best
effective way as to take advantage of new technologies in critical situation.
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REFERENCE
Books and Journal
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Developing an Education Professional Practice. Springer.
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literature and a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis of professional identity
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Grubenmann, S. and Meckel, M., 2017. Journalists’ Professional Identity: A resource to cope
with change in the industry?. Journalism Studies. 18(6). pp.732-748.
Keyko, K., and et.al., 2016. Work engagement in professional nursing practice: A systematic
review. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 61. pp.142-164.
Oliver, D. A. V. I. D., 2015. Identity work as a strategic practice. Cambridge handbook of
strategy as practice. 2. pp.331-344.
Tarvydas, V. M. and Hartley, M. T. eds., 2017. The professional practice of rehabilitation
counseling. Springer Publishing Company.
Teunissen, P. W., 2015. Experience, trajectories, and reifications: an emerging framework of
practice-based learning in healthcare workplaces. Advances in Health Sciences
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Walther, J., Miller, S. E. and Sochacka, N. W., 2017. A model of empathy in engineering as a
core skill, practice orientation, and professional way of being. Journal of Engineering
Education. 106(1). pp.123-148.
Weiner, J. M. and Torres, A. C., 2016. Different location or different map? Investigating charter
school teachers' professional identities. Teaching and Teacher Education. 53. pp.75-86.
Woo, H., Storlie, C. A. and Baltrinic, E. R., 2016. Perceptions of professional identity
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Online
Key benefits of ongoing professional development. 2019. [Online].
<https://www.kaplanfinancial.com/resources/pdc/5-benefits-of-professional-development/>
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