Personal & Professional Development
Assignment Task
“Self-managed‟ learning is a key concept in this module. Recognition of the benefits of taking control of your own learning is important for career development. If you follow this approach to learning you are able to recognise and maximise opportunities which arise in both your personal and working life.
Throughout this assignment you will reflect on your career development and will be able to monitor the development of your skills throughout your HNC programme.
As this module is asking you to think about and reflect on your own personal and professional development experiences throughout your entire HNC, the assessment is divided into two separate parts – Part A and Part B.
Part A is due to be completed at the end of your first session on the module whereas Part B is only completed at the end of your HNC experience when you have completed all of the other modules.
If you have just started the module this session, all you have to complete this session is Part A. You’ll see that Part A is made up of three separate tasks, Tasks 1(a), Task 1(b) and Task 2. By completing these three tasks successfully this session, you will have met the requirements of the first two learning outcomes for the module.
Once you have completed and passed Part A this session, you will not require submitting anything else for this module until the end of your HNC experience. However, due to the nature of personal and professional development, it would make sense to update your skills log and reflect on your development at the end of each module you take as part of the programme and add some comments to your development plan. These ongoing notes will help you develop and build up your answer for submission of Part B of the assignment at the end of the programme.
Part B of the assignment is only to be completed at the end of the programme as you will then be
able to reflect on your whole learning journey on the HNC. Part B is made up of the activities detailed in Task 3 of the assignment.
The date when you submit Part B will depend on how long it takes you to complete the programme. Students may study the various modules at different paces and therefore the study period during which you have to submit the final part of the assignment will depend on the pace at which you progress through the modules.
Part A
This part of the assignment is to be completed at the start of the HNC programme.
Task 1
You should complete the following tasks using your current employment. Alternatively, for the Skills Audit you may refer to a job that you have done in the past and for the Personal Development Plan, one you would like to pursue in the future.
(a) Complete the Skills Audit template that is available at the end of this brief and evaluate your present skill levels. (This meets Assessment Criteria 2.1 and 2.4 – see the marking grid at the end of the assignment)
(b) Using the Personal Development Plan (PDP) that is also available at the end, identify those skills you wish to develop in the future over the course of the HNC programme.
In your plan, provide details about how you propose to develop your skills. Identify training, learning activities and resources required to meet your objectives and record the new level of skills you wish to achieve .
Learning activities proposed will need to demonstrate that a life-long learning approach has been incorporated into both personal and professional contexts. (1.2)
Task 2
You will have identified a range of opportunities for self-managed learning within your current role and in your personal life.
(a) Using your own organisation, or one you are familiar with, evaluate how the opportunities available for self-managed learning can benefit both employees and the organisation.
Part B
This part is to be completed at the end of the programme
Task 3
(a) Present an updated personal development plan and an updated skills audit to document your progress since completion of Part A of the assignment and reflect the new level of each skill actually achieved.
(b) Explain the success of your personal development throughout the programme. Critically reflect on your successes and comment on any difficulties that you have experienced. Discuss how you will continue to use your personal development planning approach after the HNC programme.
(c) Select two problems you have encountered in your life. This may be around your job but if you are not currently in the workplace you could consider a problem that you have previously experienced at work, school or college, or in a personal context. You should consider the following questions. How did you select the potential solution to the problem? Did you solve the problem? Would you select the same solution in the same circumstances? What did you learn in dealing with these problems?
