Nelson College LondonASSIGNMENT BRIEF

Qualification Unit number, Code and Title

Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma Business Unit 13, T/601/0943, Personal and Professional Development

Module Leader: Lecturers:

Abimbola Taiwo Abimbola Taiwo, Alfred M’beteh, Chuma Osuchukwu, Vedna Gavaloo.

Distribution date Submission deadlineW/C 18/05/2015 09/08/2015

Assignment title Personal and Professional Development

Learner declaration

I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own and research sources are fully acknowledged.

Student signature: Date:

Introduction

The aim of this unit is to enable and improve learner ability to understand what and how they are learning, and to review, plan and take responsibility for their own learning and learning styles. It will help learners to get the most out of student experience by helping them to take responsibility for their development and raising awareness of the variety of opportunities for development. It also aims to develop learners’ ability to organise, manage and practise a range of approaches to improve their performance as self-directed learners in preparation for work or further career development.The unit emphasises the needs of the individual but within the context of how the development of self-management corresponds with effective team management in

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Nelson College Londonmeeting objectives.

SCENARIOEmployees are constantly being assessed on their knowledge and skills. So how can you stay on top of the game?

Do you remember leaving school or university and thinking that exams and assessments would be a thing of the past?

It doesn't take long to realise that the workplace can be an equally intense and competitive learning environment.

Whether we like it or not, employees are constantly being judged on their capabilities and benchmarked against their

peers. And, unlike studying for a qualification, the goalposts in the workplace keep moving. This might be because of

new technology, customer demand, legislation or simply because there is a new chief executive with a different

vision. All these changes invariably have implications for the staff.

Some organisations are good at providing learning opportunities when they can see a direct benefit to the

organisation. What's offered, however, may not always be in line with what you really want or need for your career.

So, if you want to protect your employability, you need to take charge of your personal development.

According to the 2012 Learning Survey by Niace, the adult learning organisation, there's a strong correlation between

learning and sustained employment. Staffs who undertake learning activities are more able to adapt to the changing

requirements of an organisation and gain a competitive edge in the job market. Candidates who demonstrate that

they're conscientious about their personal development are likely to be seen as highly motivated and engaged. Their

openness to learning also suggests they're flexible, adaptable and will bring a continuous improvement ethos to the

workplace – all of which is appealing to an employer.

So, with this in mind, here are some ways to start thinking about your own learning and development.

Enhancing your performance

What areas of your job do you find most difficult or want to improve? For ideas, look at past performance reviews or

talk to your manager, colleagues or HR department. Seek advice from those whose skills or career you wish to

emulate.

Improving the areas you identify may mean going on a course or workshop, or you may find that mentoring, guided

reading, work-shadowing, or online study is more relevant. For instance, if you know that negotiation skills are an

increasingly important part of your job, perhaps your manager could arrange for you to shadow someone with

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exceptional skills in this area, or even coach you themselves through your next negotiation skills project.

Benchmarking the job market

When you're busy at work it's easy to lose sight of the changing needs of the job market. Periodically check out

adverts and person specifications for roles that are either similar to yours or are in line with the role you're looking

for next. Do you have everything they're looking for? For instance, are your IT skills up to scratch? Could the lack of

a professional qualification be an issue if every employer seems to be asking for it?

Knowledge updating

Some professions require a certain amount of professional development every year to retain your status. Whether this

is a requirement or not, make sure you're up-to-date with what's happening in your field, or you could lose credibility

and potentially expose your company to risks. You can keep updated by reading professional journals or trade press,

attending industry events, conferences, workshops or your own research. The rise of webinars, e-newsletters and

online forums means it's easier than ever to participate in learning from your office desk or at home.

Softer skills

Every role requires soft skills to some degree, whether it's communication skills or handling emotion and conflict in

the workplace. If you're looking to climb the career ladder, then developing people management skills should be an

absolute priority. Practical training and coaching are particularly effective, especially if the learner is supported when

they come to apply those skills, either through one-to-one coaching or via a supervised network.

Different routes to personal development

Although many people equate learning and development with professional qualifications, there are lots of other

routes. For instance, voluntary work can be a great way to develop additional skills. I coached an IT technical

professional who was keen to move into management. I recommended that he join the charity committee to widen his

exposure to strategic and operational management activities. This experience proved to be instrumental in persuading

his organisation of his ability to jump from a technical route to a management career.

Here are some other professional development ideas:

• Reading professional journals, books, research papers, articles etc

• Coaching, mentoring, training courses, academic study, conferences and webinars

• Voluntary work, fundraising and event management

• Research activities, blogging and publishing articles

• Training others and giving presentations or speaking at a conference

• Spending time with other departments, customers, suppliers, trade bodies or stakeholders Page 3 of 9

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• Joining committees, professional associations, campaign groups and participating in industry forums

• Apprenticeships, internships, work shadowing and secondments

• Applying for industry awards or scholarships

Learning and development takes time and energy, and it will sometimes take you out of your comfort zone. If you

can keep the learning habit throughout your career, however, you're far more likely to extend your career longevity,

mitigate any risks and improve your employability.

Reference

http://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/keeping-professional-development-continuous

To achieve a pass in this unit you must successfully address the following tasks (P1-P13):

Task No

TasksTask (AC)

PART 1

Part 1 assignment should be presented in an essay form

1In relation to the article, evaluate different approaches you may consider to self-manage your learning.

P1(1.1)

2In your own view propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be encouraged

P2(1.2)

3Evaluate the benefits of self-managed learning to the individual and organisation

P3(1.3)

4Discuss the processes and activities required to implement the development plan

P8(3.1)

5Reflect critically on own learning against original aims and objectives set in the development plan

P10(3.3)

6Identify solutions to work-based problems e: g high employee turnover, job allocation, work related accidents and team building.

P12(4.1)

7Communicate the solutions in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various levels

P13(4.2)

8 Evaluate and use effective time management strategiesP14 (4.3)

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PART 2

You are expected to produce a personal portfolio in this section. Please note that individual research on your skills and competencies are required.

9Evaluate own current skills and competencies against professional standards and organisational objectives

P4(2.1)

10Identify your own development needs and the activities required to meet them

P5 (2.2)

11Identify development opportunities to meet current and future needs

P6 (2.3)

12Devise a personal and professional development plan based on your current performance and identified future needs and opportunities

P7(2.4)

13 Undertake and document development activities as planned P9(3.2)

14Update the development plan based on feedback and evaluation

P11(3.4)

Evidence checklist Summary of evidence required by student Evidence

presented

Task 1 Essay on understanding how self-managed learning can enhance lifelong development.

Task 2 Portfolio on taking responsibility for own personal and professional development.

Task 3 Essay and portfolio on how to organise a typical production process.

Task 4 Report to demonstrate acquired interpersonal and transferable skills.

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Nelson College LondonIn addition to the above PASS criteria, this assignment gives you the opportunity to submit evidence in order to achieve the following MERIT and DISTINCTION grades

Grade Descriptor Indicative characteristic/s ContextualisationM1 Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions

Effective judgements have been made.An effective approach to study and research has been applied.

To achieve M1, you will find appropriate solutions in evaluating approaches to self-managed learning. (1.1)

M2 Select / design and apply appropriate methods / techniques

Appropriate learning methods/techniques have been applied.

To achieve M2, you will apply appropriate methods/techniques in producing a personal portfolio and a personal presentation for LO2 (2.1,2.2,2.3 and 2.4)

M3 Present and communicate appropriate findings

Communication is appropriate for familiar and unfamiliar audiences and appropriate media have been used.

To achieve M3, your findings and research should be well presented and communicated within the report. Also you will have met the deadline to submit the tasks and achieve the unit assessment criteria.

D1 Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions

Conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and have been justified.Realistic improvements have been proposed against defined characteristics for success.

To achieve D1 you will have to justify your critical reflection on own learning against original aims and objectives set in the development plan (3.4)

D2 Take responsibility for managing and organising activities

Activities have been managed.New ideas have been generatedGood referencing and arrangement (Harvard style)

To achieve D2 you will have demonstrated an effective approach to independent research as evidenced from the citations and reference list and study and will have met the deadline to submit the tasks and achieve the unit assessment criteria. (P1-P13)

D3 Demonstrate convergent /lateral / creative thinking

Effective thinking has taken place in unfamiliar contexts.

To achieve D3, you will have to creatively justify your answers in Task 4.

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Submission Instructions:

This assignment must be completed by all the candidates undertaking Edexcel HNC/HND Diploma in Business.

Referencing should be provided in Harvard Style Referencing (both in-text and bibliography).

Header with the student’s ID number and full name as well as footer with the page number should be present throughout the assignment.

Comprehensive reading list can be found in the Unit Handbook (UHB). The authenticity statement must be signed and dated by all students and presented to

a lecturer or a Student Support Adviser.

Appendix A: Plagiarism and Collusion:

Any act of plagiarism and collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the regulations. In this context the definition and scope of plagiarism are presented below:

“Using the work of others without acknowledging source of information or inspiration, although you may paraphrase, the result is still plagiarism” (Cortell, 2003). Please ensure you apply in-text referencing within your assignment to support all information extracted from any published work.

Collusion is when two or more people combine to produce a piece of work for an assessment that is passed off as the work of one alone. For example, one student has copied the work of another, or where a joint effort has taken place in producing what should have been an individual effort.

Appendix B: Harvard Referencing System (HRS):

Any information that is not of your own needs to be referenced, Plagiarising from someone else’s work can be unintentional if you are unaware of the rules of acknowledging and referencing direct quotations.

The Harvard system requires you to acknowledge certain information which are mainly the surname and the year of publication within the text, for example:

According to Bell (1999) – as you write up your assignment you will use a citation to indicate in your text the source of information provided.

The authors and publication information cited within the main body of your work must be listed in the reference list (This will be at the end of your assignment) for example:

Bell, J. (1999) ‘Doing your research project’. (3rd Edition) Buckingham: Open University Press.

Detailed guidance on the Harvard Referencing System (HRS) will be made available on Moodle (VLE)

Failure to submit on time will lead to penalisation (Capping of grades). Reasonable consideration will be given, in the case of failure to submit the assignments by the deadline period (exemption will be given to those being granted extenuating circumstances

provided they submit the relevant documents to support claim).

Appendix C: Learning Outcome for Personal and Professional Development

Learning Outcome Learning

outcome

Assessment Criteria

In this assessment you will have the opportunity to present evidence that shows you are able to:

Task no. Evidence

(Page no)

8 Assignment brief- Personal and Professional Development

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L01

Understand how self managed learning can enhance lifelong development

1.1 Evaluate approaches to self-managed learning.

1

1.2Propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be encouraged.

1

1.3Evaluate the benefits of self-managed learning to the individual and organisation.

1

LO2

Be able to takeresponsibility for ownpersonal andprofessionaldevelopment

2.1 Evaluate own current skills and competencies against professional standards and organisational objectives.

2

2.2 Identify own development needs and the activities required to meet them.

2

2.3 Identify development opportunities to meet current and future defined needs.

2.4 Devise a Personal and ProfessionalDevelopment plan based on identified needs.

2

LO3

Be able to implement and continually review own personal and professionaldevelopment plan

3.1Discuss the processes and activities required to implement the development plan.

3

3.2 Undertake and document development activities as planned.

3.3Reflect critically on own learning against original aims and objectives set in the development plan.

3

3.4Update the development plan based on feedback and evaluation.

3

LO4

Be able to demonstrate acquired interpersonal and transferable skills.

4.1 Select solutions to work-based problems. 4

4.2 Communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various levels.

4

4.3 Evaluate and use effective time management strategies.

4

9 Assignment brief- Personal and Professional Development