Learning objective 1

Explore the importance of on-going professional development and self-directed learning to enhance professional identity and career opportunities

Importance of on-going professional development: {Presentation}

§       Employer benefits such as skilled workforce, up-to-date knowledge, competitive edge through human capital, employee engagement through development opportunities, organisational brand image

§       Employee benefits such as intrinsic motivation, personal satisfaction, increased employability, added value on CVs and future employment, ownership of role, self-directed approaches gain more buy-in

Professional standards and expectations: {Presentation}

§       Personal presentation and appearance, appropriateness of appearance in specific contexts e.g. events versus Michelin-star restaurant, role-appropriate dress code and appearances and Chef versus Front of House receptionist

§       Importance of projecting the brand image

§       Maintaining professional standards – conduct in the workplace, representation out of work

§       Working responsibly and ethically

Common skills expected in the workplace: {Transferable Skills}

§       Business skills audits, personal/professional skills, soft skills {EQ related} versus hard skills (IQ related) and appropriateness in given contexts

§       Soft skills and behaviours such as self-confidence, communications, delegation, networking, creative thinking and initiative

§       Hard skills such as math, accounting, programming, statistics, use of technology {Presentation Week 2A}

§       Customer Service skills in understanding and meeting customer needs and expectations {Presentation Week 2B}

§       Importance of cultural awareness and sensitivity for working in a culturally diverse sector

§       Team leading and development

§       {Tuckman’s model} of group development  {Reseach paper}  

Learning objective 2

Assess own skills, competences and the different learning and development approaches

Self-assessment approaches and techniques:  {Presentation Week 3A}

§    Self-evaluation models e.g. technical and soft skills audits, personal SWOT analysis, ------- personality trait assessment

§    Identifying team characteristics using Belbin team roles

§    Competences comparison against job specifications and required personal and professional skills

Learning and development approaches: {Presentation Week 4A}

§    Learning approaches – behaviourist, cognitive and humanist

§    Learning theories such as Gagné’s theory of instruction, VAK learning styles, Honey & Mumford learning cycle, Kolb’s learning cycle, Bloom’s taxonomy, Social Learning theory, Bandura’s self-efficacy theory {Presentation Week 4B}

§    Developmental options – formal training, on-job training, shadowing, buddying, self-directed study, secondment, coaching and mentoring, job rotation, workshops, conferences, social learning and networking

§    Aligning development options with specific work contexts

Activity sheets (WK 3-6)

Learning objective 3

Design a professional development plan, within a specific work context

Writing and designing development plans: Role play template

§    SMART planning, contextualised design, appropriate formats for practical application {Personal Development Planning}

Cohesive personal and professional development:

§    Developing combinations of skills and competences such as hard skills, soft skills, technical skills, personal demeanour/conduct, appearance and presentation {A Frame work for Personal Dvelopment Planning}

Proactive learning and evaluation:

§    Taking ownership, requesting advice/guidance, showing initiative in developmental processes, recording learning {PDP Template}

Employer involvement:

§    Management support, appropriate notification and consent, agreed monitoring and guidance

Learning objective 4

Demonstrate a range of service industry and transferable skills for a job application

Effective CV Writing:                Week 5B: CV Writing workshop

§        Presentation format of a CV

§        Key information to include in a CV

§        Tailoring the CV to the specific job role

Interview processes and preparation:      Week 6A & Week 6B

§        First, second and third stage processes, group tasks and behaviours during interviews {Interview techniques}

§        Research of organisations to establish role requirements and key words in job advertisements

§        Time management and personal conduct, practice and rehearsal, body language and speech {Role play - Interview techniques}

Generating evidence of skills and experiences:

§        Evidence such as achievements and awards, qualifications, CPD records, appraisals, guest comments forms, peer review forms, previous employer references and referrals {Peer assessment form}