Professional Development

Further Education and Training

Further education is when a student progresses from a

sixth form or a college to a university to study a degree in
their subject. Some of the advantages of going into
further education include the fact that some jobs require
the applicant to have a master’s degree or a PhD. Having
a degree also increases a person’s likely hood of getting a
job. Also, degrees and further education are good for
people who enjoy learning and studying their
topic/subject of interest. Some of the disadvantages of further education are the fees which
can go up to about £15,000 a year. Also, a lot of degrees will not allow people to work as
well as study which can mean that they do not earn money for living costs to pay for.

Training is when an employee (or sometimes a student) is

given information that will help to improve their ability to
do a task. This can also involve teaching the person a
whole new skill. They are also given all the knowledge
that they will need to complete that particular task. There
are some advantages of training which are the fact that it
can reduce employee turnover rates, and better training
can reduce any long-term staffing costs. It can also make
sure that all new employees learn the sort-term and long-
term goals of the business/origination and it can give opportunities to build teams within
the workplace. It also makes it very easy to set the expectations of the employee if they are
trained in the business/organisation. There are also some disadvantages to training, such as
some employees once trained will then take their new skills to a competitor. Also, there are
costs to training an employee and any improper training can lead to a lack of quality.
Sometimes, certain types of training are not right for the employee because everybody
learn differently.

• Full-Time Degrees
A full-time degree is similar to full time education. The
student is required to be present from 9am to 5pm or they
will have a full week of education. Full-time courses are
provided for most, if not all subject/topics that there are. By
completing a full-time degree, someone would be able to get
a PhD (which is most common in the science subjects). Full-
time degrees will usually have time tables that the student is
expected to adhere to. When they turn up to a lecture, they
will take notes as a lecturer talks and provides a presentation about a topic in the students
subject that they are likely to have an exam on. A person who is completing a full-time
degree is also expected to complete a lot of self-directed study as well as turning up to their
lectures. Post-graduate courses are most commonly studied full-time. Also, full-time
degrees are usually quicker to complete compared to the other types of degrees since the
student would be working and studying that subject every week.

• Part-Time Degrees
Part-time degrees are usually done if a
person wants to continue to earn money
and work at the same time as learning,
studying, and becoming qualified in their
chosen field. Usually, part-time degrees
will put their classes on in the evening so that the student can work normal hours in the day
time. However, some part-time degrees will have lectures on for one or two days a week
instead of having classes on in the evening. But this still allows the person to work for the
rest of the week. Much like with full-time degrees, most, if not all courses/subjects can be
studied with this type of degree. Part-time degrees are sometimes cheaper to study;
however, they can also take a longer time to complete since you would only be studying the
subject some of the time.

• Foundation Degrees
A foundation degree is worth two-thirds of a bachelor’s
degree and it is worth 240 credits. Depending on the course
that a person takes, the foundation degree will last for about
two to four years. Foundation degrees can allow people to
learn on the job. There are full-time and part-time
foundation degrees. The part-time foundation degree is for
people who want to continue working and full-time
foundation degrees are for people who want to be in full-time education. There are several
subjects that someone could complete a foundation degree in. These subjects are: art and
design, business management, computing, education, engineering, health and social care,
hospitality management, retail management, and sports. Foundation degrees offer people
flexible qualifications that can fit around other pre-existing work commitments. Foundation
degrees also allow people to change their career directions.

• Bachelor Degrees
A bachelor degree is a four-year degree course that usually
require full-time study. A bachelor degree is a post-secondary
undergraduate degree. People who study bachelor degrees can
become a bachelor of arts (BA), a bachelor of science (BSc), or a
bachelor of medicine (MB). One of the four years of study
includes a year working in the industry or working abroad. If
someone wanted to, they could complete a bachelor degree
part-time via flexible learning. Bachelor degrees are supposed to
develop a person’s analytical skills, intellectual and essay or
dissertation writing skills. A person can get a bachelor’s degree
in most, if not all subjects. There are several grades that
someone studying a bachelor degree can achieve (in order
of best to worst): first, upper-second (2:1), lower second
(2:2), third, pass, and fail.

• Master Degrees
A master’s degree can last between one to four years and
is typically taken by post graduates. A master degree is a
level 7 according to the National Qualifications
Framework (NQF). A master’s degree is above a bachelor
degree but it is below a doctorate. Studying a master’s degree is usually more expensive and
it can take longer than other degrees to complete but having a master’s degree can increase
career prospects significantly. There are several types of master degrees that a person could
study: LLM (Master of Laws), MArch (Master of Architecture), MBA (Master of Business
Administration), MEd (Master of Education), MEng (Master of Engineering), MFA (Master of
Fine Arts), MLitt (Master of Letters), MMus (Master of Music), MPhil (Master of Philosophy),
MRes (Master of Research), MSt (Master of Studies). Some master’s degrees can have
flexible study to allow people to work as well as gain a degree.
Work Experience
Work experience is usually short-term employment that
has been arranged by schools and colleges for students to
do. It allows a student to experience working in a job or
sector, or industry before they pick subject to study in the
next level of education. Someone who does work
experience usually doesn’t receive any pay and they are
sometimes considered to be a volunteer. Sometimes
benefits are provided such as the persons travel expenses
may be paid for them by the business or organisation that
they are doing their work experience with.
Work experience is important because people (students) are more likely to be more
successful when trying to find employment in later life. Work experience is also good when
someone does not know what they want to do for a permanent job. By doing work
experience they can try out a career/job for a brief amount of time. The person does not
have to commit to anything but they can try out different types of jobs. Work experience
also provides a good introduction to students into the working world and what it is like. This
again will allow them to make sure that they have chosen the right career path for them.
Work experience can lead to a full time job with the business or organisation that the
person is currently working for.
Training on the Job
Training on the job is when the employee receives training
whilst they are in the workplace. There are four methods
that can be used to train someone on the job. 1)
Demonstration (or instructions) is when employee or the
trainee is physically shown how to do the job. 2) Coaching is
considered to be a more intensive method of training an
employee because they are involved in close working
relationship. This is usually between an experienced
employee and the trainee employer. 3) Job rotation is a form of training where the
employee is given several jobs at one time or in succession. This allows them to gain
experience in a wider range of activities. 4) Projects are a form of on the job training where
the employees join a project team. This allows the trainee to see other parts of the business
and it also allows them to take part in new activities.

The advantages of on the job training are that it is usually cost effective because the
business or organisation are the people teaching and training the employee rather than
paying an external trainer/coach. Another advantage is that the business or organisation can
make sure that the employees being trained are actually being productive. This means that
the business or organisation is receiving the benefit of the work from the employee and
they also have more control over the skills that the
employee learns. Another advantage is that the employee is
getting to learn the necessary skills whilst doing the job. This
means that they are also learning the practical and
theoretical skills in an actual work environment. The final
advantage is that the employee is learning alongside real
colleagues. This means that the employee can get used to
the business/organisation as they learn and they can also
get advice and training from real employees.

The disadvantages of on the job training is that quality of the work from the trainee
employee also depends on the trainer. It also depends on the time available for the
employee and the trainer to teach the skills needed. Also, if the trainer has any bad habits
(e.g. habits that may affect the quality), then these habits may get passed onto the trainee
employee. Another disadvantage of on the job training is that the learning environment that
the employee is in may not be useful or helpful and so they may not learn as well as they
would have in a different environment. Also, training a new employee may slow down or
disrupt the production line. This is because time that could be spent on the production line
is instead being spent on the trainee employee.
Skills Analysis

• Personal Skills
Employees can have pre-existing person skills and personal skills that are taught. For
example, an employee may know how to teach a particular topic but they may need to be
taught how to present an interesting and engaging
presentation. Personal skills can include communication, the
ability to work under pressure, time management, decision
making, conflict resolution, adaptability, leadership, and self-
motivation. If a person had these personal skills they would be
more likely to get the job that they have applied for. But, some
personal skills can be taught, such as leadership may be able to
be taught to an employee over time. Also, decision making
could also be a personal skill that could be taught over time.

• Technology Skills
Examples of technology skills would be Word Processor skills, spreadsheet skills, database
skills, web navigation skills, E-Mail management skills,
digital cameras, Adobe Software skills (e.g. Photoshop),
electronic presentation skills, web site design skills. These
will also help to improve a person’s chances of finding
employment. But they are also skills that can be taught or
built up over time. For example, someone may need to be
trained to be able to use the Adobe Software. Many
employers expect an employee to have some skill when
using certain technology, e.g. all employees would be
expected to know how to user a Word Processor. Most job
today also involve some form of technological skill and the employee will either be expected
to know this skill already or they will be trained in this skill.

• Personal Development Plan

A personal development plan is the process of
someone creating an ‘action plan’. The action plan
that they create is supposed to be based on
reflection, goal setting, values, and awareness. A
personal development plan is usually created for their
job/career. It can also be done in the context of
education or for self-motivation. A personal
development plan usually includes a person’s
aspirations and their strengths and weaknesses. A personal development plan will also
include how the person expects to achieve the targets and goals that they have set. Some
personal development plans will include alternative plans in case the original plan does not
work. When a person reaches higher education, their personal development plans may
include a portfolio that will show the skills that they have learnt or developed over their
time in that particular stage of education. Sometimes, personal development plans are
actually required alongside a CV when a person applies for a job. Some forms of training will
involve the individual writing up a personal development plan.
Sources of Information
 • Trade Unions
A trade union is an organisation that is made up of
members who are in the workplace. Trade unions
often require a membership to be brought for the
person to be involved with the them. The main
reason that Trae Unions exist is because they want
to protect their members and then advance their
interests within the workplace. Trade unions are
usually independent to any employers so that their
aims are not changed or adjusted. But, a lot of trade Unions will try to maintain a close
relationship with employers so that the Trade Union can achieve the aims that it has set.
The relationship that exists between the Trade Unions and the employers is formed with a
partnership or with an agreement which will outline their common interests and objectives.
Some of the advantages of joining a Trade Union include the fact that it can reduce the
possibility of any form of discrimination from occurring within the workplace and it can
prevent any employers from exploiting their workers. Also, joining a Trade Union can
improve productivity because Trade Unions can make sure that there are improved working
conditions and improved wages. This can become an incentive for most, if not all workers to
become more productive.
Some of the disadvantages of joining a Trade Union can be that the higher wages that have
been caused by the Trade Union can cause surplus and this can reduce the number of
people who are employed. Also, the higher wages mean that production costs also increase
and become higher. This can then mean that the
business then makes up for these increased costs at
the consumer’s expense because it causes the
business to increase its prices or it can cause them
to decrease the quality of the product. This can be
very bad in a market that is price elastic which
means that consumers are very sensitive to a
change in price and this then causes a decrease in
demand for the product.

• Careers Services
Career services are privately run career advisors for the people who go to or work in specific
area. For example, Secondary Schools and Colleges will run their own career services to help
the students of that school to pick a career and education path that suits that individual.
However, anyone that does not go to that school does not get to access those career
services. Often, the career services in schools will help to find the students work experience
and they will help students with CVs and cover letters and they will provide other career
advice.
Career services will keep databanks of University courses, the Universities out there, the
internships available, the apprentices available, and the other career paths available. Career
services will be able to tell the person (or student)
what subjects they will need to take to get into that
particular career that they are interested in. They
will also be able to tell the person what marks or
grades they would need to get onto particular
courses. They would also be able to tell the person
about possible access programmes and grants that
the they eligible for.

There is a National Career Service which is Government run. This a website that provides
guidance and advice on careers. A person can create a permanent free account on this site
and they can then save their CV, skills health check reports, action plans, and their course
searches. This means that people who do not have access to career services can still get
career advice.

Transferable Skills
Personal Attributes
A personal attribute is a term that is used to describe a person’s
individual characteristics and attitudes. Personal attributes are very
important when a person is trying to find a job because some
attributes are more required than other attributes. Some of the
personal attributes that are valued by employers are confidence,
proactivity, resilience, adaptability, and positivity. Confidence means
that the employee knows how to prove their abilities in the workplace
and they can also make sure that they carry out the claims that they
make about the work that they will do. Proactivity means that the
employer is someone who can create and control certain situations
and they can respond to situations as they happen and not after they
have occurred. Resilience means that the employee does not give up
easily no matter what the situation is. This also means that the employee needs to be
optimistic and they also need to be good at solving problems. This is a valued personal
attribute because it means that the person will not crumble at the first problem which will
then help the business or organisation to continue even when there is a problem.
Adaptability means that the employee is able to change and adapt when they are needed
to. This also means that the person needs to be flexible with their work. This may mean that
the employee needs to be able to take on more work if they are needed to. Positivity means
that the employee’s attitude is good. The employee does not have a negative approach to
things and situations and they are usually enthusiastic because of this.
Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge is the theoretical and practical understanding of something or of a subject.

Whereas skills are the abilities developed through training or experience. Essentially, by
using or learning skills, the knowledge is being put into use.
Skills are usually built up through a lot of practice, and the
more that the person practices the more of an expert they
become on that particular skill. Trial and error is a method
that can be used to learn new skills.
An employer wants an employee that has a lot of
knowledge on a specific subject. But, they also want
someone who can then put that knowledge into practice.
However, just learning the knowledge does not mean that
the person would the automatically be able to apply the knowledge to create a specific skill.
As mentioned before, skills are usually built up through practice. This is why training is very
important because it means that you are learning the skill of completing a certain task which
can then make you more employable in the long term. However, knowledge and theory do
play a big part in being able to begin learning the skill in the first place. You need to
understand how things work and why certain things are done before the skill is attempted.
Committed

Committed means that a person has promised to be

involved in a certain task. This promise can be to their self or
it could be done to another person such as a boss or an
employer. Often, a person can become committed to their
job, which then means that they feel a certain level of
responsibility for the goals of that particular
job/business/organisation. An employer wants an employee
to have a certain level of commitment towards their job
because it means that the employee will perform tasks to
the best of their ability which can in the long-term increase quality and it can increase
labour productivity.
Being committed to your job also means that the employee will have a strong work ethic
which means that the employee will always approach all their work with the same level of
commitment every time. It also means that the employee is
happy turning up earlier on some days and staying later on
other days. Being committed to your job can also mean
that the employee would also have good customer
engagement. Since the employee is committed to their job
it means that they have recognised that they like their job.
This then means that they are more likely to be politer to
customers and will engage with customers better than if
they were not committed. This can then mean that a
business/organisation has a higher brand loyalty from its
customers.
Efficiency
Efficiency is very important in the workplace because if the
business is efficient then it means it is running properly and at a
good level. With a business, to be efficient, then individual
employees within the business must meet assigned targets. These
targets must also be met with in a specific time frame. For the
business to be efficient, all deadline need to be met and the results
must be delivered on time. This then means that the business is
not creating too much waste and it is not leaving machines unused.
This can then mean that the business has lower unit costs and/or
higher labour productivity and so it then becomes more efficient.
Also, to be considered efficient, the employee must also provide
good quality products. The employee needs to be responsible for their own work. To be
efficient, the employee may need to prioritise and organise their time effectively so that
they are not wasting any time. This helps to make sure that they stay efficient. Employees
also need to work quickly (but they also need to maintain good quality work).
Employee efficiency can be increased by delegating more work to them. This gives them
more responsibility and in turn they become more motivated. This can then increase labour
productivity, which then lowers unit cost which then means that
the business is more efficient. Employee efficiency can be
increased by matching appropriate tasks to an employee’s specific
skills, and if communication is also improved. This then means
that the employee can do the tasks that they are given and it also
means they know exactly what they need to do and by when.
Reliability

Reliability is when someone is trustworthy and they consistently

perform well. In the workplace, it is important to have employee
that are reliable because it means that they become consistent. This then means that the
employee becomes a consistent member of the workforce. This can then mean that the
employer is more willing to delegate work because they know that the employee is reliable
and will complete the work to a good standard. This then means that the reliable employee
can have more responsibility which can boost their moral and
motivate them more.
For an employee to be considered to be reliable they need to
be punctual, show respect to all colleagues and customers,
turn up to all their shifts, complete all their work, and then
complete this work to a good standard that is a good quality.

By being a reliable employee, the employer then has more

trust in that employee. It can also mean that the employer
shows the employee more respect because you have earnt their trust. By being reliable it
can mean that the employee gets first pick of certain things such as tasks and groups/team
members. Sometimes, being a reliable employee means that you are more likely to get
promotions or higher pays. You also become less likely to get considered for redundancies if
the business decided that they needed to get rid of some of their staff.
Attendance and Punctuality
Attendance referred to the number of times that an
employee is off or missing for. An employee’s
attendance is usually showed as a percent of the time
they could have been in (100%) compared to the actual
percent of time that they have turned up to work (e.g.
97%).
Punctuality refers to the number of times that an
employee is late. This can mean that they are late in the
morning, they are late to a meeting, or they are late when returning from lunch.
Attendance is important because by having a high attendance means that you a more
reliable employee. By not turning up to work, other employee has to cover for you and this
can mean that the production and efficiency of the business can decrease as a result. Also,
being continually absent can become a bad habit, for example, the employee may start to
not turn up because they cannot be bothered and not because they are genuinely ill. This
can bring down the productivity of the business that the absent employee works for. Having
good attendance can lead to a better position with in the business and it also looks better
on a CV/resume having a high attendance. The lower a person’s attendance, the less likely
they are to be employee because they are considered unreliable.
Being punctual to work also makes you a reliable
employee. Being punctual can also mean that the
moral on the workplace is higher because
everyone is there and ready when they should be.
Being punctual can also make a person more
employable than someone who is not punctual.
Being punctual shows a degree of
professionalism. Also, when dealing with customers, if an employee is not punctual to a
meeting, then this can make the customer agitated and it can make them feel unimportant.
This can then reduce the brand loyalty for the business or organisation because customer
satisfaction would decrease.
Self-Presentation
Self-presentation is the way in which a person will present themselves in public. This
includes the clothes that they wear. Most, if not all employers have certain levels of
expectation of how their employee will present
themselves in public. An employer will want a person
who will dress appropriately to work (e.g. a suit and tie)
and someone who will also represent the
business/organisation well inside of and outside of the
workplace. The way that person presents themselves in
public will affect their opinion and view of the person.

An employer will not want to employ someone who may

not dress appropriately to work, especially when dealing with customers. The way in which
the employee presents themselves will be how the customer will judge the
business/organisation. This is because an employee is a representative of the
business/organisation.
An employee who does not wear appropriate clothing (or uniform) or they do not present
themselves well (e.g. using bad language) may be fired or made redundant since these
employees are not reliable and they may make the business/organisation look bad to
customers which may affect customer satisfaction.
Functional Skills

• ICT/Maths/English
ICT, Maths, and English are all classified as functional skill subjects.
The functional skills are considered to be the three minimum subjects
that a person needs to be considered employable. ICT, Maths, and
English all help towards people’s communication skills. They need
English to be able to use proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
Maths is needed for basic numeracy skills. ICT is needed to make sure
that the employee knows how to use certain technology and how to
use certain software.
All jobs require their employees or applicants to have achieved a
grade 5 or above at GCSE in both Maths and English. This is because all
jobs require basic Maths and English skills such as working with
percentages or for communicating and writing reports. But if a person wishes to enter a job
in the Creative Media industry, they may also require a Grade C or
above in ICT or a related subject. Many jobs use some form of ICT
within the work place. Many employers require employees who
are already familiar with certain software and the employer does
not want to have to pay to train an employee to use a specific
software.

• Time Management
Time management is the method of organising the time available
to complete a specific task/s. Having good time management is
important because it means that you know how to utilise your
time to make sure you achieve a specific target or task with in the time provided. Having
good time management means that the person has greater productivity and they are also
more efficient. Someone with good time management will have a better professional
reputation and they will be under less stress since they have organised their time
appropriately. An employee with good time management is more
likely to progress and get promotion. This then means that they can
then achieve career goals and targets.

If someone has bad time management then they may miss

deadlines and they will also have inefficient workflow. Their work
will also be of a poor quality which will then mean that they have a
worse professional reputation. The person will also have a more
static career and they will suffer with higher stress levels.

• Personal Responsibility
Personal responsibility means that the individual is responsible for
their own work and the quality of the work. They are also responsible for their own time
management and work flow. They are also responsible for meeting deadlines.

Personal responsibility is important when studying because it means that you take
responsibility for the work and revision that you do. You accept that the work you do now
will affect the finial grade.

Personal responsibility is important in the workplace

because it means that the employer can trust you more
since you can prove that you are capable to monitor your
own work and make sure that it is handed in on time and to
the right quality. This can then mean that the employer is
more likely to delegate other tasks to you since they know
that you will take personal responsibility for its completion.
This can then mean that you career may progress more
quickly. Being personally responsible means that you are
more reliable.