Unit A2:       Developing a Personal Progression Plan

Level: 1

Unit type: Core

Guided learning hours: 30

Unit in brief

Learners will develop the skills and behaviours needed to progress to the next stage in their learning, identifying progression opportunities and creating a plan to enable them to get there.

Unit introduction

What would you like to do when you finish this course? Perhaps you would like to spend more time learning about the subject you are studying at the moment? Or you may want to do something completely different. Before you decide what your next step is, you need to know what you are good at, what your interests are and what your end goal is.

This unit will help you find out what opportunities are available to you and how to get to the next stage. You will carry out a self-audit, identifying what your strengths are and what you need to develop to be able to meet your progression goals. You will learn how to set goals and plan ways to achieve them. You will then produce a personal progression plan to help you reach the next step in your life.

The skills you develop in this unit will be good preparation when applying for another course or training programme.

Learning aims

In this unit you will:

A  Explore the skills and behaviours needed to meet personal progression goal

B  Produce a progression plan to meet intended progression goal.

Unit summary

There are opportunities to develop functional skills in this unit:

Unit content

Knowledge and skills

Benefits and purpose of developing a progression plan

• Gives direction and focus to short-term and long-term goals.
• Sets out the key steps to achieve progression goal.
• Allows for discussion with others, e.g. tutors, parents, peers.
• Gives time for reflection on what is achievable and realistic.

Finding out about progression opportunities

• Progression opportunities such as to further learning, work or apprenticeships.

• Local sources of information about potential progression routes such as colleges, careers fairs.
• Sources of advice and guidance for progression.
• Tutor advice.
• Careers advice.
• Entry requirements such as baseline entry qualifications, an entry interview, portfolio.

Setting a progression goal

• Matching own skills and behaviours with progression goals.

• Deciding on the next step, e.g. using SMART (specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, time-bound) targets.
• Using research findings to identify the requirements to meet goals.
• Setting a progression goal to work towards.

Identifying the skills and behaviours needed to meet progression goal

• Skills needed to meet progression goal:
• transferable skills, e.g. communication, working with others, problem solving
• employability skills, e.g. IT skills, being able to drive.
• Behaviours needed for progression goal, e.g. reliability, efficiency, being trustworthy.
• Qualifications needed for progression, e.g. level of English and maths.

Reviewing own skills and behaviours against progression goal

• Carrying out a self-audit of skills and behaviours using past experience of education and learning.
• Gathering feedback from others about own strengths and areas for improvement.
• Attitudes and behaviours needed for progression.

Creating a progression plan

To include:

• short-term and long-term progression goals
• identification of key activities needed to move towards the progression goal
• key actions to improve skills and behaviours
• key milestones to achieve goal, e.g. interview dates, application deadlines
• realistic timelines to meet goal.

Transferable skills

• Written communication: filling out application forms, progression plan.
• Managing information: from the sources used to find out about possible progression routes.

Assessment criteria