SUMMER WORK BTEC
BUSINESS
Unit 15
You can either print this booklet or complete by hand or you can obtain this from Moodle and the shared area and complete on screen. However, you decide to complete it, remember to keep it safe until we start again in September.
Review You should use the summer to review your year 12 and plan for your short term and long-
term future. We would like you complete over the summer ready for start of college in September pages 1-11 with the exception of the areas shaded in yellow.
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
1
Assignment brief – QCF BTEC
Assignment front sheet
Qualification Unit number and title
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in
Business – Summer Work
Learner name Assessor name
BTEC Business Staff
Date issued Hand in deadline Submitted on
June 2019 First Business lesson
September 2019
Summer Work Subsidiary Diploma – Diploma in Business –
In addition to your progression assignment work we would like you to prepare for year 13 by
preparing work in two of your units as indicated below.
Assignment title Research and Developing a Career Plan
In this assessment you will have opportunities to provide evidence against the following criteria. Indicate the page numbers where the evidence can be found.
Criteria reference
To achieve the criteria the evidence must show that the learner is able to:
Task no.
Evidence
P1 Identify sources of information related to the career
path
1
Careers
Portfolio P2
Develop a career plan for the short and medium term
identifying development needs
2
P3 Carry out a skills audit to identify skills gaps
2
P4 Create SMART targets for the career plan
2
Learner declaration
I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own. I have clearly referenced any sources used in the work. I
understand that false declaration is a form of malpractice.
Learner signature: Date: September 2019
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
2
Assignment brief
Qualification BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business
Unit number and title Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
Assessor name
Date issued June 2019
Hand in deadline First Business lesson in September 2019
Assignment title Research and Developing a Career Plan
Purpose of this assignment
The aim of this assignment is to enable learners to research their career options and ultimately plan their career in business.
Scenario
You are coming towards the end of your studies at NEW College and need to think about the next step you are going to take. You have been tasked with researching potential careers in business and is required to develop a career plan to help prepare you for the world of work. You will produce a
Career Development Plan Portfolio to include the following tasks.
Task 1 Using the Career Development Plan Portfolio found on Moodle or the Student Shared Area, you must complete research related to your chosen career. You will need to show that you have done initial research into your chosen career. Complete the grid on pages 2 and 3 of the portfolio.
This provides evidence for [P1]
Task 2
Carrying on in the Career Development Plan Portfolio continue to ‘Prepare a career plan identifying
your own development needs. This will be a working document, and may be subject to change as you carry out research into your original choices. You must ensure that your career plan includes a short-term plan (two years) and a medium term plan (five years). Your career plan must include a
skills audit to identify any skills gaps you may have, a personal SWOT analysis, a qualification map to identify any qualification gaps, timescales, training requirements, a personal development plan, curriculum vitae and SMART objectives which progress can be measured against.
This provides evidence for [P2,P3, P4)
For the Summer Assignment please complete all work in the Career Development Portfolio
except those highlighted in yellow.
Evidence checklist
[Summarise evidence required, e.g. ‘leaflet’, ‘presentation notes’ etc.] [tick
boxes]
Sources of Information Poster
Career Plan with associated documents i.e. personal SWOT analysis, CV, Log of
of visit to New College Careers Dept or Connexions, completed UCAS
apprenticeship/job application
Sources of information Connexions, company websites, newspapers job section, job centres, NEW College careers service, recruitment/career fairs, specialist trade journals, other career related websites etc. Visiting speakers from Barclays Skills and C&K careers
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
3
Assessor's comments
Qualification BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business
Assessor name
Business Staff
Unit number and title
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
Learner name
Criteria
reference
To achieve the criteria the evidence must show that the learner is
able to: Achieved?
P1
Learners will need to demonstrate that they have accessed a sufficient range of information to allow them to make an informed decision on their career choices. It is likely be that learners will gather information from a range of sources. These could include websites, journals, career packs, newspapers or company packs. The information learners provide should be sufficiently detailed and more than just a list.
P2 Learners will need to create an initial career plan identifying their development needs. The career plan will be a working document, and may be subject to change as learners carry out research into their original choices. It is important that learners understand that the short term is two years and the medium term is five years.
P3 Learners will need to examine their current skills profile and carry out a skills audit. They need to understand the importance of identifying skills gaps. This will involve looking at a wide range of skills that they may have developed through a variety of ways. This will include their current level of Skills for Life which is likely to be built into their learning programme. It will also require learners to look at other sources and a wider range of relevant vocational and employment-related skills. These may be practical, interpersonal or technical skills developed in part-time employment or through voluntary activities. They may be skills they are demonstrating on the learning programme, such as research skills or time management skills. Learners will need to include provision for continuous professional development in the career plan.
P4 Career plans should be realistic and be supported by SMART targets. Progress towards targets should be recorded with a folder containing all the appropriate research documentation, a CV and any other appropriate information or documentation.
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
4
To achieve P1, you must complete
research related to your chosen career.
You will need to show that you have
done initial research into your chosen
career, for example by seeing a
careers adviser, using career guidance
software or attending a careers fair.
You must ensure that you use a variety
of sources: In order to make informed
decisions about your career choice, you will need to do a lot of research using the
following sources:
websites (e.g. Connexions, Learning and Skills Council, job centres, careers
service, UCAS)
journals (trade and specialist)
career packs (careers fairs)
newspapers (newspaper articles, job adverts)
company packs (from HR departments)
university and college prospectuses and qualification information (on HNDs,
degrees, foundation degrees, occupational qualifications, etc).
You must:-
a. Provide a record of each of the sources of information used.
b. Describe the sources of information used and include a screen shot along with
reference of the source.
c. Explain the types of information it provided you and how you will use this information
in your career development plan.
Evidence Required:
Could include - notes from NC Careers Day held in June 14, 2018. Copies of relevant
articles highlighting specific career related information - notes from visiting speakers.
A summary of which research was most helpful and why would help support this
research.
Sources of information to help with career planning
Using the table below conduct your own research into your career related path. After conducting this research identify the career you would like to follow.
Source of information to help with career planning
A quick explanation of what the organisation/source of information is
What kind of career related information is available from this
organisation/source of information
How would you use this information in your own career development
Connexions
Learning and Skills Councils
Education and Skills Funding Agency
Job centres
Careers service (university, college, school)
Interviews
Career fairs
Recruitment fairs
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
6
Websites : JED, National Careers Service, UCAS, KUDOS, National Apprenticeship website, Future Jobs (must research at least 3 websites)
Human resource departments – job description and person specification
Visiting speakers
Work experience
Newspapers – Times, Yorkshire evening Post, Wakefield Express,
Trade and specialist journals e.g. http://www.newsstand.co.uk/20-Professional-and-Trade-Magazines/Subscriptions.aspx
Testimonies from people in different job roles e.g family and friends
After researching numerous business related career paths, I have decided that I would like to follow a career in…………………………………………………………………….
Your next task is to complete a career development plan, identifying any
development needs that you may have. You must first carry out a self-assessment
i.e. a personal SWOT analysis of yourself. This could include your knowledge,
interests, leisure activities, qualifications, skills and competences. The SWOT
analysis will help you to identify your strength, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats as well as areas for development.
You will also need to see a careers advisor before attempting P2 (usually in college
or with Connexions) and, with their advice, you will need to identify your own
development needs which, will be subject to change as your research into your
original choices is conducted. Your career plan must include the following:
To achieve P2 you will be required to provide the following evidence.
1. A completed Personal SWOT analysis identifying your Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in relation to your chosen career as
well as areas for development. You may opt to use the template below or
design your own.
2. Prepare a completed Career Development Plan setting targets for the short
term (2 years) and in the medium term (5 years). This should be prepared
using the research data conducted in P1, your personal SWOT analysis and
the career advice you received clearly highlighting areas for development.
3. A completed UCAS application / apprenticeship application / job application
with an up to date CV.
Use the questions below as prompts to conduct your own personal SWOT analysis.
Avoid bullet points! You must write in continuous prose. That is, in full sentences with
punctuation.
P2 Prepare a career plan identifying their development needs
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
8
Strengths – What are the positive aspects of yourself?
Weaknesses – What are the negative aspects of yourself?
What motivates you?
What circumstances make you feel unhappy or frustrated?
What are your other strengths?
Do you have any limitations?
What qualifications do you have?
Are there any gaps in your qualification?
What specialist knowledge do you have?
Are there any gaps in your knowledge?
What skills do you have?
Are there any gaps in your experience?
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
9
What are the positive aspects of your personality?
Do you have financial difficulties?
What are the weak points in your personality?
Opportunities – What aspects at
present or in the near future could
you use to your advantage?
Threats – What aspects at present or
in the near future may be a
disadvantage to you?
Are there any job vacancies that are available to you?
Are there any gaps in the market
place that you could exploit? Are there any scholarships or
bursaries available to you?
Do you have any potential financial problems?
Do you face any competition from rivals?
Are there any unfavourable conditions
in the economy? Are there any changes in the market
place that could mean that your skills
and knowledge become out of date?
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
11
MY INDIVIDUAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Name:
Date:
Department:
Supervisor:
Short-Term Time Frame What do I want to accomplish in the next 2 years?
Medium-Term Time Frame What do I want to accomplish in the next 5 years?
My Career Objectives – Section 1
What are my overall goals that I want to accomplish in this time period?
Example: Become a student affairs officer; learn computer graphics
Write your short-term goals
Write your mid-term goals
Development Needs - Skills and Knowledge to be Learned – Section 2
What skills and/or knowledge do I need to learn or further develop? What project do I need to work on?
Example: Student advising; Banner; Dreamweaver; develop a procedures manual develop ICT skills etc.
Write your short-term skills and knowledge to be learned
Write your mid-term skills and knowledge to be learned
CHANGES TO INITIAL PLAN
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
12
SMART Targets for Development needs – Section 3
How am I going to acquire the skills and knowledge? How am I going to do this project?
Example: Take the Student Advising Certificate Series by June 2012;Take Dreamweaver class by summer 2013; do an informational interview by August 2012; set up a project outline by July 2012
Write your short-term next steps
Write your mid-term next steps
CHANGES TO INITIAL PLAN
Resources – Section 4
What resources do I need?
Example: Release time; funding
Write your short-term resource needs
Write your mid-term resource needs
Time Schedule – Section 5
What is my time schedule?
Start When will I start?
Write your short-term time schedule
Write your mid-term time schedule
Finish When do I expect to finish?
Write your short-term time schedule
Write your mid-term time schedule
Completion – Section 6
When have I completed each step?
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
13
Guideline for completing your Career Development Plan
1. Goal – your specific, ultimate career goal. This should be focused and very clear.
2. Current education – all of the qualifications that you already have. Also include those that you are studying for, along with target grades.
3. Required education – the education/qualifications that you need in order to achieve your goal
4. Current skills/experience – any skills or experience you have that is relevant to your career goal
5. Required skills/experience – any skills or experience that you do not possess that you need to gain in order to achieve your career goal (this is your skills gap)
6. SMART Targets Setting
You need to set at least 4 SMART targets. This provides evidence for P4
a. Target 1 – this should be the first step you take in order to reach your career goal. It could be qualifications and/or skills and/or experience that you need to gain within the next 2 years.
b. Target completion date – write down a target completion date for each step in the process. This will help you to prioritise and keep on track. If the date alters slightly over the course, it doesn’t matter but you do need to have discipline to stay on track.
c. Target 2 – this should be beyond your previous step but still within the next 2 years. If you are unsure, look at your personal SWOT analysis as this may show you what other skills, etc. you need to gain. If you need further help, see your careers adviser.
d. Target 3 – this should be beyond your previous step and within the next 5 years. This may look beyond education and be more focused on jobs that you are considering.
e. Target 4 – this should be beyond your previous step but still within the next 5 years. Again, this may be job related.
You may add more than the four targets if you expect to have to do more in order to
complete your career goal. It is always a good idea to revisit your career plan after
every target is met and adjust it as necessary.
Ensure that your targets are SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time related. This provides evidence for P4.
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
14
THE CV
To achieve P2, you also need to complete a CV. Use the template on the following
page to help you to do this. The NC careers page on Moodle has examples of CVs.
There are also many good templates in Microsoft Word that you could use to
produce a very professional looking CV.
Here are some tips for writing your CV:
Keep it simple, concise and easy to read.
Tailor your CV to what the reader is looking for.
Present your CV professionally and clearly. Your CV will demonstrate how you can
communicate effectively.
Make yourself sound ideal for the job – describe the skills that you have that are
ideal for the job and the experience you have that is right for the job. You may also
describe your behaviour, attitude and morals if they match what the employer is
looking for.
It is a good idea to make a few notes of the sort of person you think the employer
might be looking for and then look at how you fit that role. The better a match you
are for the role, the more likely it is you will be called for an interview.
Never put anything on your CV that is not true! If you are called for an interview, you
may well be asked to prove your qualifications or be asked about your experiences.
Your CV must sell you to a prospective employer. Remember you are competing
against other applicants who are also trying to sell themselves. You have to make
yourself more appealing and attractive than the rest. Emphasise your characteristics,
achievements and capabilities. If you are finding it difficult, get some help from
somebody who knows you well.
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
15
CURRICULUM VITAE
Your full name
Your full address including postcode your home and mobile telephone
numbers
Your email address
Date of birth: Nationality:
Personal profile
This paragraph should cover:
what sort of person you are
how you are progressing towards your career aims
your work experience and any extracurricular activities you have been involved in
the skills and experience you are aiming to gain. Education and qualifications This should go from the present back to the age of 11 (or the start of
secondary school). It should include dates and the schools/colleges you
attended along with the qualifications that you have gained from each
institution. Work experience This should be a list of jobs that you have done, starting with the most
recent. For each job give your job title, the dates when you did the job, your
main responsibilities and the skills you gained. Skills This may include, for example, any languages you speak or IT skills you have. Interests and activities
This may include, for example, any team sports you play and any
travelling you have done. Be sure to explain what you have gained
(skills wise) from the experiences.
References
Available on request
Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business
16