Learning Outcome / Section 1:

Understand the importance of promoting personal development

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to me is about being open to continued learning and evaluating oneself within any job role. It is a lifelong commitment of learning and bettering yourself which doesn’t stop. CPD can be done through a wide variety of methods such as different formal methods; going to training to gain higher qualifications, attending cluster meetings, workshops or in-house training and informal methods; reading professional publications and keeping up to date on world news. I feel it is a journey that tracks the skills and knowledge and helps to reflect on and evaluate your practice. CPD I feel is important because as a growing professional, you have a responsibility to keep up to date with new research, ideas, legislations and practices so that you can be the best that you can in understanding your chosen profession, provide new creative ideas, encourage and adapt to change more smoothly therefore providing a high quality service to customers and colleagues. It also enables you to feel confident and good about one self. I believe a happy person/staff equals a happy working environment. It can also lead to better job opportunities and enhances self confidence.

AC 1.1

Assess the potential benefits to the organisation of developing individuals
To assess the potential benefits to the organisation I chose to look at the benefit of training the Harbour casual workforce in fork-truck operation staff retention and staff morale within the workforce.
The criteria I have chosen to assess the potential benefits to the organisation of developing individuals are: • Opportunities for promotion

• Reduced Damage level

• improved discharge rates

Trained Fork-Truck operators

The harbour workforce is made up of 2 distinct groups: - Full Time employees and a casual employee who are employed on a zero hour contract.

Casual employees who have been trained in fork-truck operations have a greater chance of work as most of the cargo handled in the port is done with forklifts. An employee who is trained is themselves more employable and is more likely to be offered a full time position. There is a marked decrease in damage levels to the products being handled by the operators who have undergone recognised training as opposed to those who have not received the proper level of training and as there are more trained operators the discharge rates improve dramatically as well as having the ability discharge several ships simultaneously.

Staff retention

Casual employees, through the nature of their contract, are notoriously hard to hold on to. They are required on an adhoc basis and as such have no security and no guarantee of future work. After the initial training period if there is not sufficient work within the harbour these people tend to go elsewhere for work so if we were to receive extra training and see the prospect of promotion they would stay on longer. With this longevity of employment damage rates are reduced because the operators are used to the working environment and there is an improvement in discharge rates as they are able to fulfil their roles more competently and no longer need supervised through the buddy system.

Staff Morale

Morale within the staff is a good indicator of how the company is viewed by the staff. If there are rumours of redundancies staff morale can be low and low staff morale is normally reflected in a lack of opportunities for promotion. With low morale you would normally see higher levels of damage to the cargo being handled and the discharge rate of the ships are very low. The opposite can be said of staff with a high morale. When work is busy and promotion is possible these staff will always be looking to see what opportunities are available to better themselves within the company through promotion. The personnel with a high morale fulfil their roles with greater care thus reducing potential damage and tend to work with a greater efficiency therefore improving the discharge rates on the ships.

In conclusion I would say that organisations that promote individual development are more likely to have happy motivated staffs that are willing to put more effort into ensuring the work is done as cost effectively as possible.

AC 1.2

Assess the benefits to the individual of personal development.
To assess the potential benefits to the individual I chose to look at the benefit of developing existing skills, learning new skills and being given greater responsibilities.
The criteria I have chosen to assess the potential benefits to the individual are: • Opportunities for promotion

• Earning potential

• Increased productivity.

Developing existing skills.

An example of developing an existing skill within the harbour would be for a 7t forklift operator to upscale to a 12t truck. If you were to do this it opens several avenues for internal promotion as12t drivers are normally advanced to Reach Stacker operators when the need arises. With the upscale to 12t your skills payment increases as well as the opportunity to avail of extra working hours on the larger ships therefore increasing your earning potential. To up skill you will receive a refresher course and a familiarisation course by a qualified instructor and this enables you to be more productive and efficient by reflecting on your learning and highlighting gaps in your knowledge and experience.

Learning new skills.

It is important for every organisation to have a skilled and flexible workforce. The ability to cover sickness, holidays and breaks while keeping costs to a minimum is crucial in modern businesses so offering training to all employees is beneficial. If you are willing to undertake training to learn new skills you are ensuring yourself for consideration of any opportunities for promotion. Because of the new skill and your ability to fulfil different roles your pay will increase and your potential for earning more will be greatly improved. As you get recognised training your productivity will increase again making you a more valued member off staff.

Given greater responsibilities.

Giving greater responsibilities to individual staff members is an excellent tool in developing individuals. These people thrive on the challenge and recognise the importance of being successful so therefore take these responsibilities seriously. They recognise that if they are able to carry out the tasks extra they will be assessed favourably in any future promotions. As the harbour pay structure is made up with basic pay plus a skills payment any new responsibilities that you are able to fulfil competently you will get a skills payment for in thus increasing your salary. With attaining greater responsibilities you would normally expect an initial decrease in personal productivity as you concentrate on gaining knowledge but as a norm you would expect your production to increase through time.

In conclusion I would suggest that individuals who avail of personal development are more likely to be offered promotion within the organisation, have a greater potential for increasing their earnings and are likely to be more productive and efficient employees.

Learning Outcome / Section 2:

Be able to plan for an individual’s development

In managing individuals it is often their specific needs and expectations that in many cases can only be partly fulfilled by economic rewards, thereby requiring a greater focus on job satisfaction, respect, and appreciation for contributing to an organization’s future performance and their own developmental challenges. As such setting and agreeing action plans and development opportunities for individuals will be an important management task for those responsible both for individual staff and team performance.

Burtonshaw-Gunn S. A. and Salameh M. A. (2015)

AC 2.1

Assess how to manage an individual’s expectations in respect to personal development

As Nathan is a relatively new employee within Warrenpoint Port he has already received some initial training. He started off with his Stevedore Training and as he showed the desire and aptitude to learn new skills he got a comprehensive training course on becoming a Container and cargo checker which he passed easily. He has also received training in operating the HGV Lorries within the port which strengthens his position as his skill set increases. Nathan has expressed a desire to be further trained in other aspects of operations namely

• Fork Truck.

• Nebosh qualification in Health and Safety.

• Line Handling training.

To assess Nathans expectations I am using 2 criteria,

• Beneficial to Individual

• Beneficial to Company.

There are several benefits to Nathan in becoming a Fork Truck operator. He will get an initial 5 day training course which if successful will be certified to operate a forklift anywhere in Europe. This training will increase earning potential but more importantly open up further chances of training within the port. The benefits to the company are, with more trained operators the skill set of the employees are increased, it make Nathan a more versatile operator and gives the Port greater flexibility within the operations and reduce the amount of damage to cargo.

For Nathan to attain his Nebosh Health and Safety qualification would be very beneficial to himself. This is a recognised qualification that is much sought after in the industry. There are currently no employees with this qualification so having this would put Nathan in a very desirable position both within the port and with other employers. Having an employee with this qualification would be extremely beneficial to the harbour. The port industry is recognised as one of the most dangerous working environments so having an in house qualification will reduce the need for outside agencies to assess the H&S requirements of the port.

Line Handlers fulfil a very important role within the port but as the hours are very unsociable many people do it only for a short period of time. It is essential that there are sufficient people trained and available to fulfil the role. There is a 4 hour initial training course followed by on the job training. It would be beneficial to Nathan as it complements his skill set and gives him the opportunity to increase his earning potential. As it is industry related it would be of little worth if he were to leave employment in the port. The port is always looking for employees to complement the this Line Handling pool, this is essential to cover holidays, weekends and out of hour call outs so having Nathan trained in this skill would be beneficial.

AC 2.2

Evaluate development vehicles in the organisation appropriate to the development needs of the individual
To evaluate the development needs of the individual we will look at the stated goals within his PDP and what systems are available within the organisation to best develop this plan.

• Fork Lift Basic Training,

• Nebosh qualification in Health and Safety

• Line Handling training.

The Harbour have In-House trainers so for Fork Truck training Nathan will take part in an internal formal training and development programme. The advantages of this type of course are:-

1 As the harbour have their own trainer, everyone is trained to the same standard.

2 A ratio of 3 trainees to 1 instructor is used. This takes pressure off individuals as they get to learn at the same rate as others on the course.

3 This is a cost effective way to train as there is no need for external trainers.

4 The trainers are accredited to outside bodies so any certificates issued are recognised throughout Europe.

The disadvantages of this are:-

1 The course runs for 5 consecutive days so getting 3 trainees and the trainer free for this is difficult in a demanding workplace.

2 This course covers basic training, there is still the need to cover Specific job training and Familiarisation training.

For Nathan to get his Nebosh qualification he will have to take part in an external training and development programme. The advantages of this course are:-

1 You are training with experts in their field thus ensuring a higher level of learning consistency.

2 You have a fixed training cost.

3 This is a universally recognised qualification.

4 The ability to do all your own Health and Safety Audits resulting in quicker identification of any problems.

The disadvantages of this course are:-

1 This can be a drain on the training budget as these courses are normally expensive.

2 External events do tend to involve travel expenses, paid leave and time during working hours to ensure assignments are completed.

3 Personnel need to be allocated to cover the person in the course which incurs more cost.

The Line Handling course is done with an Internal Coaching course which lasts 4 hours followed by mentoring with a buddy.

The advantages with this type of course are:-

1 This is a cheap way of training new people.

2 The course is quite quick so no additional people are needed to cover absence from work.

3 You get to learn most of the skills on job while being mentored by a work colleague.

The disadvantages are:-

1 You only get as much information as needed as the course is quite comprehensive.

2 Training is not transferable as it is industry specific.

3 After the initial training you are still reliant on the buddy system to ensure competence,

AC 2.3

Develop a plan to meet the identified development needs of an individual
Neil Fleming devised the VAK model of learning styles. An acronym that refers to Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic learning, the model suggests that students have different approaches to how they process information, referred to as “preferred learning modes” and realizes preferred learning modes have significant influence on their behavior and learning. Matching these modes with members’ styles will increase speed at which learning and understanding takes place.
Ferguson P. (2014)
Nathans VAK Results indicate him as having a visual learning style. This would indicate Nathan would learn through seeing and needs to create vivid mental images to retain information. He enjoys looking at maps, charts, pictures, videos, and movies also he has visual skills which are demonstrated in puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding charts and graphs, and has a good sense of direction. He should also be adept at sketching, painting, manipulating images, constructing, fixing, designing practical objects, and interpreting visual images.
After consultation between Nathan and Myself we agreed on his PDP.
See Appendix 1
For Nathan to get the best value from the courses it was decided to match the coursed with Nathans preferred learning style.

The first point that was agreed with Nathan was that he would get Basic Training in Forklift Operations. This is an intensive 1 week course and will take place in January 2016. The course involves theory and practical tests at the end of 5 days training. There will be 2 other trainees along with Nathan and they learn not only from the Instructor but also from watching each other on the truck.

Point 2 agreed was to accommodate Nathan in attaining his Nebosh Diploma in Health and Safety, As Nathan has a Degree in Construction and Engineering his ability to do this year long course in not in question. The next course starts in February 2016 and Nathan will have to travel to Belfast every Tuesday for 38 weeks and at the end of this he has an external examination to pass before he is certified.

The 3rd point on his PDP was the Line Handlers course and this will take place in January 2016. There are several employees who have requested this course and as it is a relatively easy course to complete this will be the first course Nathan will sit. After completion of the course Nathan will immediately be placed on the Line Handler Rotas so he can perfect the skills he will learn on this course.

In conclusion I would say as Nathan is starting out on his development he has chosen very specific goals within his PDP. If he is successful in attaining these targets he will have made himself a very important member of staff and will have greatly increased his earning potential both within his current employment and any future employer. The Nebosh General Certificate is a recognised Health and Safety qualification for those that work in all types of organisations so having an employee trained to this level in health and safety has the potential to significantly improve the management of health and safety in the workplace. As the Forklift course Nathan will attend is RTITB accredited again this is a recognised qualification for all types of organisations and will improve his employment prospects. The line handlers course is industry related so would be of little worth if he were to leave employment in the port but gives him a chance to strengthen his value as an employee while also increasing his earning potential.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Burtonshaw-Gunn S. A. and Salameh M. A. (2015) Essential Management Tools, Available at: http://www.essentialtoolsseries.com/view/0/esMgmtToolbox.html (Accessed: 13th December 2015).

Ferguson P. (2014) Teach Make a Difference, Available at:http://teach.com/what/teachers-teach/learning-styles (Accessed: 16th December 2015).