Harry

Foreman

Unit 9 Section A

Personal Development Plans

ASDA is an American owned British supermarket that is one of the UKs most successful
supermarket chains. It is the second largest supermarket by market share and has a share of
17.1%. (August 2013) In 1965 it merged with Aquith and this is where it formed its name.
Then in 1999 ASDA was bought by Walmart and became one of Walmarts subsidiary
brands. ASDA operates supermarkets, superstores and supercenters, and also offer an
online ordering service. This aims to help achieve their mission statement that is to be
Britains best value retailer exceeding customer needs, every day.
ASDA has around 18 000 employees and over 500 stores in the UK. It has its own clothing
range (ASDA George) and mobile service. (ASDA Mobile) Many stores do also have petrol
stations. ASDA is a very successful brand is taking every step it can possible to achieve its
mission statement and in this section I will discuss how they are doing this.

ASDAs Motivational Strategies and Techniques]
ASDA uses many financial motivational methods to encourage their staff and to motivate
them. Many motivational theories have suggested that workers respond to financial
incentives and as a result are much more interested in achieving the goals in order to
receive the reward. Some of these methods include, bonuses, shares, discount cards, and
pensions. By using these motivational methods the company aims to motivate their staff
and boost productivity. It also aims to boost job satisfaction and to make staff feel like they
are cared about.

One financial motivator that the company uses is staff bonuses. The purpose of this is to
reward staff for their hard working and loyalty that they have given to the company. A
bonus will be given to a store if they exceed the store plan and make a higher profit.
Using a bonus scheme can mean that staff may work harder and strive to make a higher
profit. This is because they know that the higher the profit that the store makes, the more
likely chance that they will exceed the stores plan and be entitled to a bonus. It encourages
staff to upsell their products and push sales. This means that staff may be more easily
retained as the bonus is an incentive to continue their hard work at the stores. It can
therefore improve staff relations when bonuses are given, as staff will most likely feel
rewarded for their hard efforts and feel like their hard work is recognised.

Harry Foreman

Bonuses do however entail a lot admin and finding a fair way to distribute bonuses is
difficult. For example there may be a worker within a store that works extremely hard, but
this hard work would not be recognised if the store as a whole is not successful. This could
lead to conflict between staff as they may feel that the scheme is unfair and that their
individual hard effort is not recognised. Giving bonuses does also mean that the business
loses profit because of the money being paid to their staff.
This motivational method therefore links to Taylors theory that staff are motivated by pay
and work harder if they get paid in relation to what they do. Taylor says that staff only work
for the money and that pay is at the centre of why they do what they do. ASDA therefore
respond to this idea and use the bonuses as a financial incentive to make staff work harder
and improve success of their stores.

Another financial motivator used by ASDA is giving their staff discount cards. The discount
cards allow employees to have 10% off and can also be used by immediate family. The
discount aims to save money for households and can be retained by any employee after 12
weeks working within the company.
Giving the staff discount cards therefore encourages employees to make purchases from the
store and therefore is more revenue for ASDA. The low discount also means that ASDA are
not going to lose out greatly if their employees shop with them frequently. By giving the
staff discounts it also means that ASDA employees feel like theyre cared about by the
company and this may be an incentive to work harder.
Dis-advantages of using the discount voucher can be that staff will get the voucher whether
they work hard or not and it will not necessarily make staff want to work harder. It will also
mean that stores will lose revenue by staff using their discount vouchers and the more staff
that work at a store, the lower profit that they will make.
This motivator can be linked to Maslows theory of the hierarchy of needs and could be
listed under social needs, this means that staff have a sense of belonging and feel like they
are part of ASDA. Maslow suggests that by achieving one level of the pyramid, the employee
will feel comfortable in getting higher.

ASDA also offers its employees a pension scheme and this means that the company will pay
into a pension plan as long at the employee does this too. Hourly staff get this after working
6 months for ASDA and ASDA will pay into pensions immediately for salaried staff.

Harry Foreman

Advantages of providing a pension scheme for ASDA employees are that the staff may feel
like the company cares for them and that they are looked after by ASDA. This should
motivate the employees more and encourage them to work harder for the company. A
pension may retain employees and this means that ASDA can build upon their staff and
really mould them to the ideal employee. If employees know that the longer they work for
the company, the more that goes into their pension, then this may encourage employees to
stay with ASDA for a longer period of time.
Offering ASDAs employees pension schemes does mean that ASDA do need to go through
with this promise and it does mean that profit is reduced because money is being put into
employees pensions. Even if the employee is not a good worker or ASDA is not performing
greatly, money will still have to be paid and this is bad because there isnt a way of avoiding
this issue. Many companies do also offer pension schemes to their employees and this
therefore doesnt make the offer very unique. A pension scheme probably appeals to quite
a niche collection of people and therefore may not act as much of a motivator.
Herzbergs theory suggests that businesses should have certain aspects put in place that do
not actually motivated staff but can de-motivate if not there. These aspects are called
hygiene factors and I would say that pension schemes do operate somewhat like a hygiene
factor. In larger businesses such as ASDA providing a pension scheme is somewhat
expected. Therefore by not providing this it could de-motivate the staff and lead to job desatisfaction. Providing the pension scheme therefore makes the employees feel cared for
and respected by the company.

Sharesave is a scheme that is offered to employees which allows them to pay into an
account every four weeks for 3 years. The end of goal of this is for employees to be able to
buy shares in Walmart that are worth anything between 5 and 250. The scheme
encourages employees to buy shares with the money saved but alternatively employees can
just withdraw the savings. ASDA have a big focus on encouraging their employees to make a
profit from these shares.
By giving the employees the opportunity to purchase shares will most likely make
employees feel more passionate about the company and encourage the employees to work
harder, to increase the companies success. It is also another way of making the employees
feel like they are cared about by the company. If more people purchase shares there will
also be another stream of income for the company and this will mean that revenue is
maximised.

Harry Foreman

There are not many dis-advantages of providing this service to employees and it is mainly a
positive way of attempting to motivate employees. Selling the shares at discounted rates
does however mean that ASDA dont receive as much revenue from selling shares.
Maslows theory of belonging can be introduced when talking about this as providing
employees with the opportunity to purchase dis-counted shares in the company means that
they may feel more cared for by ASDA and do feel like they are literally part of it. By staff
having shares in the business, it will also mean that they feel like they want it to succeed
and will strive hard to make the stores a success and achieve the businesses mission
statement.

ASDA also uses non-financial motivators to motivate their staff. Financial incentives do not
always motivate staff and these schemes are sometimes difficult to operate. These nonfinancial motivators range from providing good working conditions for staff to providing job
rotation and all aim to help employees satisfy their occupational needs.

The first non-financial motivator which I will discuss is flexible hours. This scheme allows
staff to change what hours they work to suit them and recognises the need for occasional
time off. They do say however that at peak times this may not be possible but ASDA do try
to accommodate staff where possible.
Allowing employees to have flexible hours means that ASDA can possibly use the staff in
busy times but also give them time off in quieter periods. This allows a better relationship
between the employees and employers and makes the employee feel like they are being
dealt with on more of a personal level. It again helps to retain employees as they will feel
like the company is caring and that they care for them in a way that Is quite personable.
By giving employees flexible working hours may mean that they could ask for time off in
times that are not suitable and this could cause conflict between the employee and
employer. For example a member of staff may never ask for time off but want it in the
holidays. (Such as Christmas or Easter) When the flexible hours are not given the staff may
feel slightly cheated because ASDAs promise to provide this hasnt been met.
Having flexible hours is therefore something that could also be linked to Maslows hierarchy
of needs and provides to a combination of safety and belonging needs. By providing flexible
hours for employees, they will feel like they are cared about and that ASDA are there to
support them. Having this provided to employees is also seen as a stepping stone to other
advantages that employees can take. (Such as flexi-time.)

Harry Foreman

Job enrichment attempts to give employees more responsibility and allows opportunities for
progressions and promotion. Instead of expanding their job vertically it aims to expand it
horizontally and therefore extend their job role. It gives employees a challenge and helps
them develop their skills which hopefully makes them more productive and a better worker.
The productivity of staff can therefore be increased and make employees feel like they have
been rewarded for their contributions to ASDA. The employees will most likely pick skills up
which can increase the likelihood of them getting more promotions in the future. It helps
ASDA nurture their staff and again build the ideal employee. It maximises the success of its
work force and hopefully equip staff with the best skills possible.
Enriching a job may mean that staff get de-motivated because they do not want this extra
responsibility. Workers may feel that they have been forced into the position and that ASDA
have just used them as an alternative to recruiting new staff. They may feel overwhelmed
and un comfortable by taking on a new role or responsibilities. Payment conflicts may also
arise as staff may feel like they are entitled to a rise in pay.
Herzbergs idea of hygiene factors and motivators could be linked to this incentive and job
enrichment could act as a motivator. Job enrichment gives employees the opportunities to
complete a wider range of tasks that are more complex and challenging. This therefore
motivates employees by giving them a greater sense of achievement.

ASDA offers its employees training and qualifications schemes that aim to develop
employees and equip them with the qualifications and skills needed to grow their career
with the company. They offer apprenticeships, an ASDA academy, graduate scheme, and
Colleague Steps program. This vast choice of development programs means that everyone
has a chance to join something and there isnt anyone who is not eligible to develop their
career.
Advantages of this scheme is that ASDA can develop the staff so that they are best for the
business and do not have to take new staff on for more technical jobs. They can also train in
an ASDA specific way and ensure that everything that employees are learning is linked to
ASDA. It also motivates employees to work harder as they will want to develop themselves
as an employee and will put more effort into what they do.
Providing this may stress out the employees however and not actually boost their
knowledge. It may therefore become a waste of time and resources and not be worth
providing this. The original job may also not be done as well as employees will be focusing
on their training.

Harry Foreman

Training and qualifying ASDAs employees can be linked to Mayos motivation theory. Mayo
developed the idea of employees not being treated just as workers but also as individuals
who need their social needs met. He developed the idea of providing human resources and
management nurturing and developing employees career. By providing the employees with
a scheme that trains and qualifies them means that their social needs are being met and it
aims to increase their happiness as a person.

Occupational health is a service offered to all ASDA employees and is concerned with the
effects the work has on employees health. ASDA uses a health provider that assists the
company when advising about health issues and also advises staff on managing their health
issues. They can advise employees on what support is needed to ensure they are working in
a healthy way and allow them to work effectively if returning to work.
By providing occupational health to ASDAs employees the company get a better image and
show that they do look after and care for their staff. It should make the employees feel like
they are cared for by the company and that there is support to look after them as a person.
It should also increase productivity as there is less chance of staff being off sick because of
work related injuries.
Occupational health may however cost quite a lot and take time to put in place. It will
therefore reduce time when needing to complete tasks related to the customer and will
reduce productivity in the short term.
Providing an environment that is safe and healthy for ASDAs employees to work in is
something that is extremely important but could be considered as a hygiene factor and
something that does not actually motivate employees but de-motivates if not present. This
idea can be linked to Herzbergs Hygiene philosophy and that certain things should be put in
place that do not actually motivate but prevent de-motivation.

Evaluation of ASDAs Motivational Strategies and Techniques
All of ASDAs motivational methods are not necessarily the most effective however some
are perfect and do motivate employees well. Alternate techniques may work just as well
and this is what I will now discuss.
The most effective motivator would probably be a bonus as this will most likely motivate the
majority of employees, as having an extra income is something that probably is quite
appealing to a lot of people. Bonuses should also boost productivity, as employees will most
likely want to work harder so that they can maximise the chances of them receiving a bonus.

Harry Foreman

There are not many dis-advantages of giving bonuses apart from the fact that the profit is
reduced somewhat. A store may therefore have to have higher projections in order to cover
giving bonuses if giving out bonuses is going to be challenging financially. I initially was
unsure how a bonus would actually be an incentive to part time workers but it is clear that
due to it being open to all staff it is an extremely good way of motivating staff and will really
encourage staff not only to work harder but also to be retained, as it is a unique
opportunity.
I would say that the least effective method of motivation would be providing a pension
scheme for ASDAs employees. This is because many of their employees wont find such
scheme significantly motivating and it will probably therefore not increase productivity. It
probably acts as more of a hygiene factor and could de-motivate if it was to be removed.
This is because a number of other companies (such as Mole Valley Farmers) also offer a
pension scheme and ASDA employees may question why they have not got one if it was not
offered. The scheme is also generally only appealing to the older generations and will most
likely not interest ASDAs younger work force. This could therefore mean that a pension
scheme is a waste of resources and that the motivational method may not be viable. From
learning about all of ASDAs other motivational methods I do therefore not see that this is
really needed and it probably does not have much of an impact in comparison to extensive
amount of other motivational methods that the company provide.
There are also some alternate options for motivating ASDAs employees that they do not
currently use.
One potential motivational strategy is to provide appraisals for all staff. This would mean
that staff could have either quarterly, 6 month or yearly meetings with their managers and
discuss what issues they may have and what they are also doing well. Goals could be set for
the staff and this could therefore motivate them and aim on increasing productivity. It
would make each individual staff member feel like they are cared about and ensure that
they are dealt with on more of a personal level. This could therefore be reflected in the way
the staff act within the company and hopefully create a better customer experience.
Appraisals would take time however and providing an appraisal for every single member of
staff within the business would take up a lot of time and resources. This is because the
member of staff that the appraisal is taking place on would have to be taken from the work
place, and then the person that was also undergoing the appraisal would also be have to be
taken out of operation. Productivity and customer satisfaction could then be impacted
because the amount of time the business would be without staff. There would also be
around 18 000 appraisals that would have to be taken place and all in all, this is a lot of time
the business would have to cope with staff not being there. If ASDA were to undergo
appraisals with all their staff, they may therefore have to look at doing them not that

Harry Foreman

frequently. The effectiveness of the appraisals may therefore not be that successful and
they may be a waste of time and resources however.
I think that appraisals would definitely benefit ASDAs employees if they were to take place,
but the impact upon the business may be too high to make them a viable process. I think
that if the organisation were to provide appraisals, that they would have to be not that
frequent and only available to certain members of staff. For example, part time staff having
appraisals may not be that necessary.
Special pay is another motivational method that could be introduced to ASDA. For example
staff could get paid for working un-sociable hours that arent pleasant. This could include
holidays, (Christmas and Easter) un-sociable hours or maybe even a Sunday. This would
mean that staff would feel that their special effort is recognised and that even though they
are working/ do work at un-sociable times, they are getting recognition for this and
therefore do need to provide the productive and attentive service that the company strives
to achieve. From looking at what ASDA do currently offer, I can see that there is not a lot
that is really like this and it could therefore be a good differentiator for the company in
regards to how they look after the staff.
Financial incentives are not always that viable to a business however and the company may
be better off if they were to look at non-financial incentives. Although financial incentives
are more or less going to guarantee satisfaction it could limit the companies success. This is
because if ASDA are having to increase their costs to pay staff extra amounts, then the
money that they can spend on developing the business may be lower. This is again, another
tick for tack scenario where it is unclear to what the best option would be for the
company.
I personally think that ASDA would do better off providing non-financial incentives to their
staff. I think that financial incentives such as bonuses are sustainable for a business but
offering special pay could be fatal to the business and only suitable at certain times such as
Christmas and Easter.
Leadership Styles
There are many different ways to lead and manage a business and these methods will most likely
have effects on the business. These styles can range from an autocratic approach to Laissez Faire
and all do again have a significant impact in how staff may act. ASDA does not necessarily use each
method of management but does definitely aim to alter management styles when possible or
depending on the situation.
One leadership style which can be used by management could be a autocratic approach. This is
where a manager would set an objective and insist on obedience and that a task should be
completed by the employees to the best of their ability. Examples of when this technique is used




Harry Foreman


could be in the military or uniformed forces where compliance and efficiency is vital in order for
something to be carried out properly. ASDA may not use this method of leadership that frequently
but there may be times that this is needed to be used. An example of this could be during an
emergency situation where a crisis needs to be managed quickly and efficiency. The manager may
therefore instruct staff on what to do and their compliance would be extremely important. This
could include a fire drill or medical emergency. It will therefore minimize further risk and manage
the situation well. It does mean however that staff may feel resentful to the person in charge and
possibly wont feel like complying with the manager as much. Employees may feel like they dont
have any freedom or that they are restricted into what their leader instructs.
Another management style that can be used is Democratic. Democratic leaders encourage
participation of their employees and want staff to make decisions themselves. This method of
leadership is possibly more adhered to by ASDA and is something that they try to do much more.
ASDA may do this when launching a new range and creating a display and ask the staff to be involved
and to give ideas for what a stand could look like. Other tasks may include making decisions about
changes in store management etc. Advantages of the democratic approach are that staff will most
likely feel involved in decision-making and feel like their opinion matters. This may therefore
motivates them and encourage them to work harder for the company. It also builds a better
relationship between staff and management and reduces the gap between the two levels. For ASDA
this leadership approach may not be possible all the time as they run a significantly tall hierarchy
and the chain of demand is extremely long. It would be extremely challenging to listen to everyone
as some opinions or advice may not be suitable and would possibly not help ASDA on a whole.
ASDA probably adopt the paternalistic style the most. This is where managers act in a way that is
authoritarian but do this for the sake of their workers, they do listen to opinions from their
employees and delegate responsibilities if appropriate. This approach means that management is
not so dictatorial and act as more of a leader or guide. Its a good way to manage staff and to keep
them satisfied and it is a softer way in installing authority that therefore often leads to better
employee motivation and satisfaction. This type of leadership can be linked to Mayos theory of
addressing employees needs and ensuring that they are satisfied within the workplace. A
paternalistic approach could be seen as being too soft and not strong enough. An autocratic style
may be more effective and ensure the success of the business. Although it is an authoritative style it
could possibly not be strong enough and not be successful. It may again still not satisfy employees as
they see what it is like to have minimal control and are not happy with the small amounts and will
demand more, this could therefore de-crease the workforce size. Managers may also not know
exactly what their staff want and make the in correct decisions. This could mean that conflict could
occur if something is not liked by the staff.
The last management style to discuss is called Laizes Faire. This style is the complete opposite to
everything discussed so far and allows workers to carry out tasks freely within broad guidelines. It is
an extreme of McGregors theory Y and is not really implemented as greatly in many businesses. It
will make staff feel less held down and restricted and encourages creativity and innovation. For the
creative industry it is most likely better having this management style, than being restricted and led
in an approach such as autocratically. This all means that employees can feel more empowered and




Harry Foreman


in control and not restricted by managerial input. It does however mean that managers do not have
as much control and may feel less valued because they are not utilized as much. Staff may therefore
go off track and not be as productive as they may have been if there was more managerial input.
They may also become off-track and therefore not exceed their full potential. Coasting could
therefore become a way that employees may operate and may not be fully committed to
maximizing their productivity.
I can conclude that a leader has to adopt different management styles relating to the particular
circumstance. If ASDA just used the Laizes Faire management style then they would probably not be
that functional. However an arts studio or creative industry using the style could work really
effectively and really improve the business. ASDA changing their management styles to suit each
situation is much better as managers would be perceived as being more diverse and flexible.

Conflict within ASDA
Conflict is likely in the workplace and can be caused because of certain reasons. Barriers
may have to be put in place to prevent this conflict and ASDA have many solutions for this.
As ASDA operates such a tall structure and have a long chain of demand,s there is likely to
be conflict because of this and issues may arise between directors and workers at the
bottom of the structure. The objectives of the organisation and the workers will also be very
different as the organisation will want to make a high profit and the staff will want
promotion and higher pay.
ASDAs employees and the organisation as whole are going to have very different objectives
and this is most likely, one of the main causes of conflict. This is because the organisation
will want to maximise profit and this means that they may choose to make cuts in order to
make a high profit, these cuts may therefore impact on the employees and therefore mean
that employees satisfaction within the company may be impacted. ASDAs employees main
objectives will be pay (as this is why they will be working for ASDA) and the potential
negative impact on employees pay could have a very negative spin on the companys
dynamics.
One area that could cause conflict could be profit vs pay. Workers may question what pay
they get and why they dont get paid more if the profit of the company is high. For example
in 2013 when ASDA made a record profit, staff pay didnt rise. (However when Lidl made a
record profit in 2014, staff did receive a pay rise) This therefore caused conflict as staff
didnt understand why pay hadnt been increased. The staff could therefore lose faith in the
company and not work as well for ASDA. This could therefore affect customer satisfaction as
the job being done by the staff may not be done as well.

Harry Foreman

Redundancies may also be another cause for conflict. ASDA may need to remove staff if they
cannot afford to pay their wages, this can therefore cause conflict as staff that are liked by
fellow colleagues may leave and this could cause conflict between the company and
remaining employees. Employees may therefore feel resentful towards ASDA and act
conflictingly. Because of ASDAs tall structure this does not tend to be as greater issue and
ASDA can use the technique of natural wastage. Although this is not a redundancy, staff will
not be replace after their departure and this staff could then feel resentful as their
responsibilities and job weight may increase.
Conflict could be caused by working hours, and staff being told to work hours that may not
necessarily suit them. For example ASDAs busiest day will be most likely be a Saturday, this
is because of people are off work for the weekend. A higher amount of staff will be needed
to operate the stores and this will mean that certain staff will have to work the weekend.
This means that workers (who especially have families or are students) will be resentful in
working on the weekends as they will not be able to spend time with people at home. This
could cause conflict between mangers and employees and also affect the quality of the
staffs work.
Competency and personality clashes could mean that staff do not get on well and therefore
do not complete the job at hand to a good standard. For example fellow staff may not think
that a job being done by a colleague is not being done very well and that the employee is in
competent. This could cause conflicts and sides could be taken. This would not be good for
ASDA as the team work ethic wouldnt be great. Managers may therefore adopt an
autocratic approach to managing their staff which could cause conflict between
management and staff. This would therefore make the working environment not very nice.
As mentioned earlier ASDA therefore have developed resolutions to solve/ prevent conflict
which means that if conflict does occur, there a methods put in place which can stop them
from happening.
A competency/ disciplinary procedure ensures that if an employee does something that is
against the companys policies, then there is a path to follow. A discussion may first take
place and discuss what has be done and that it should not be done again. This aims to work
on the issue in a friendlier manner. If this does not work and the employee continues to do
what is wrong, then a further meeting may take place and the employee will receive a
written warning. The employee can then see the procedure and how far they have until they
may lose their job. Eventually if nothing has changed and the employee continues to do
what they have been told not to then action will take place and they may lose their job. This
shows that ASDA are quite pro-active about removing conflict and that they are fair when it
comes to warning staff about what is not acceptable. I think that this technique is a good
idea and that it is fair on the staff and gives them a good idea of what they can do. It may

Harry Foreman

however be hard to track what is a verbal warning. It also could be challenging to decide
whether it is appropriate to follow through with the procedure and sanction staff or operate
an immediate dismissal.
If staff have complaints about a fellow member of staff they can follow grievance
procedures which allow formal complaints to be made about somebody. This means that if
conflict occurs between staff then there are measures put in place to eliminate them. For
example if a manager was very autocratic but did this in a very harsh and intimidating
manner, then a member of staff may want to inform senior management about this and the
managers could be put on disciplinary plan.

Bibliography
Business Studies Fourth Edition Ian Chambers +David Gray
ASDA Staff Benefits Book
ASDA Staff Handbook
ASDA Outside Speaker
https://www.bing.com/
https://www.google.co.uk/
tutor2u.net/business
http://greenroom.asda.com

Harry Foreman

Unit 9 Section B

The Team Activity

During my unit 13 Applied Business coursework I have been taking part in a team
activity by planning, running and evaluating an event for year 12 students. Our team
consists of Elliot, who is acting as deputy team leader and finance manager,
Charlotte acting as administrator and transport coordinator and I am the team
leader and marketing manager. By acting as team leader, I am responsible for
ensuring that everything is organized and overseeing the completion of everything in
order to run a successful event. This is so nothing is forgotten and everything is done
properly. The role of marketing manager is so the trip is promoted well and our
target market are aware of what we are offering. Responsibilities involve trip
presentations and communicating with parents. A deputy team leader is responsible
for being there if the team leader is struggling and acting as the second level of
authority. He will also assist in making decisions and further organization
requirements. The finance manager will be responsible for calculating costings,
creating a balance sheet and also be in contact with the schools finance team to
justify figures. Finally, Charlottes responsibilities are more logistical. She needs to
have contact with the trip operators and keep organized with regards to paperwork.
Our aims for the event are as follows;

To financially break even.

To provide a detailed case study for the AS unit 1 Applied Business exam.

To run a successful event to enable us to achieve a good grade in our A2 unit 13
Applied Business coursework.

To be organized and well planned for the event.

To ensure students are satisfied with the event that we provide.

To manage ourselves we are using documents such as Gant charts and critical path
analysis sheets. These are helping us to keep within deadlines and are assisting with
regards to certain time frames. We are taking about 3/ 4 months to plan the trip.
This means that we have plenty of time to iron out any potential issues and we will
then run the trip in January 2016. We have used many technologies to plan the
event. We have communicated with the venues by email and phone and used excel
to create the Gant Chart and other costing sheets.


Working in a Team

Definition of Team

A group of people with a full set of complementary skills required to complete a

task, job, or project.

Harry Foreman

Working in a team is very different to operating as a group. Team working means

that commitment is needed to achieve a common goal and there is a high level of
involvement and commitment from all members. It is extremely important that our
team works together effectively so that the event is successful and the target market
are satisfied with the trip we run. Commitment and loyalty is therefore a priority.

Benefits of working within a team for the Unit 13 event are that we are all working
towards the same aims and that we all want to achieve very similar things. (In
particular To run a successful event to enable us to achieve a good grade in our A2
unit 13 Applied Business coursework.) This means that say someone had a
weakness, others may have this as a strength. Our team can, therefore, work
together and ensure that no one is in difficulty. Sharing the workload does also mean
that there is a lower chance of work not being completed and we can help each
other if we get into difficulty. Working independently could also be seen as an
advantage as by not having a teacher or team leaders constant supervision means
that we have more responsibility and, therefore, will be more motivated to do well
and be organized.

There are however disadvantages to working within a team. One issue that we have
experienced is that team members have left the course and this has consequently
lead to each team member's workload increasing. We started off the A2 course with
a team of 5, 2 students then left and this meant that we had to take on their roles
ourselves. This could lead to tasks not being completed effectively. Communication
is also another issue because we are relying on each others input and commitment.
If we are not aware what others are doing, then the trip may not run as planned and
mistakes may be made. Personality clashes can also then occur, as team members
may get frustrated with each other. The team leader's management style may
therefore not be as effective and team members may become resentful.


Team Working Theory

Many theorists have developed the idea that teams operate in a conventional way
and that certain people will adopt certain roles naturally because of their personality
or interests.

Meredith Belbin was one theorist that developed a team working theory that looked
at the different roles that people adopt when in teams. He identified 9 different
team roles and suggested that if a team had all these roles, then it would most likely
work effectively. He divided these 9 roles into three different groups. An
Action-orientated team member is someone that likes to get on with tasks and
spend little time planning or likes to see a project right to the end. A
People-orientated team member is someone who is more involved with the people
within the team and has good communication skills. They want to ensure that group
functions get on well together. Finally Cerebral team members tend to think about
the task more and more logical.

Harry Foreman

The 9 team member personalities are as follows;

Shaper This is a person that will enjoy pressure and being challenged. They will
thrive on pressure and this encourages obstacles to be overcome. They can be seen
as slightly rude and could offend others as they are striving for the best, and only the
best.

Implementer The implementer is somebody that is quite disciplined and efficient.
They will be the first person to turn ideas into practicality. They can be somewhat
inflexible and slow to respond to new possibilities.

Completer Finisher A completer finisher is a team member that is quite
conscientious and will search out errors to fix. They can worry and be reluctant to
take responsibility but will always deliver on time.

Coordinator This is someone that is mature, confident and a good contributor. They
will delegate well and make good decisions. They could be seen as off-loading
personal work and being somewhat manipulative.

Team Worker A team worker is someone that is cooperative and a good general all
rounder. They are diplomatic but could be slightly weak in crunch situations.

Resource Investigator Someone that is extraverted, enthusiastic, and a good
communicator. The could however be slightly too optimistic and could loose interest
when initial enthusiasm has passed. They will explore opportunities however and
develop contacts.

Plant A plant is someone that creative and imaginative. The enjoy solving difficult
problems but could be too pre-occupied to communicate.

Monitor Evaluator This is someone that will make a judgment and do this accurately.
They will look at all the options available and be strategic. They may however lack
drive and not inspire others as much.

Specialist This is somebody that comes up with skills particular to the project. They
are self motivated and could dwell on certain technicalities.

We all carried out a Belbin test to identify what type of team player we are to see
whether the roles that we have taken are suited to us. I was a team worker, and
Charlotte and Elliott were identified as being implementers. I think that the Belbin
results were accurate and did confirm that we were all possibly in the right positions.
I think that the team leader should hold team worker attributes as I need to
cooperative. It could act as a weakness however because in difficult situations I may
need to take control and if I do not do this successfully then the success of the event
could be at risk.

Harry Foreman

Our team (the cells in white) do have quite similar roles for the Belbin test. This
could work against us because we may not have enough diversity as we are all quite
similar. It does, however, mean that dynamics may be better because we all want
similar things and may work in similar ways.

The Belbin test does show that people within the team will have different wants and
needs, with regards to their objectives, and the organisational needs as a whole. For
example, there is a risk that a member of the team may have the sole aim of getting
a good mark in their coursework and not actually providing a appealing and
enjoyable trip for the students. For example, they may choose to bi-pass the market
research and just go with the easier/ safer options. This may make the trip more
reliable, but could affect the enjoyment of the trip for the students. I could be
someone that be at risk at adopting this trait as I am a completer finisher. I may be
relucatant to change and therefore impact on ideas coming from someone such as
Eliott who is a plant and is quite creative and imaginative, and therefore will be open
to lots of ideas.

Different funstional areas will also prioritise operations differently. For example,
Charlotte may see booking the coach as the main priority, when I may see that
getting marketing done and students signing up to the trip as more important. This
therefore suggests that creating documents such as Gant charts will mean that we
will all be working to one plan and that potential difficulties can be ironed out before
they become an issue.

It is therefore clear that discussing and sharing opinions is really important as we are
all going to have very different ibjectives, and if all these objectives are taken into
consideration, then the success of the trip should be higher and everyone should be
in more agreement and that there is less chance of conflict. Ways to go about this
could include, having frequent meetings to discuss objectives and progress, ensuring
that everyone is listened to when decisions are being made or maybe even writing
down everyones individual objectives then combining these and trying to think of an
overall objective whilst also frequently taking into account others objectives
throughout the process and then ensuring that everyone is satisfied with the
progress of the group activity.

Having two implementers does mean however that efficiency should work well and
tasks will be completed when assigned. The decisiveness of the team could be
affected however as Charlotte and Eliott may not be as open to change and could be
slow to respond to new possibilities. They should ensure that all tasks are completed

Harry Foreman

however and we should therefore not struggle as much when it comes to completing
tasks.

Myself being a team leader means that being a team worker and complete finisher is
good as I can direct and get on with people well. This should mean that we should
have good team dynamics and I will be able to get on and cooperate with the team.
If there is a conflict it should also mean that I could assist to resolve this. I am also a
complete finisher, this means that I should hopefully get the work completed
properly and will ensure that it is completed by deadlines. By acting as team leader, I
can hopefully direct my team well and they should hopefully follow the same
example and I can help ensure this. I may, however, be slightly weak in crunch
decisions and may, therefore, need help from my deputy team leader.
We do not, however, have any team members that are monitor evaluators. Our
team could not, therefore, be as strategic and look at the entire picture. When it
comes to planning ahead we may, therefore, fall down and not be as prepared for
the next stage of the planning. This could affect the success of the trip as a whole
and mean that we may be unprepared for certain aspects of the event. We also
dont have Plants in our team that could mean that creativity could be at risk. This
could mean that creating new ideas and innovation could be one weakness the team
has. Plant is my third highest team trait however and this could mean that I could
have some input too.

Adair John Adairs theory suggest that leadership is divided into three categories,
these three categories need to be covered by a leader in order to manage staff well.
The three areas Adair identified are; Individuals within the group, the achievement
of a task and the management of the team. If one of these three areas is ignored
then there is a strong chance that the success of team members is at risk, see
diagram below demonstrating Adairs theory.

Task This suggests that the leader should make it clear what the task is that needs to
be complete, with specific reference to the aims. A plan should be set that will
outline what needs to be done and when this needs to be done by. The leader
should hand out responsibilities to team members and this should include what is
expected of them. The manager will then oversee the progress of the task and keep
the team focused. To ensure that we were on track with the task we created a Gant

Harry Foreman

chart. Me acting as the team leader, the kept kept track of our progress and
frequently referenced documents such as the Gant chart, critical path analysis and
checklists that we created.

Team The team leader should delegate the roles to the correct team members and
ensure that each team member knows what is expected of them. If the roles people
are given arent appropriate then the team leader should look at changing the roles
so that the team can operate as effective as possible. The leader should make it clear
what their expectations are of their staff. If expectations are not met then a team
leader may choose to discipline or discuss improvements. Finally, training should be
given by the team leader if appropriate and this will mean that the task will be
carried out by the standard required. The team leader should continue to give
feedback and set a standard to be followed. I possibly should have ensured that I
was allocating roles that were more suited to each member of staff when we were
looking at who should take what role. This was because there were some tasks that
should have possibly been undergone by a different member of staff as it would
have meant that the task could have been completed more efficiently.

Individual This part of Adairs theory suggests that leaders need to get to know and
understand each team member within a team and understand their wants and
needs. They should, therefore, be able to help them if the have any difficulties or
concerns. The team leader should then decide on responsibilities for the team
member to take and then take into consideration what sort of person the team
member is and what roles would suit them best. `the team leader should then
develop each team members strengths through systems such as personal
development plans. This doesnt just develop the relationship between the leader
and the team member it should also motivate staff and make them feel like they are
cared about by their leader, therefore improving relationships. They may also choose
to encourage less confident team members to contribute more at getting more
confident. While doing this, calming down stronger team members and giving them
the skills to act as more of a team player. We therefore carried out frequent
meetings as a team to discuss progress and anything that each other should be
aware of. This meant that we could operate as a team effectively and therefore be
aware of each others progress and address any issues that team members may be
face. I encouraged team members that were less confident to have a key
responsibility for the event and by doing this ensuring that they are comfortable, yet
still being challenged.

Adair also stated that aspects such as planning, controlling, initiating, supporting,
evaluating and informing are extremely important and these are the core functions
that a leader should possess. This theory is quite universal and can apply to many
situations. This means that many styles of management can be looked at, Adairs
theory is quite relevant to our event. Leaders can, therefore, use this theory to
manage how they operate. They may realize that they are too focused on one task
or goal and need to look at the individuals more. The model may not always be
appropriate and there may be certain times when all is needed is an informal
meeting between staff. The informal meeting would also provide opportunities for

Harry Foreman

minutes to be taken which would also mean that issues could be identified, or a
particular aspect could be clear that it needs to be worked upon.

Blake and Mouton look more at managerial personality traits and focus on how
suited a person may be to lead a team. After taking a questionnaire, results are
plotted onto a grid called the matrix structure. This then shows what leadership style
the person has and what sort of areas they manage the best. Most managers should
be in the middle of the grid and this means that they should care equally about the
task in hand and the people they are managing, The types of managers that feature
in this grid are impoverished, authoritarian, team leader and country club.

Country Club This is a type of person that focuses on the people more than the task
itself. Using rewards will be how they form relationships but they may not be as
strong at disciplining their staff. All in all a country club leader would operate best if
controlling a group of well-motivated employees.

Team Leader This is someone that will score highly overall and be positioned
somewhere within the middle of the structure. The people and the task will be as
equally important to them and they will operate well when working to deadlines.

Impoverished This is somebody that ranks low in relation to both people and the
task. Although this isnt overly good, it will work as strength when the job has a
creative aspect and staff wish to be delegated sub roles.

Authoritarian This is somebody that will score lower with people but high in relation
to the task. They will be quite authoritarian and be extremely motivated to get the
task completed to the best of everyones ability. Authoritarians will operate best in
situations with new staff or when safety is a priority. (Armed Forces)
An advantage of using Blake a Moutons method is that managers can easily identify
their strengths and what they do well. They can then ensure that they are in the
right place and are managing the right tasks. On the other hand, it could also identify
weaknesses that employees may have and give the employee an idea of what they
may need to work on order to develop themselves as a manager. The grid is not

Harry Foreman

however totally accurate and doesnt cover every leadership style. This could mean
that the results may not be realistic and could misjudge employees.

I, therefore, completed the test to see whether me acting as the team leader is a
good strategy for the team. The results showed that I am authoritarian but only 2
away from being a team leader. This is good as it ensures that I do hold the
completion of the task importantly and that when it comes to being motivated and
encouraging success I can thrive. I could, however, be slightly too authoritative at
some points and not manage the team as well as could be. I, therefore, need to be
aware of this and need to aim to be a team leader at the same time as being
authoritarian. This means that ensuring I dont come across as being arrogant is
really important as my team may see me as more of an annoyance than an actual
help or leader. I did however only score about 2 points away from being a team
leader and this means that I am not totally incompetent at managing people. I
personally think that I am quite fair with my team members and that I am a good
leader. I would possibly score differently if I was being observed and not complete a
questionnaire to identify what role I am. This could be a weakness to the
questionnaire.

McGregor McGregors theory can be linked to our unit 13 team. His X and Y theory
looked at two very different management styles. Theory X managers were quite
authoritarian and autocratic and always look for more from their employees. They
quite frequently look for the best in workers and see them as being lazy and work
avoiders. Theory X workers are not seen as being very ambitious and dont really
want to take responsibility. They will seek guidance and instructions and managers
will most possibly take the autocratic approach. Theory Y managers will, however, be
the complete opposite and lead in more a democratic way. They will be more
involved with their employees and seek opinions and ideas from their team. They
will see their employees as being ambitious, self-motivated and innovative. These
two types of leadership are simple yet two extremes and both have positives and
weaknesses to operating in a particular way.

I would say that I have been operating as more of a theory Y manager and have been
quite involved within the team and have aimed to encourage individuality and
innovation. My team work individually in subgroups and tasks are quite individually
lead. I do however give certain members of the team specific tasks to complete and
this could be an aspect of theory Y. This does ensure that tasks are completed and
we dont get behind. For example, when we had to create a critical path analysis I
got everyone to sit together and we did it as a team. This may not have happened if
there wasnt the guidance from me and we may have struggled and done it
individually. Being heavily a theory Y leader could have some impact on the team as
direction will be needed at some points as strong direction may be essential to
ensure that we dont come across difficulties. This could include communication
between departments and ensuring that everyone is aware of what everyone is
doing. For example, if Charlotte in the transport department doesnt source coaches
till the last minute, then it will be difficult to get information out to the students
quickly as we will not be able to give them a visit cost. I will, therefore, need to

Harry Foreman

adopt a theory X style if needed as this could be the make or break of the event. A
time when a theory X style may be essential could be if team members become
unmotivated and productivity plummets. Theory X would mean that we could work
on the lack of productivity and get the team more motivated.


Leadership Styles

There are multiple types of leadership styles and these all have different effects on
the team. The team leadership styles I could take are; autocratic, democratic,
paternalistic, laizes faire, proactive and reactive.

Autocratic This is a leader that takes a very authoritarian approach to how they
manage people. They will expect respect and make decisions for the whole team
without asking team members. Autocratic approaches are similar to McGregors
theory Y. This leadership approach would work well in situations where there are
deadlines and tasks need to be completed efficiently, also when safety is priority an
autocratic manager may be most appropriate. Teams such as those in the
emergency services will most likely utilize an autocratic approach as this is because
everyone needs and must work as a team and to ensure this a strong and
authoritative leader is essential. Having such a strict leader could mean that
employees could feel resentful towards the manager and not want to respect their
leadership. This could then affect the team dynamics quite significantly and conflicts
could occur within the team. Creativity could then be affected as team members
may not be able to express their thoughts and the management will control all
decisions.

Democratic A democratic leader is basically the complete opposite to an autocratic
manager and aims to include everyone within the team and encourages decisions
and ideas to be made by individuals. Employees are encouraged to share their ideas
and be creative, and this all aims to lead towards a positive and friendly working
environment. By making everyone feel involved and cared about should, therefore,
give team members the incentive to work harder because they should feel like they
are cared about by their management. The only disadvantages for this management
style could be that it will be logistically difficult. For example getting each individual
team members opinion could be hard and they may not feel like they are being
listened to. The decisions may also not be suitable and inexperienced staff may
make decisions that may affect the success of the final outcome.

Laisez Faire This is an extremely relaxed method of leadership and is much more laid
back with concerns to managing team members. It enables the team members to
make decisions for themselves and little guidance is given by management. This
leadership style is probably more suitable for self-motivated people and not staff
that need that human interaction and management input.

Paternalistic This approach has much more of a focus on the team members as
individuals and leaders will look at the social needs of their team members much

Harry Foreman

more. Team leaders will make decisions in relation to what individuals are looking
for and want to understand team members views. Team members will feel looked
after by their team leader but will not have the sense of responsibility that they may
of have if they operating under a democratic manager.

Proactive/ Reactive Proactive and reactive leaders refer to how decisions are made
and whether the manager is a quick thinker or if they take the time to weigh up the
advantages and disadvantage of a decision and then make it. Below is a table that
contrasts the two management styles.

A reactive leader will make decisions quickly and this means that in crunch
situations, decisions will be made fast and that management wont waste time trying
to make a good decision. Proactive leaders will be the complete opposite however
and will take time coming to a conclusion. They will ensure that they have made the
correct decision and will consider all possibilities, whilst also considering team
members. A reactive leader would be essential in an emergency situation where
quick thinking and decisiveness is essential.

The ideal leader will be able to utilize all types of leadership styles and be able to use
the correct style where appropriate. For example in a situation where ideas need to
be made, a laizes faire style would be most appropriate as staff would feel relaxed
and creativity may flow more. However at a time where a deadline is imminent then
an autocratic/ paternalistic style may be more effective.

I have tried to adopt a democratic style of leadership when in our team as I have
wanted to get everyones opinion and not wanted to overpower anyone or to
restrict anyones ideas at all. If we need to make a decision then I will try to get the
whole team together and we will discuss what the potential outcome should be and
what decision we should make. If we are coming to a deadline or something needs
to be completed I may take more of a paternalistic approach and this means that I
am more encouraging and am ensuring that team members are on track and aware
of what needs to be done and when this needs to be done by. I am possibly a bit too

Harry Foreman

overpowering sometimes and can become a bit too autocratic. I, therefore, dont
pass on enough responsibility to my team members because I want to do it in a way
that I want it to be done. I should therefore possibly be more aware of this and
restrict myself from being autocratic when I feel that I am becoming too
authoritative and not giving my team members enough responsibility. So far we have
not really had any conflicts in the team and there has been little disagreements
amongst ourselves. This may be because I have managed to manage the team well
and been able to find compromises between each other so that everyones opinion
is listened to and that we are making decisions as a team.

One issue that I did have was that I didnt plan ahead enough and didnt have clear
plans of what the team needed to achieve. Adopting more of a proactive leadership
style may have therefore meant that I would have been more forward thinking and
would be prepared for all aspects of planning the event. This would of most likely
meant that everything would of ran much more smoothly and tasks may not be
rushed and instead planned on time. Although we did create documents such as
Gant Charts and Critical Path Analysiss they didnt exactly get stuck to. By acting as
more of a proactive leader I may have therefore stuck to timings more and,
therefore, got tasks completed better and to a higher standard. A proactive leader
may have also ensured that if a member of staff was not present, that the team
would not be significantly disadvantaged. When one of our team members was away
it did affect us however and this probably shouldnt have happened. If I had been
more forward thinking than I would have planned for this and we may not have
came into as much difficulty.


The Role of Meetings

Meetings can either be held formally or informally. A meeting that is held formally
will be thoroughly structured and well documented through reports such as minutes.
The process that the meeting will be held will begin with a time being secured for
the meeting, a venue will be set and an invitation will be sent out to all attendees
along with the agenda to the meeting. On the actual day of the meeting the venue
will be set up and anything needed for it will be put together. For example, a
presentation may be put up onto a screen. The chairperson of the meeting will then
begin and each item on the agenda will be discussed. As said, notes will be taken of
the meeting and these will summarize what is being discussed and agreements
made. At the end of the meeting, the floor will be opened for any other business to
be discussed. (AOB) The minutes will be sent out to all attendees of the meeting and
action points will be set. These will then be discussed in the next meeting and
progress will be identified.

An informal meeting will be fairly similar to a formal meeting, but it just will not be
so thoroughly planned and happen more spontaneously. It may happen if there is a
particular issue or a part of business needs to be discussed. Notes may be made
during the meeting but they may not be made by a specific person and there
consequently wont be a specific chairperson in charge.

Harry Foreman

Meetings are not always necessary and are sometimes a waste of time, this means
that valuable time could be wasted and this could lead to a lack of productivity.
Quite often meetings may also overrun and this could again lead to a lack of work
time and insufficient productivity. Meetings are also not always necessary.For
example, if meetings are pre-planned and scheduled and happen weekly then there
may not always be points for discussion and it, therefore, could be an unproductive
use of time. Other issues from having meetings are that not everyone will always get
to have their say as some people will most likely overpower others and quieter
people may therefore not get to have their say.

We rarely undertook formal meetings when working on the event and this was
simply because we never had decent time to undergo one. We, therefore, carried
out many informal meetings at the beginning of the lesson. These just fell into place
and didnt get planned or coordinated before hand. By acting as team leader, I would
write down a few points for discussion and then chair the meeting. In these
meetings we would discuss what we wanted to achieve in the lesson and if anything
had happened since the last time we met. This could include contact being made
between an external company such as Beeline Coaches or the Millennium Stadium.
We also used this time to make decisions and to debate any topics that need to be
decided upon. With concerns to the outcomes of the meetings, I would hand out
tasks to people and give the particular team members responsibilities and tasks I
wanted them to complete before the next time we met.

Regarding the success of our meetings, they were always quite productive and we
did always achieve the targets that we set out for the meeting. We did make
important decisions in the meetings and when deciding who needed to complete
what, we did this well. The meetings enabled us to voice our opinions and meant
that everyone within the team got their say when we needed to make decisions. It
was, however, hard to always include every team member in each decision we made
as there were times when members of the team were absent and, therefore, were
not able to attend the meeting. This meant that some decisions were made which
the absent team members didnt agree with. Time was then wasted and we werent
able to be as productive as we could have been if team members were present
during the times in which we discussed plans originally. Another issue that we came
across was that I didnt always plan for meetings well and this meant that either;
meetings were needed and didnt happen, or they happened, but the time wasnt
used effectively. We could therefore not progress that quickly as certain aspects that
needed to be discussed werent, and we were not completely aware of what each
other were doing. For example, we rarely had an agenda. This meant that people
couldnt be prompted and they might not remember to discuss something that they
plan to do later on in the week. This lead to ill communication as in the next
meeting, individuals would feed back what they had done and the team had little
input.

We, therefore, could have probably aimed to carry out more formal meetings and
not just have informal meetings the majority of the time. This would mean that we

Harry Foreman

could ensure full attendance and that we would have an agenda to discuss and
minutes to be made which will identify targets. Meetings would, therefore, be more
focused and have more aims. We could set goals and have targets to aim for.
Undergoing frequent formal meetings could, however, be quite time-consuming and
could waste valuable project time. We could, therefore, spend too much time
planning what we need to achieve than actually achieving it. I could also look at not
always running meetings myself and allocate the chairperson to different members
within the team. For example, I could hand the meeting over to Charlotte and she
could run a meeting on how transport is progressing. Charlotte could identify any
areas that she feels needs to be focused on and hand out any tasks that she thinks
needs doing. This again, could be quite time-consuming and focusing on just one
aspect of the trip may not benefit us as much. Nevertheless everyone would be
aware of each individual task that needs to be completed if we did complete formal
meetings like this and this would mean that the overall success of the task would
most likely be maximized.


Conclusion

Our trip to the Millennium Stadium will be running in late January. At the moment,
we will be running this trip on Thursday 28th January 2016. At first, we planned to
run the trip on Friday. (29th) This was not possible however because a member of
our team had other commitments. We, therefore, spoke to the Millennium Stadium
and coach company and were able to bring it forward a day. We did also originally
plan to have the trip only open to year 12. This meant that we were going to have to
travel to Cardiff by minibus as we couldnt use a coach as this would make the ticket
price too high. We then spoke to our teacher and decided that we could open the
trip up to year 9 and 10 business and economics students. This meant that we could
use a coach and did not have to charge an extortionate amount to purchase a place
on the trip. As Cardiff is quite a long way by road it will make the journey much more
comfortable for ourselves and the students and mean that the trip is much more
appealing to the students the trip is available for. This meant we could agree on a
price of about 22. This meant that we will break even and that we can achieve our
aim of To financially break even.

I would say that I took quite an autocratic style approach to how I managed the team
and this meant that everyone always had something to do. This meant that our
productivity levels were high and that we were always achieving. I would sit down
with my team at the start of each lesson and list what I thought needed to be
completed in that lesson. I think it worked well and ensured that we succeed. We did
always have informal meetings at the beginning of lessons which also allowed us to
all feedback what we had been doing in the last week and what we planned to do
over the next coming days. This enabled us to discuss what needed to be done and
what we needed to improve. We didnt, however, let these meetings take over and
we prioritized the completion of tasks more than planning. This may of not
necessarily be the best approach to take, but all in all it did work in our favors.

Harry Foreman

I possibly could have taken more of a democratic role at some points however and
handed over responsibility to other members of the team. This may have made them
feel more empowered and motivated. For example, at first, I thought that I should
be present in every presentation that we do to promote the trip to the lower school.
However, when I was doing these presentations, I realized that the team members
were perfectly capable and there was no need for me to be present at every single
presentation we did. I, therefore, did not attend each presentation. I, therefore,
could evaluate that I possibly should have detached myself more for the whole team
activity and empowered team members more.

If our team were to organize another event then there are certain aspects which Im
sure we would change, but there are other (many) parts that we would keep the
same. One area that could be possibly be improved upon would be meetings. I
would say that we didnt undergo enough meetings and were in need of a greater
number of formal meetings. We would have then been clearer of what we needed to
do and had documents such as minutes that we could have referred to during the
week. Formal meetings would have also meant that we would have an Agenda to
discuss and that meetings would have a purpose. They would have meant that we
wouldnt waste time but actually benefit from them and could have been more
focused. Nevertheless having more meetings would take up a considerable amount
of time and we could lose out on productivity if we spent all our time in meetings.
Another area that the group could have improved would be how we use our
planning documents. When planning for the event we created many planning
documents such as Gantt charts and critical path analysis'. We did not, however,
benefit from the creation of these documents and didnt really use them to manage
our time at all. This meant that when we could be organized and achieving things,
we werent and we were spending too much time on completing a particular
document. If we followed these documents more religiously then we may have had
better time management skills and been able to achieve tasks and meet deadlines in
a better time frame. One reason that we didnt do this was because of the team was
so small and we did need to focus our efforts on tasks that needed priority. We
therefore physically could not follow the planning techniques as we were too busy
completing other tasks. If we did follow the Gant chart and critical path analysis
more thoroughly then it may have meant that we would cut other tasks short and
not get them completed to the best of our abilities.

Other alternatives include

We could have also looked at alternating roles and undergoing job rotation. This
could have meant that a variety in responsibility could ensure that tasks would
continually be completed to the best of all employees ability as there would be a
lower chance of employees becoming passive and de-motivated about the taskat
hand. By having a range of responsibilities could have also enabled more motivation.

We could have also utilized technology much more and used sites such as Google
Drive, Skype and Google Calendars to be more organized. For example, through
Google calendars we could have inputted all our deadlines and due dates and then

Harry Foreman

set notifications of when a particular date was approaching. This would have meant
that we could be as organized as possibly and minimized risks of us having a time
issue significantly. We would also be on exactly the same documents as well and
would be aware of each others progress. We could have therefore given assistance
to other team members if they were struggling.

In conclusion, I can evaluate that we would need to improve our meetings strategy
the most. From looking at how a formal meeting is achieved, I can evaluate that it
would benefit our team significantly. Having an agenda to discuss and minutes sent
out to all team members would have probably been extremely beneficial for us and
we would have found it much easier to progress. Although it would have consumed
more of our project time, it would of most likely benefited us in the long run and
meant that we had better goals and more of a focus when working towards targets.

Harry Foreman

Unit 9 Section C

Introduction

Definition of Training
The process of increasing the knowledge and skills of the workforce to enable them
to perform their jobs effectively. Training is, therefore, a process whereby an
individual acquires job-related skills and knowledge. Training costs can be
significant in any business.

Training is more or less essential to any job and it is needed so that workforce can
perform their job effectively. Training can have vast objectives but can however have
very specific aims.

Reasons for training staff may include;

A new member of staff joining.
New jobs created within a business.
New equipment/ machinery to use.
To keep staff up to date.
Educating staff in new methods of working. (Such as a new teaching technique.)
Training staff so that they are prepared for a promotion.
Giving staff multiple skills so they can widen their work tasks.
To increase job satisfaction and motivation so that workers feel more confident
within their job. If they are more confident and knowledgeable they will probably
have a higher self-esteem.
Preparation for leaving an organization.

Training needs were identified in many different ways by the College. On method
that is used is by sending out a survey to all members of staff and identifying their
strengths and weaknesses within the workplace. Common weaknesses are then
identified and appropriate training is created/ given upon this. Teaching initiatives
also pay a large part in this. For example, a member of staff may have techniques of
teaching that they can relay to other members of staff, and this is consequently what
Mrs Hiron-Grimes is doing by carrying out YouTube training. Staff are also observed
by senior members of staff and training is put together from this. Common issues are
identified and then appropriate training is given depending on what staff need
assistance with.

Advantages of training employees are that staff should be better skilled after be
trained. They should have the tools and knowledge needed to carry out their job
more effectively and this should mean that they should feel more confident within
themselves as an employee. There are consequently both advantages for employees
and the organization and this should mean that the business can operate as
effectively as possible. Employees will most likely be paid when they are undergoing

Harry Foreman

training and this should mean that they will feel motivated to undergo the training.
Another advantage from the customers point of view is that they will be dealing/
communicating with more skilled and knowledgeable staff leading to a better
experience with the organization.

Training does take time however and could somewhat frustrate people involved. The
way in which training is carried out must be effective otherwise the whole process
could be a waste of time and no one will benefit. It could also take away valuable
time and resources from the organization and mean that the business may take a
longer amount of time to progress.


The Training Exercise

During an Inset day (In-service training) the school put on Pic n Mix style sessions
whereby staff could choose which training session they would like to attend. This
meant that they could choose to attend a session that may benefit them and learn
or train them in something that they may have few skills in or need to do improve.
All staff have to partake in In Service Training as this is a legal requirement set by the
government.

We observed one session that was carried out during the pic n mix training and our
Business teacher, Mrs Hiron-Grimes, led this. There were teachers from four
different, departments who partook in the training and this included; Miss Lateu -
Modern Foreign Languages, Mr Moon Law, Mrs Stone Health and Social care and
Miss Duncan Religion and Philosophy. This was really good as we had teachers
from four different departments partaking in the training, that meant that a good
number of teachers from varied lessons were being trained in quite a useful teaching
technique. These teachers all had similar targets and attended the training with the
intention of becoming confident with using the online video streaming platform
YouTube.

The objective of the training was;

To equip participants with the skills needed to create a playlist, subscribe to a
channel and to search for lesson related video content on YouTube.

The organizer set the above objective and this is what Mrs Hiron-Grimes wanted all
participants to have achieved by the end of the pic n mix training session. By setting
this objective, the participants and organizer had a clear idea of what their aims
should be and what they needed to do in order to meet the aim. Mrs Hiron-Grimes
put the resources in place so that the participants could achieve the aim and this
included a brief verbal summary In what they were going to achieve alongside a
verbal explanation of why using YouTube in the lessons is a good method. This
encouraged motivation for the participants as they could learn the advantages of
using this teaching technique. Participants were told about why they may want to
set up a YouTube Playlist or why they may use YouTube videos to teach. Reasons

Harry Foreman

included; it would make lessons more interactive and YouTube content may explain
an area that may be difficult to teach more effectively. The website may also be a
better alternative when a demonstration is necessary. This could include a science
experiment or an excerpt from a film for analysis.

Mrs Hiron-Grimes planned out the session and created a timeline to summarize how
long she would like to spend on each individual area of the training. The training only
lasted for approximately 50 minutes so this meant that time acted as quite a large
constraint. Timing was therefore extremely important as the training session
wouldnt be successful if participants didnt have enough time to cover all the areas
of training to a high standard. The first 15 minutes of the session were allocated to
staff signing up to their Google account. They would not be able to use any aspect of
the playlist/ subscription service if they did not have an account, so this was
essential. When Mrs Hiron-Grimes was planning this session, she was unaware
however that participants would need the use of a mobile phone to sign up to
Google. This meant that it took more time as phone service was intermittent in the
room where the training was being undergone.

After participants had signed up to Google they spent the next 20 minutes being
taught how to create a playlist and discovering why they may want to do this. Mrs.
Hiron-Grimes carried out quite a practical approach to training at this point as it
involved staff actually doing the tasks themselves. (active training) This also could
work because of the small amount of participants involved. When the participants
had a question they would either get help from their peers or speak to Mrs Hiron
Grimes and she could give them 1 to 1 assistance. This was an advantage of training
in a small group as if they were in a larger group, there may have been too many
questions for Mrs Hiron-Grimes to answer and she may have had to carry out the
training in more of a lecture style. (passive training)

Once participant's had begun making playlists and were confident doing this, they
had 20 minutes to begin subscribing to YouTube channels and continuing exploring
the YouTube website. They were able to continue making playlists or were explained
by Mrs Hiron-Grimes how to do other functions. This enabled other areas to be
discussed and created quite a good discussion that looked at the advantages of using
YouTube as a resource.

At the end of the session, Mrs Hiron-Grimes concluded the session and evaluated
what all participant's had learned. She reminded participant's that they were able to
contact her if they had any further queries and thanked them for their attendance.

As I have been mentioning there were many advantages to providing this training.
Training is always meant to be successful but there are always going to be some
disadvantages for providing the training too.

Advantages of providing this training were obviously that participants were able to
develop their knowledge in the use of the video streaming website, YouTube. They
were able to learn the different uses of the site and how to get the most out of it.

Harry Foreman

This should mean that the resources that they can use in class can be more varied
and possibly the standard of teaching that they may provide may have strengthened.
All of this therefore has the overall aim of improving the grades that students are
achieving and therefore giving them better employability prospects. It also provides
students with the ideas of how they can do further/ independent study themselves
and develop the student as a learner outside of the classroom. YouTube is such a
popular application with young people and showing a way that they can incorporate
educational activities into how they use it should also strengthen their skills as a
student.

When considering disadvantages of the training, opportunity costs could be
discussed. An opportunity cost is the cost of the next best alternative. This basically
means that something more important could have been being achieved during the
time a particular activity was taking place, which in this case is the training. For
example, the organizer's and participants could have been teaching students
instead of being trained. The training may not have been 100% necessary or could
have been done as off-the-job training. Participants also could have been planning
for lessons or marking students work. The training again may not have been
absolutely needed to be carried out by a member of staff and could have been selftaught. This may have however caused difficulty as participants could have learned
the techniques incorrectly or struggled and therefore been put off using the site
altogether. It may have also taken more time to actually create a document for staff
to learn from but this may have meant that a greater amount of staff could have
done the training and therefore increase their skills.

Harry Foreman

Questionnaire for participants

1. Name


2. Department


3. Which Picknmix training did you attend? (please choose one)


4. On a scale of 1-10, how beneficial was the training session? (1 being extremely nonbeneficial and 10 being extremely beneficial, please circle)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10


5. Do you believe the correct training methods were used?

Yes



No

(If yes, please state what the most appropriate aspects were?)


6. Did you feel the training was appropriate for your level of expertise and style of work?

Yes



No


7. Did you think the training was beneficial for the development of your job role?

Yes



No


8. Were there any aspects of the training that you will incorporate into your lessons?

Yes


No

(If yes, please state.)

Harry Foreman
9. Did the training day result in an increase of motivation?

Yes



No


10. Do you think the training can be improved?

Yes



No

(If yes, please state how?)



11. Do you think the training increased your knowledge and skills in the particular area it was
in?

Yes



No


12. Overall, do you feel this was an effective training session?

Yes



No


13. Any other comments?

Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

Harry Foreman

Questionnaire Results | Participants

1. Name
a) Miss Gee
b) Miss
Foxwell
c) Mrs Morris
d) Mrs TaylorFord

e) Mrs
OConnell
f) Lorraine
Lateu
g) Mrs
Hawkins

h)
i)
j)
k)
l)

Ms. Spain
Ms Duncan
Mr Clarke
Mrs Stone
Mrs HironGrimes

d. Languages
e. ICT
f. Cover

g. R&P
h. H&SC
i. Business

2. Department
a. PE
111
b. English
c. Post-16 11

3. Which Picknmix training did you attend? (please choose one)

a. EXCEL





11
b. Managing the behaviour of high tariff students
c. Spelling strategies for students with dyslexia
11
d. Post-16
e. Prevent
f. Making a You Tube play list


1111
g. Google Classroom/Drive

4. On a scale of 1-10, how beneficial was the training session? (1 being extremely nonbeneficial and 10 being extremely beneficial, please circle)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

1111 11

1111 11

5. Do you believe the correct training methods were used?

Yes 111111111111
No

If yes, please state what the most appropriate aspects were?

a) Reflect on our teaching/experiences which put it into perspective
b) The teachers trialled the methods suggested in order to see their benefits.
c) Case studies
d) Case studies
e) Demonstrations

Harry Foreman
f)

It was a very practical session with the teacher giving clear instructions, letting us
get on with it and then helping us if we got stuck.
g) Step by step presentation
h) The effectiveness and clarity of using YouTube as a teaching aid
i) Attitude of colleague leading the session
j) Trying out the techniques

6. Did you feel the training was appropriate for your level of expertise and style of work?

Yes 11111111111

No 1

7. Did you think the training was beneficial for the development of your job role?

Yes
11111111111

No
1

8. Were there any aspects of the training that you will incorporate into your lessons?

Yes 111111111
No
111

If yes, please state:

a) Strategies to help students learn to spell, including cutting out all the letters of the
word and then putting them back together again in the correct order.
b) I want to produce a play list for the clips I use with A level French so that I and my
students can easily access them.
c) Setting work electronically
d) Planning
e) Do you mean training style or content? I will be incorporating content by developing
my own channel.
f) Useful places to store clips for various/units easy to relocate when needed!
g) Spelling strategies for key words

9. Did the training day result in an increase of motivation?

Yes
1111111
No
1111
(Yes in the session I attended - No overall)

10. Do you think the training can be improved?

Yes
11111

If yes, please state how?

No

1111111

Harry Foreman

a)
b)
c)
d)

More interactive
A bit more time
Technician support for google issues
Do you mean training style or content? I will be incorporating content by developing
my own channel.

11. Do you think the training increased your knowledge and skills in the particular area it was
in?

Yes
111111111111
No

12. Overall, do you feel this was an effective training session?

Yes
111111111111
No

13. Any other comments?

a) Really good session, made me reflect on my behaviour management
b) Staff leading the sessions were very professional and knew their areas well.
c) It was good to have an INSET session that was relevant to day-to-day practice.
d) Disappointing that some of the Google accounts wouldnt work but we were able to
work with someone whose account is activated. There was also a short amount of
time meaning that there wasnt long to explore. A follow up opportunity was offered
at lunchtime twice a week.
e) Much better than the morning sessions more relevant, linked to my teaching!

Harry Foreman

Questionnaire for organiser

1. What training did you run?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

2. Why was the training provided?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3. What were the aims of the training?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

4. Who took part in the training?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

5. Were there any constraints that affected the activity?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

6. What couldve been improved about your training session?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

7. Do you feel all participants of the training were engaged and motivated?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

8. Any other comments?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Harry Foreman

Questionnaire Results | Organiser

1. What training did you run?
YouTube

2. Why was the training provided?
To help staff become more familiar with YouTube.

3. What were the aims of the training?
To help them set up Playlists
To subscribe to other YouTube channels.
To see ways in which YouTube can be used in lessons

4. Who took part in the training?
Mrs Stone, Mr Moon, Miss Duncan, Ms Lateu

5. Were there any constraints that affected the activity?
Technology setting up a Google account required a text verification code which
took a long time to come through

6. What couldve been improved about your training session?
A helpsheet with step-by-step instructions so everyone could have worked through
at their own pace
Guidance to take away with extra features to use.

7. Do you feel all participants of the training were engaged and motivated?
Yes, although there was some waiting around at times which didnt help with the
engagement of the participants

8. Any other comments?
No

Harry Foreman

Motivation

One reason that a business may choose to undergo training with their employees is
to motivate and make employees feel more happy and comfortable within the
workplace. This contributes to work towards the aim of retaining staff and satisfying
their needs. By training staff, they should also hopefully feel more confident/
comfortable within their workplace and therefore, hopefully will feel more positive
and happy to be working.

When interviewing the staff, we asked them questions relating to motivation and
this was so we could evaluate whether the staff were motivated by the training
provided and whether goals were being achieved by providing this training for staff.

One question that we did ask participants was a direct/ closed question;

Did the training result in an increase in motivation?

Percentage of partcipants that the training

day resulted in an increase of mo<va<on.

37%

Training DID increase

motivation
63%

Training DID NOT increase

motivation

It is clear from this diagram and the results that we collected that more participants
were motivated by the training, than werent. This is good as it is clear that the
training did benefit a lot of the participants and that even if they may not
incorporate the techniques in their lessons, they do feel motivated and may feel
more job satisfaction now that the training has been undertaken.

There is however quite a significant amount of participants that stated that the
training has not meant that there is an increase in their motivation. With 4
participants out of 11 that completed the questionnaire, this is about 37% that did
say that they were not motivated by the INSET training, one of which stating that
they were motivated by the pic n mix training session that they were a part of, but
not from the day overall. This means that possibly improvements are needed for

Harry Foreman

how the College carries out their training as having nearly 40% of participants not
being motivated by training, is quite a lot and possibly too many for the training to
be regarded as being successful with regards to motivation.

A reason for training de motivating staff could be that staff may feel training to
belittling or not suitable for their ability. For example, staff may have chosen a pic n
mix session that they are actually confident with and that they dont need any
further assistance with. They therefore may find the day to be a waste of time and
not actually useful for them.

The training activity could be linked to Mayos theory that employees are motivated
by extra input from staff and that having their needs met within the workplace
would satisfy their needs and motivate them. The training acts likes this as it
hopefully makes the participants feel like they are cared for by the College and that
the College have an interest in developing their skills and abilities so that they can
operate more comfortably within the classroom.


Effectiveness

The questionnaire has also demonstrated how effective the training activity was and
whether participants felt like the day was a good use of time. This is obviously really
important and it is essential that the effectiveness of the training was of a good
standard so that the time was used effectively.

Opportunity costs are the next best alternatives when completing a task and there
are a few with relation to providing the training. Having INSET training does mean
that students are not able to attend school and this does mean that progress is
somewhat restricted as a day of learning is lost. The opportunity cost is therefore
that participants could be teaching and educating their students. Another
opportunity could be that resources could be saved as no one would be in the school
therefore saving resources such as electricity. To ensure that these alternatives
arent a better option, the training therefore had to be effective and worth the time
of all participants.

In general, I can conclude that the training day was successful for participants and
that the majority of staff that took part found the exercises a good use of time.
Firstly I can say that all participants that completed the questionnaire rated the
INSET training to a high standard.

Harry Foreman

18% of participants rated the effectiveness of the INSET day 10 out of 10. These
results are extremely positive and this shows that all participants did find the INSET
training beneficial (some more than others) but they did find the sessions to be a
success and not a waste of time.

100% of participants that answered the questionnaire also stated that their
knowledge has increased in the area that they were trained in. This is an extremely
good result as it shows that objectives set by organizers were most likely achieved
and that participants left the sessions with a better understanding of the area of
study, than when they started the session. This was extremely important as this
again shows that opportunity costs werent a better option and that it was worth the
time of the organizers and participants.

Results suggest that the techniques used for the training were effective and worked
well. For example, Mrs Hiron-Grimes used quite a democratic style to how she
carried out the training and this meant that there was more of a discussion about
the training and it wasnt done so autocratically whereby Mrs Hiron-Grimes stood at
the front of the room and ran a lecture style session. It was more interactive and
catered to each individual member of staffs needs and not addressing them as a
whole. It was harder therefore as Mrs Hiron-Grimes had to try and mold the training
to be relevant to 4 different subject areas. The results from the participants
questionnaire do suggest that the majority of teachers will try and incorporate the
area of study in their lessons. 75% of participants did say that they would aim to
incorporate aspects of the training in their teaching and this is a good result to
discover. It is to be expected that about 25% of participants would not incorporate
aspects of the training in their lessons and this could be for numerous reasons.

% of par<cipant's that will aim to use aspects of

training in their lessons.
% of participant's that WILL
NOT use aspects of the
training within their lessons.
% of partcipant's that WILL
use aspects of the training
within their lessons

Some participants may not be fully confident with the technique, others may
discover that the training is not suitable for the type of lessons/ work they teach.
Further training therefore may have been useful to identify reasons why
participants do not plan to use aspects learned in training in their lessons and this
could mean that a greater amount of participants would aim to use aspects of the
training within their lessons.

Harry Foreman

With regards to the effectiveness from Mrs Hiron-Grimes point of view, (the
organizer) we also gave her a questionnaire that looked at how she thought the
training went. All in all, she thought that the training was somewhat successful but
there were a few areas that she identified as needing improvement and not as
strong. Mrs Hiron-Grimes did state the objectives that she wanted the participants
to achieve by the end of their session.

By setting these objectives, she was able to give the participants a good idea of
what they were going to achieve and hopefully encourage them to work hard during
the session. These three aims did mean that participants could leave the session
with resources that they could use in class and this means that opportunity costs
could be satisfied/ minimized. The aims were also points/ skills to be developed and
therefore meant that participants could have a clear idea of areas that they should
develop, post the training session. This allowed for continuous training and staff to
carry out their own off-site/ off-the-job training. Mrs Hiron-Grimes did also state
that after the training, all participants had YouTube accounts and had subscribed to
channels and consequently made playlists. By subscribing to these channels it should
mean that participants should get frequent notifications of new content that they
could include in their playlists and therefore allow for their development with using/
being competent with YouTube.

Mrs Hiron-Grimes did state that she did have difficulties with technology as it
affected the effectiveness of the task and meant that progress was quite slow and
stagnant at points. This was because when she created the activities, she was not
aware that the participants would have to sign up to Google using a mobile phone.
As phone service is so intermittent, it took a longer amount of time to get all
participants to sign up to YouTube and therefore meant that there was less time and
participants became unfocused and disengaged.

The above answer does show that technology did have a big impact on the training
and that Mrs Hiron-Grimes success was impacted quite heavily as this constraint did
consequently bring on a time constraint. Mrs Hiron-Grimes did also state in her
questionnaire that something such as helpsheet would have made it a lot easier for
her to run the session and that it could have meant that it would have been easier
for participants to take information away with them. This would have meant that

Harry Foreman

the constraint of time would have not of been so significant. Participants could have
therefore taken this information home and carried out some out-of-house training
and therefore developed their skills further. The training session would have acted
on more of a starter to get the participants comfortable with the basics and then
they could have explored the use of more complex operations at home and
therefore been more productive.

I can evaluate that the training provided for staff was mostly effective and that
having the opportunity to have an INSET day positively impacted the majority of
participants. There were some participants that felt that they didnt get enough out
of the training but this is to be expected as not everyone will be positively impacted
by training. The motivation of staff was possibly one weakness and this is something
that could have been improved. There possibly could have been more of a focus on
the students and how the training will benefit them in the long run. This may have
motivated staff even more and meant that when undergoing the training, that they
understood that what they were doing was for the interest of the students and that
it was a good use of time. The YouTube training was in particular aiming to increase
the amount of learning resources available to students and to improve the learning
experience.


Objectives

With regards to whether the training achieved its objectives, I would say yes, the
training did successfully achieve the objectives that Mrs Hiron-Grimes set out to
achieve. The main aim that Mrs Hiron-Grimes did set out to achieve was to equip
participants with the skills needed to create a playlist, subscribe to a channel and to
search for lesson related video content on YouTube.

From looking at the participant questionnaires, I can evaluate that she did complete
these tasks and the participants were equipped with this knowledge that they would
need to make playlists and subscribe to channels. During the session, Mrs HironGrimes did manage to get through all this information and all participants were
actively able to undergo these tasks under Mrs Hiron-Grimess guidance. She was
able to ensure that all participants were confident with doing this and that they were
achieving the aim.

Referring back to the questionnaire that was given to participants, 100% agreed that
yes, the correct training methods were used. This suggests that the training was
effective for the participants and that they were positively impacted by what was
shown to them.

We do not know however how well that the training did achieve the objectives longterm and whether staff have/ are implementing the techniques that they were
shown in sessions. (using playlists and subscribing to channels.) This meant that
evaluating the success and whether the objectives have been met is slightly harder.
We could therefore possibly interview the participants in 2 months time and ask

Harry Foreman

them whether they have been using YouTube during their lessons. This would give us
a clear conclusion of how effective the training was and whether the skills given by
Mrs Hiron-Grimes were being implemented in the classroom and were effective.


Constraints

As mentioned in my previous section about the effectiveness of the training, there
were some constraints that meant that the training wasnt so efficient and that
issues meant that the progress was slow in some parts of the training session.

One constraint was a technological constraint. This concerned the set up of the
YouTube account as to use the subscription and playlist functions you had to have a
Google account. Setting up a Google account was difficult for participants as they
had to use a mobile phone and SMS verification code. The phone service was
extremely poor however where the training was being run and this meant that it
took time for the message to come through to the participants. This therefore led to
a time constraint as time was used waiting for this code to be sent to the
participants phones and not actually spent on developing the skills of the participant
using YouTube. This also led to de-satisfaction and participants had to spend time
waiting around. This then did have a knock on effect on the rest of the day as there
was less time spent on the actual training using YouTube. As mentioned previously,
Mrs Hiron-Grimes didnt make any sort of booklet or guide that participants could
use to self-train and by therefore not having enough time to complete the training,
this meant that participants were negatively affected by the lack of time. If some
sort of training pamphlet had been created, then the time/ technological constraint
wouldnt have been so impactful.

Another constraint that impacted upon the success of the session was that there was
limited staff that attended the session and this was because of the pic n mix style
training. Only 4 departments were represented and this does mean that a number of
students that will benefit from the training will be limited. It may have been a waste
of time therefore and participants attending other events may have been a better
use of time.


Conclusions

In conclusion, I would say that the effectiveness of the training was high and all
participants did benefit from the training session.

With 92% of participants answering that yes, the training was appropriate for their
level of expertise and that it has developed their skills, shows that the participants
careers have been somewhat strengthened and the standard of teaching should
have improved. This consequently should strive to achieve all teachers overall goal
which is to provide students with an effective education, which will lead to students
receiving a good grade.

Harry Foreman

Mrs Hiron-Grimes also used both passive and active training which made the success
of the training higher. When she gave a talk on the training and was informing the
participants about the use of YouTube she underwent passive training. This made it
clear to participants what the training was all about and enabled full attention from
participants. However after this, Mrs Hiron-Grimes took an extremely active
approach to training participants which meant that they could get an extremely
hands-on experience with using the software. This worked well as participants had
just had quite an informative talk and then could apply their knowledge straight
away. I would say that the motivation of participants was high, even though there
was a minority of participants that were not motivated by the training. I think that
the training could be linked with Mayos motivational theory the best. This is
because the training did make staff feel like the College were quite paternal about
them and it was clear that the reason the training was provided was so that they
could provide a better standard of education to the students and develop their
teaching.

42% of the participants that we did interview stated that they thought the training
could have been improved and this does show that the session certainly didnt go
without some faults. This included the time constraints and this was mentioned in
the questionnaire results that we received from participants.

A bit more time
Technician support for Google issues

Some of the aspects that we have identified as needing improvements have been
mentioned in the questionnaire and it is clear that with these strategies in place, the
training could/ would be much more successful and work.

Disappointing that some of the Google accounts wouldnt work but we
were able to work with someone whose account is activated. There was
also a short amount of time meaning that there wasnt long to explore. A
follow up opportunity was offered at lunchtime twice a week.

This qualitative data shows that having followed-up sessions will be extremely useful
and that Mrs Hiron-Grimes creating a booklet with further information may have
been useful for staff.

Mrs Hiron-Grimes didnt have to make a booklet however and could have created a
reading list that she could have handed out to participants to look at, at home. This
could have given sites that participants could have accessed which they could get
some help with using YouTube.

Harry Foreman

edudemic.com/youtube-in-classroom/

The website, Eduenmic has a really useful page that teachers could use to do some
further training. This would mean that teachers could build upon the skills that they
were shown during the session, but also, look at some other areas that Mrs HironGrimes didnt get to demonstrate. For example, the site shows alternatives to using
YouTube. This could show that there are other opportunities or alternatives.

Another recommendation that I have would be to request that all staff had a Google
account created prior to the training session. This would have meant that time could
have been saved, and any technical issues could have been resolved with someone
such as the IT department. The participants could have therefore begun the training
session straight away and logged into their YouTube account without having to
create anything new.

Donald Kirkpatricks training evaluation model helps identify how well participants
felt the training went. The model has 4 levels that show how effective the training is.
The higher the level, the more effective the training was, and the more likely that
the participants will improve within the workplace.

Harry Foreman

cm-group.co.uk/blog/tin-can/measuring-learning-effectiveness-the-emergence-of-the-tincan-lrs/

The model shows that the higher the level, the more beneficial the training will be to
the workplace/ consumer. When interviewing the participants we looked at each
individual level and ho well they had been achieved. An interview/ survey seemed to
be the best method of making conclusions on whether the training was successful or
not. I could have however done further research to analyze whether training was
beneficial or not. Undergoing skill observation may have been a good technique, or
creating a knowledge test may have been a good way to identify whether
participants have learnt new skills.

Below is a diagram that shows the different technique that could be used to evaluate
the success of the 4 levels.

youtu.be/ODjWRYh9HUA

To conclude I can say that overall the training was successful and all participants did
benefit (some more than others) but 95% found the training beneficial. There were
areas that needed improvement, and participants stated this. From interviewing
participants I can tell that they most likely will try and incorporate YouTube in their
lessons but doing further surveys later on would be a better way to identify this.

Harry Foreman

Unit 9 Section D
Personal Development Plans
A personal development plan is an assessment, which employers can use to investigate the
strengths of their employees and what they need to do in order to grow and improve. The
investigation will therefore help employees to achieve goals for the future by answering
three key questions. Where they are now, where do they want to go and how they will get
there. This will therefore help employees to focus their energy and have clear goals for the
future. The plan is also designed for the employer. By creating the personal development
plan the employer can then identify what they need to do in terms of offering training and
support to staff. The assessment will then help the employers get a good idea of their
current employees and assist them when it comes to workforce planning.
A personal development plan has many advantages for the individual as it gives a good
insight into what they are doing well and what possibly should be improved in order to
achieve goals. It gives the employee something to aim for and will allow them to feel
satisfied when the goal is met. It should hopefully give them a sense of achievement and
make them feel motivated. A personal development plan could however demotivate staff
and be somewhat disheartening; restrictions may limit the progress the employee may
make and therefore make the employee feel like the goals set are un realistic. This could
potentially cause conflicts between the employee and employer and affect the organisation
negatively.
The personal development will benefit the employers as well. Undergoing appraisals would
therefore be easier as the PDP would be a focus and the employer could discuss the
progress of the PDP. This could therefore help motivation, as they should feel that the
employer has an interest in them on more of a personal level. A PDP could however affect
the organisation negatively as employees goals could be outside of the business and not
work alongside the businesses objectives. This could lead to a potential loss in staff and
could therefore demotivate.

Skills Audits
A skills audit is a method which is used by a business to assess what skills are required for a
certain job and will evaluate if an employee is eligible for the job based on what skills they
possess. The skills audit is also linked with the personal development plan as it will help to
identify what skills an employee may need to gain or work upon. A company may conduct a
skills audit for different reasons, they include;

A company being taken over, or it horizontally integrating.

Delayering or downsizing.

Harry Foreman

Diversification

The audit can be conducted in different methods and these can then highlight different skills
which an employee may possess. By conducting the audit in different ways, will also ensure
that the audit is accurate. The theme of these audits will consequently vary as different jobs
will be looking for different skills. For example an office job may assess an employees
typing/computer skills. However a teaching job may assess employees communication and
approachability. Methods in which a skills audit could be conducted may include;

Observation
Formal surveys/ questionnaires
Tests
Face-to-face discussions
Self-Reflection
Peer Assessment

Formats of Audits
One way a company can conduct a skills audit is through the use of the site Nationals
careers service where an employee can fill in multiple tests such as a skills health check. This
check asks a number of questions and then will give a report summarising what are your
areas of strength and weaknesses. For example whether someone is creative or strong at
managing people.
This can therefore identify what job roles may suit each employee and whether there are
possibilities for improvement. (Promotion to manger) The audit is both qualitative and
quantitative data. It is a good way of conducting a skills audit as it is accessible to everyone
(providing they have internet) and therefore can help the employee and employer to
identify what they need to do improve.
Another technique of collecting skills audits is to create a formal survey or questionnaire
and to get applicants to state whether they agree with the statements or not. These types of
audits are much easier to compare and make analysing data easy, as it is a type of
quantitave data. Trends can therefore also be found when using this type of audit and an
employee can easily see what a particular person may need to do in order improve their
skills in a certain area.
The statements used can also be altered to each individual business and therefore can be
more accurate on whether the job is suited to the employee.

Harry Foreman

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

I am good at
using computer
software.
I can
communicate
and assist
customers well.

Strongly
Disagree

Above is an example of this type of skills audit. This can easily be adapted by anyone and
can be used for many different types of jobs. The data can also be taken in and then drawn
up easily on a graph and then show trends in the data.
This is a good way of conducting a skills audit but it does rely on the employee be honest
and truthful with what they can do. If they do not tell the exact truth then the job they are
given may not be suited to them and this could dramatically reduce the businesses
productivity and have a negative effect on it as a whole.
One other technique of conducting a skills audit would be to observe the employee in their
work and see how they go about completing the task at hand. This would be a really
effective way of seeing whether the employee is suited to the job and if theyre any
particular aspects that the employee is strong at or any weaknesses that need improving.
This would see how the employee functions and give an accurate representation of them
working in their role. It could however be slightly in accurate and the employee may be
working differently to how they normally operate. For example they may alter the way they
work if they know someone is observing them and therefore not give a true representation
of their normal working habits. They could also act the complete opposite and buckle under
pressure This would therefore not be fair on the employee as it is again not a true
representation of how they normally work and could instead work against them, not for
them.
A test can identify employees skills and strengths and then figure what they may excel in or
what they are not as strong at. This can mean that it is an easy way to identify what skills
someone may have and what he or she may need to do to improve. Identifying what roles
someone may be the best at is also an advantage of producing tests and these tests can be
produced quite easily be made very specific to the job. There are also many different tests
which can be used online to be used by employees.

Harry Foreman

Practice Apitude Tests is a website that persons may choose to use to identify employees
numerical, verbal, diagrammatic, situational judgement, assessment centre or e-tray skills
and identifies what areas a parson may need to improve in order to develop their
employability. It is made for applicants but this type of software could be extremely useful
to employees as they are testing the persons skills in an aptitude style test.
Face to face discussions could also be another way that employers could carry out a skills
audit and by doing this, operating the test more like an assessment. This could also be a sort
of appraisal style interview and a discussion. The employee could suggest skills that they
think they posses and skills that may not be as strong for them. This would mean that an
aspect of self assessment would be present and that a PDP could be drawn up at the same
time as the skills audit is being carried out.
Peer assessment could also be more of a social way to carry out a skills audits and
employees could work together to identify each others skills. It will also probably feel more
relaxed for employees than the generic skills audit and may therefore possibly be more
accurate as employees will be more relaxed.
Conducting peer assessment could mean that employees may not be 100% truthful when
assessing their peers and may somewhat twist the truth with regards to what they actually
think of each other. This could mean that the effectiveness of the skills audit may not be
that high and they may not actually reveal the exact truth about individuals.

My Skills Audits
I have completed two skills audits, which have been a great insight to what my strengths are
and what I need to do improve. These audits are helping me to identify areas that I possibly
need to improve in and work upon. This should therefore help me to make improvements in
myself as a person and as an employee
The first audit which I completed was the audit conducted by the national careers service,
this audit allows me to fill in a skills health check consisting of many questions about certain
skills sets you may need in a job and then rating whether you agree with the statement or
not. Each question was extremely specific which meant that the report that was produced
was also specific and gave me quite accurate and realistic results. (See appendix 1) This
audit is however based on the opinions on me completing the audit, the results will be bias
then and not be as accurate if someone else completed the audit for me.
When you complete the test you can get either a summary report or a full report,
depending on how detailed you would like the results to be. I found the full report to be
more informative, what it told me was;
Work well with others.

Harry Foreman

This I agree with as I enjoy having other peoples opinions and I believe that I work best
when the ideas are flowing and I can be expressive and learn from others as well as myself.
Saying this if I do sit by myself and focus I can also produce some really good results. I do get
distracted by others sometimes and this means that my productivity is limited slightly.
Creating and Innovating
This is my second skill set which is shown to be a strength of mine. I am quite a creative
person and I enjoy creative activities such as my passion for film and photography. This is a
skill which I do want to pursue in the future and is something I believe I could really excel in.
Numerically Focused
This is a skill which I am shown not to be so strong at. I do agree with this as I have always
had difficulties with mathematics and this has therefore meant when it comes to numeracy
handling I am not so strong. This means that if I were to look at a job in business, dealing
with accounts is possibly not as suited to me and possibly I should look at business jobs that
are more about the business and not so accountancy focused.
The second skills audit which I completed was created by BusinessBalls.com and analysed
management skills sets. This was an audit which had statements which had to be rated out
of 10 to show how well I was with dealing with each individual statement. I had to first
complete the audit and self-assess myself and then another person would complete it about
me to see if they had similar opinions of the statement. I then had to rate which skill sets
were the most important for me to possess and which were not as vital to me to be
confident in. This audit then clearly identifies what I am strong in and what possibly needs
improving. It therefore means that I can be clear in what I need to do to improve and what
are my strengths that I need to ensure that I maintain. I can also easily identify what I think I
am strong at and what my peers think that I can do. This skills audit is again based on
opinions and is quite bias. I possibly was too harsh or generous on the self-assessment and
then my peers may of felt slightly similar and felt obliged to say nice comments and not
have completed them to what they believed was true.
From completing this audit I could evaluate that;
Communication Skills
I am a good communicator and do find it quite easy to communicate with people that I am
comfortable with, but also people I have never really interacted with before. This I think is a
big strength and is quite a good skill to possess. When meeting new people I think I can
therefore make a good first impression and this means that hopefully people are impressed
with how I act and hold myself. I do however feel quite apprehensive sometimes because I
whip myself up. This can work against me and this is something that I do need to try and
improve.

Harry Foreman

Financial and Commercial Understanding

Although I am not greatly confident when it comes to mathematics I do have understanding
of finance. This includes creating cash flows, profit and loss accounts and balance sheets. I
managed to learn about this in AS Business and this I find not too difficult. I did come across
some difficulties but I think I was able to get the general idea of how they work, etc.
Effective use of IT
My use of IT could be improved as I possibly do not use it enough and when it comes to
picking up new software I do struggle slightly. I think I need to be able to pick up certain
things slightly quicker and I could possibly do this by doing a few more courses. This would
boost my confidence with IT and hopefully also maximise how much/quick I can pick it up.

SWOT Analysis
A SWOT analysis allows an employee to look at their strengths and weaknesses and again
evaluate what they can do to improve (opportunities) and what are the possible factors
which may hold them back. (Threats) This therefore will work similarly to a PDP as it will
help me to improve in certain areas and identify how I can do this.
Strengths
Friendly
I try to be friendly to many people and to ensure that everyone is treated equally. I always
try to have a smile on my face when meeting new people and ensure that I am friendly as
possible. This means that I hopefully make a good impression which is extremely important
and when working with customers I can provide the best customer experience possible.
Confident
I try to be as confident as possible when I can and enjoy to be put outside of my comfort
zone. I trust that I am able to achieve my abilities and think that challenging myself should
always just make me a stronger and better person. I do not believe that I can never make
improvements and always try and strive for better.
Creative
I am creative person and always try to be as creative and unique as possible. I really enjoy
arts such as photography and music and have done this since a very young age. Playing the
piano and taking images is something that I am also really passionate about and this is
something which I always want to improve and get better at as it is one interest/ hobby
which I enjoy a lot.

Harry Foreman

Ambitious
I am quite an ambitious person and am always wanting better and have clear goals that I
hope to achieve. Since a young age I have wanted to achieve some amazing things and some
of these have been met already, others are still being waited upon or still havent been
invented yet. This again links back to confidence and how I want to be thrown out of my
comfort zone and be challenged.

Weaknesses
Distracted
I would say that I can be distracted quite easily and can come off task quite easily if
something else catches my attention. I need to put things in place to limit distractions and
this is something that I do struggle with on a regular basis. For example at home when
studying I can easily go off on a tangent and go from writing about a film (for media studies)
to watching 10 others. This limits my productivity and is a big hindrance to myself.
Time Management
My time management is slightly weak and I am quite often in a rush and needing more time
for things, this has a big impact on tasks, as they are stressful sometimes as I am striving for
the best but having little time to do this. I think that I do need to make improvements in this
and to possibly plan my time better.
Perfection Seeker
I am quite a perfectionist and do always strive for the best. Although this is somewhat of
strength it does hold me back sometimes as I am striving for the best in each individual
thing and do not necessarily remember the bigger picture. I do get focused on making things
look perfect and forgetting that it is not necessarily important and does not matter too
much.
Reliant
I am quite reliant on other people giving me help when I need it and am not necessarily
being independent enough. This limits me when I need to get certain tasks completed as I
rely on others help and therefore do not make decisions for myself or think about the task
in enough depth.

Harry Foreman

Opportunities
Work Experience
Getting work experience will make me face some of my weaknesses and therefore hopefully
help me conquer them. By forcefully comforting them I could hopefully work on them and
therefore minimise the impact they have on my everyday life. This would also enable me to
use and practice what I believe to be my strengths and hopefully ensure that these are areas
that I am strong in and therefore make me even stronger.
Further Study
Having an opportunity to further study could help me further strengthen my strengths as I
could have more practice at using them and hopefully become further independent and less
reliant on others. I would therefore be able to begin challenging my weaknesses and
hopefully working on removing them and turning them from weaknesses to strengths.
Going to university would therefore mean that I would have to be less reliant on others and
improve my time management and become less easily distracted.
Open Days
Attending open days for universities would mean that I will get the best insight to university
and that I would be able to find out what the best place for me would be to undergo further
study. By going to a good variety of university open days I could then find the one which I
think could suit me best and then limit the chance of me attending a university which is not
100% the best one to attend.

Threats
Finance
Funding university is consequently a challenge to many students wishing to attend
university as the fees are significantly high and to go on top of the fees is the cost of living.
This means that going to university is not necessarily an option for everyone and some
people just cant attend because they cannot afford to go. I could however take out a
student loan which would help me cover the costs of going to university, this would mean
that I would have a loan to pay off but it is suited for students meaning that I would get help
and advice from the bank.
Courses
There is such a wide variety of courses available to study at university and this makes it
extremely difficult to make a decision on what the best course would be to pursue. I am
very aware that I must choose a course that suits me but is also going to be worth while

Harry Foreman

when going to apply to jobs. For example I am un decided whether doing a combined course
would be better or focusing on what subject which I have a passion for is better.
Grades and Ability
One challenge concerning going to university is whether I will have the skills and ability to go
to university and whether the grades I get in my A Levels will be of high enough standard to
get me into university. This is a worry to almost every student and I am not a student that
achieves As in everything. I therefore need to be motivated with revision etc. next year and
ensure that I work my hardest so I achieve the grades needed for my chosen courses.
Goals
Short Term Goals;
1. To start driving lessons by Christmas 2015.
I aim to have started driving lessons and to widen my skills in driving so that I can begin
thinking about practical and theory tests in 2016. I would like to learn how to drive so that I
can begin being independent and not having to rely on friends and family driving me
everywhere. This would mean I wouldnt just be limited to jobs in Frome and could possibly
travel further afield to places such as Bath.
Since my friends have been driving I can see how independent they are, this seems such a
pull to becoming road worthy. Currently when I want to go somewhere I have to either get a
bus (which is hard because they are quite un reliable) or get friends and family to drive me.
Having a car and a licence would mean that this would not be the case.
It will also help me achieve my overall aim of having my own family as having a family would
mean that we would need a car unless we lived in a large town or city where a car would
not be as vital. If I have a job in film, it would be quite likely that I will need to rely on getting
everywhere for many different shoots. Having a car would most likely be a must, as
otherwise I would be restricted in where I could go which could consequently also limit the
amount of business I do get and reduce the chances of someone employing me. I do
however know a few photographers/ film makers who do not drive but do still run very
successful businesses, this is by working within Frome. I could attempt this but I do reckon
that it would be quite challenging and possibly more challenging than actually getting a
driving licence and widening my potential customers.
I hope to achieve this goal by getting clear on how I go about getting a licence and then
pursuing this with booking driving lessons and then hopefully going on to passing the tests.
This is a website that instructs you how to get your driving licence. It talks you through the
steps you need to take to get your provisional licence, finding an instructor, etc.

Harry Foreman

I found that to get a provisional licence I need to get a form either from a post office or from
the Gov.uk website and then send it off with proof or ID and a 34 payment. I then will need
to find a driving instructor and then start to book some lessons.
The website also gives a list of steps I need to take when learning to drive.

2. In August 2016 I want to have got a minimum of Cs and Bs in three A Levels.
I aim to get grades which I am happy with by next summer, these I hope to be no lower than
Cs and I think that if I work hard enough this shouldnt be a problem. For my AS I feel like I
possibly didnt work as hard as I possibly should of done and that possibly this is something
that I need to work hard upon for the whole of next year as the grades I do get are
extremely important.
I chose this goal because this is something that is really important at this stage in my life and
if I do not do anything to ensure I am successful then I am possibly limiting my opportunities
for the future. I need grades that will let me further study at university and get jobs that I
want within my chosen industry.
It will help me achieve my overall aim of being comfortable financially and having a job that
I enjoy as I need good grades at A Level so I am employable for the future and so that I can
get onto the courses that I want to at further study.

Harry Foreman

I will achieve this goal by maintaining a hard work ethic throughout the year and ensuring
that I am on track to get the grades that I know I deserve. If I do not do this, then this could
have a negative effect on the rest of my career and the two years which I have spent of
studying would be a waste of time.

I will need to do many things in order to stay focused and this will be hard but if I am aware
of techniques then hopefully I can maximise success and achieve the goals that I want to
achieve. Above is a website which gives you tips on how best to study and stay focused. It
gives some clear and simple tips to follow and if I continue to follow these steps then I will
hopefully maximise the likelihood of meeting my aims and overall goals.

3. To have booked time to go and volunteer with an organisation in need of volunteers by
January 2016. This to also go towards my residential section of for my Gold Duke of
Edinburgh Award.
Volunteering has always been something that I have always wanted to do and that I had a
passion for. For around 3 years I have volunteered with a local scout group and this has
been something that I have enjoyed significantly. As part of my gold Duke of Edinburgh
award I have to have done at least 1 week of volunteering with people I do not know and
this I think is a great opportunity to achieve something that I have always wanted to do. I
chose this goal because I dont only want it to benefit me, but I want it to benefit others
while going towards something. I have done some research into this before but have never
really found something that is suitable for me and is what I really want to do.
I will achieve this goal by being pro-active with searching for a placement and will be
consistent till I find something that is appropriate. I am aware of websites, which I can find

Harry Foreman

placements through, and I will use these to search for the right ones for me. I am aware that
if I can really put my head down then I could find somewhere quite quickly. It will be
challenging however because I am currently quite busy and finding a week to do this will be
a challenge.
It will help me achieve my midterm goal of going travelling as I hope that it will give a
flavour of experiencing new things and putting myself outside of my comfort zone. This in
the long run should hopefully differentiate myself from others and when applying for
university and jobs will show my commitment and uniqueness, as I do not think that many
young people my age will do activities like this.
I will need to continue looking for placements online and send emails to organisations
enquiring about the chance of volunteering with them. I will also have to give these details
to my Duke of Edinburgh coordinator and check with him that details are alright with him.

The above screen shot shows the DofE website that has a list of residentials available which
are approved by them. Not all residentials are necessarily volunteering placements but
there are a good amount of places that I could volunteer with. Some are overseas and
others are based within the UK. I do also have the option of selecting certain criteria that I
would like the placement to be and this means that I can find the placement that is best
suited to me.

Harry Foreman

Pod Volunteer is one organisation that I could look into going on a residential with. They are
DofE approved and do offer trips for people aged 16 and 17. [This is one problem I have
come across as many volunteering opportunities require volunteers to be aged over 18 and
this means that I have to wait for a couple of years till an opportunity arises. This means that
I may possibly struggle to complete my DofE gold level before I am 18 and possibly waste
the time I have spent over this year doing all the sections.]

This is a certain project based in Sri Lanka. It is quite expensive however and does need me
to pay for my own flights. I have however looked at some other websites that do provide
similar opportunities and have lower prices and are not so far away from home. These can
be found easily however online by searching on search engines for free volunteering for
under 18s.

Harry Foreman

I could also look at volunteering within the Uk and not travelling oversees to go do my DofE
residential and to go volunteering. This would most likely be more of an affordable option and could
mean that I would have to spend less on the experience. There are many providers of UK based
activity providers so I could look at working with them.
One providrer that I could look at volunteering with coud be Do It Trust. The organisation is the UKs
national volunteering database, Do-it.org makes it easy for anyone to volunteer in their community
and lists over 1 million volunteering opportunities that are posted by volunteer centres,
national/local charities and voluntary groups.

Harry Foreman

I can easily search for placement in certain areas and then could look at volunteering closer to home
or possibly further away from home that can easilly be accessed.
Althought these placements would be really good and much easier than travelling oversees or a long
distance, they may be less challenging for me, and provide less of an adventure, which I am
seeking. I will however look at some ther organisations wothin the uk and see if there area some
better alternatives/ opportunities.

Medium Term Goals;

1. To have started a course at University within 5 years.
I aim to get accepted onto a course at a university of my choice within the next 5 years and
to have found courses which suit what I want to do in the future. I have had a lot of time
using websites such as UCAS and Which Uni that have given me a lot of ideas and a good
range of courses to choose from. I have recently begun signing up to UCAS and beginning
the application process and I hope to have this complete very soon and to begin writing my
personal statement.
I chose this goal because university is something that I have always wanted to do and the
idea of being independent while studying something I have a passion for is extremely
attracting and such an exciting opportunity. I really want to meet new people as well and
live somewhere other than Frome.
It will also help me achieve my long-term goal of having a job that I enjoy and that could last
me till I retire. By getting a degree that is focused on the sort of career I would like pursue
would be a big advantage to have and I do believe that it would be a great differentiator
when applying for certain jobs. It will also be such a great way of making contacts with
people and network among the industry that I would like to be apart of.
I will achieve this goal by ensuring that I achieve my short-term goal of getting a minimum of
Cs and Bs in three A Levels, as this should hopefully give me the grades that I need to get to
university. I will also continue working hard and ensure that I do enough out of school to be
a student that a university would want to have.
I will need to therefore look at universities and begin making a definite shortlist of the
courses which I would like to do. I have currently got a shortlist but I do know there are
other universities that possibly I should consider as well and that I should definitely shop
around slightly more. Im planning on going to three open days in the next couple of
months and this should hopefully give me a better idea of what are the best universities to
go to and what universities are possibly not as good for me.
This is one course which I like the look of, I am slightly unsure whether it will be suitable for
me however as It covers areas that I have covered less of for my A levels so far.

Harry Foreman

This course also gives

me the opportunity of
a year abroad which is

really appealing and is
something that I would

definitely want to do.

Exeter University is an
extremely valued
university and would
be a great university to
have on my CV.

This is an extremely
promising statistic and
does suggest that I
would have a fairly
high chance of getting
into the industry. This
would again help me
achieve my long term
goal of having a job
which I enjoy for the
rest of my life.

I reckon that if I work

hard enough for my A

Levels I could get ABB
and this could

hopefully enable me to
get on the course.

Harry Foreman

Oxford Brookes offers a combined degree of Business Management with Film Studies. Film
studies here is a course that I do quite like the look of as it is said to be quite practical but
still to have that theory element to it. The Business Management course looks like it would
be a good course to have alongside a film degree and will also be a good contrast to film.

The combined degree

is more appealing as I
can get a variety of
skills and possibly be
more employable. It
would also mean that if
I do not succeed in film
I would possibly have a
safety net to fall back
on.

Oxford would be a nice

place to be a student
as it is a student city
and is not too isolated
from Frome. It also has
good connections to
places such as London.

I do like the look of the

course as it does look
like it has a good share
of both theory and
practical work.
The entry
requirements for
Brookes are slightly
lower than Exeter
meaning that it will
probably be easier to
get into Brookes than
Exeter so I hopefully
would have a better
chance of getting a
place.

I would find living in

Kingston really exciting
as Ive always wanted
to live in London as I
think there would be
so many cool things to
do.
Kingston also provides
a combined degree.
Business looks good as
I could look at the film
industry but the film
just looks slightly
similar to what I
currently do at A Level,
and not much of a step
up.

Harry Foreman

The entry
requirements for
Kingston are 280 UCAS
points with a minimum
of 2 A Levels. This does
seem quite low which
suggests that possibly a
degree at Kingston may
not be valued as much.
I could be completely
wrong however and
find out differently on
their open day.

The combination
option is available
again which is a really
good opportunity as I
could potentially get
the best of both
worlds.

Harry Foreman

To make decisions on these universities I am going to attend the universitys open days and
get a flavour of both the local area and what I will get out of doing the particular courses. I
think that going to an open day will therefore help me narrow down the selction well and
give me a really good insight to what it would be like to study at the universities.
Exeter

Oxford Brookes

Kingston

Harry Foreman

The above table shows a comparison of four courses that I am considering. I have also
added a further couse, Media Arts at Plymouth University which I have recently discovered
and could see myself really enjoying studying. From looking at the results from the courses, I
can evaulate that Exeters course would be the most valued however Plymouth may be the
course that I would enjoy the most.

I do also like the look of the Oxford Brookes course structure and this could again be a
course that would suit me very well. I find the idea of having a combination of both

Harry Foreman

theoretical and practical investigation into film very appealing and this is omething that I
definetly want to have from whatever course decide to study at university.

I think that after looking at the Plymouth course, I will investigate this course further and
see if it something that could interest me further. I therefore think at the moment Oxfor
Brookes and Plymouth would be my top two choices and this is because the couse
combines both a theoretical and practical element to it.

2. To have been travelling and experienced some different cultures in 5 years.
I aim to go travelling and to experience some diferent and diverse cultures to what I
currently have experienced within the next five years. This has been something that I have
always wanted to do throughout my life and going traveling is an experience which I am
really excited about the prospect of doing. From a young age I have loved going abroad and
going to such different places to what I am normally in. I find new exciting and to think that
I could go and see different and unique locations around the world is something that I am
really passionate about.
I chose this goal because it is again something which I have always wanted to do and to go
traveling would mean that I could tick this life long aspiration off my bucket list. I think that
it would also be such a great insight into whether, how I live now and I how I plan to live my
life in the future is how I want to do it. I hope to spend my time traveling on a gap year and
during this gap year I hope that my decisions in whether I go to university are either
confirmed or if I find/ encounter something that may change this decision.
I will achieve this goal by undergoing extensive research to find the best possible travel
itenary. I do also have family that live in different countries around the world. When
travelling I could find a company that visits these areas and stay with them for a short
amount of time. I could then take on a job for a short period of time just to save up some
money and then continue with my travels. By traveling I do hope to also meet new people
who have similar interests to myself. This should hopefully mean that I can meet up and
travel with people I am friends with. I could therefore do some traveling independantly but
other parts with friends.
I will need to start undergoing research and looking at ways of doing this travel. I could look
at certain companies that run organised travel or see if there are any tickets which I can
take certain transport around the world.
One option is to have an organised gap year which has a set itenary and a company running
the whole trip for me. Real Gap offer a one year trip which takes you to around 8 major
countries and gives you a chance to experience some of the conventional tourist
destinations and other destinations which are not so known and stay with local people from
the area.

Harry Foreman

See appendix 3
This company would be great for possibly some of the trip but I do not think that it would
suit me for a whole year. If I did travel with just them then I would have a confirmed chance
of going to some really exciting places and this would mean that I would deifinetly have a
good experience. It is quite expensive however and flights are not included with the cost. I
reckon that I may be able to have a very similar experience just not run by a company and
possibly get for a cheaper price.
STA travel offer an around the world travel ticket which can give you the opportunity to visit
many places with this all in one ticket. There are many different routes available and the
choice covers many different places around the world. I really like the idea of traveling at my
own pace and having the opportunity to visit such a diverse amount of locations across the
globe. I could therefore plan certain activities and opportunities which I would like to do in
the different destinations across the world and could these do these in my own time.
I would also then get a chance to meet up with friends and family and so certain things that
would not be available if I had a pre-planned route by a company such as Real Gap.
See apendix 4 for a route that I could possibly do.
Star Aliance allows you to plan the route yourself and gives you an interactive map that you
can plot the destinations which you would like to visit. It then will produce a price that it
should cost you to, to fly the the selected route.
Using this website would mean that I can taylor my route to myself a lot and that I would
take full controll over my route and how I get there. It would cost me around 7000 doing it
this way which does cost a lot more than the other sites. I think that I would therefore look
at using the other companies as they do have better prices and do not charge as much as
Star Alliance are. I think this is because I would be probably be buying the flights individually
and not as a whole package.
See appendix 5 for a screen shot of how the site works.

I could also look at a company such as Camp America. Camp America is a cultural exchange
programme that gives people like myself the chance to spend the summer living and
working on a summer camp in the USA. I would be travelling out to the USA and be
spending the summer working with young people and people like myself. It would be quite a
different type of travelling to the other options that I have just discussed but could be an
extremely effective way of traveling and could mean that I get the opportunity to travel

Harry Foreman

abroad, while also getting payed for what Im doing and also the guarentee of meeting
other young people like myself. I could then look at further travel after this and tarvel
around America or look at travelling somewhere else after the summer.
My only reservations of doing something like this are that I could find it to be quite
restricting and possibly not the type of travelling that I may want to do. I think the people
that I work with would be really good but the actual experiences that I may have may be
quite limiting.
I would however get flights at a reduced fair and also receive a small amount of money to
spend while in the USA.
I think that I should definetly consider this option as it will still give me the opportunity to go
travelling, while receiving financial benefits and also travel in quite a tried and tested way
which many have done before. At the moment, I do not think that it is my number one
choice but I will certainly take Camp America into consideration wgen making plans for my
year off.
3. After 1 year of graduating university, to have started my career within the media
industry in a job that I enjoy.
I aim to get a career within the media industy (prefably film) within a year of graduating
university. This has again always been an aim of mine and is something that I am really
eager to achieve. I think (and have always thought) that having a job that you enjoy and is
extremely important and being involved with film and media has always been something
that I have always aspired to achieve.
I chose this goal because it will give me something to aim torwards when studying and I can
therefore focus my studies and have an end goal.
I chose this goal as I hope that it will help me to achieve my end goal of having a job which I
enjoy and could last me for the rest of my life. This is because if I started in a job within the
film industry I would hopefully could build a reputation and then could work my way up the
industry. This would mean that hopefully in around 10 years after starting the job I was
higher up and in a position that I was comfortable and happy with.
I will achieve this goal by continuing my studies and getting the grades and qualifications
needed to work in the industry that I need. One method that I can use is to look on National
Careers Service at job descriptions for working within the media industry.
See appendix 6
I can see that to get a job within film that courses such as film studies and photography are
likely to give me a good backround when it comes to applying for jobs.

Harry Foreman

Also by working my way up through the film industry could be a way of getting into the
industry as film companies will look for experience just as much as qualifcations.
I can also see that building a portfolio of work is something that I should definitely aim
torwards starting. I currently have a couple of films which I can include but I do need to start
increasing the amount that I produce and edit. A gap year would be a brilliant time to put
together some short films and get some really nice work made to demonstrate what I am
capable of.

I will need to therefore keep my eye out for possible jobs and work experience within this
field of work and ensure that I am always learning and developing my skills. I can see that by
having a degree in a course like film would help me significantly and that if I could do this
this, then it would act as a big advantage. Universities and colleges would also have many
contacts which I could make meaning that it may be slightly easier to find a job.
Creative Skillset has given me a good idea of courses that are valued by industry and that
will definetly benefit me if I choose to study them. Couses that have appeared are Film at
Westminster and Falmouth, these are two courses that I have looke at already so I think I
will definetly do some further research into these two degrees and look at possibly
attending some open days for these universities.
I have already attended a few open days already and I can evaluate that these visits to the
universities are essential if I am considering applying to a particular university. They will give
me a clear idea of what the course will be like and help me decided whether the university is
the sort of environment that I would want to spend 3 years of my life at.

Harry Foreman

Long Term Goals;

1. In 10 years time I hope to be comfortable financially and have my own home.
I chose this goal as this is a huge value of mine and is what I believe everybody should be
entitled to in their life. Having somewhere that I can call home is a fundamental and I do not
think that any of my goals would be exactly complete if this goal was not fulfilled. As for
being financilailly stable, I think that this is extremely important and if this does not happen
that something should be done immditately to try and change this. This I think can easily be
achieved as long as I make sensible decisions and have a job that pays enough to keep me
comfortable and pays off all over-heads and daily living costs. I understand that sometimes
things can go wrong but as long as I am aware of this and aware of all the things that I could
possibly do to prevent this, then hopefully I should be able to avoid failing the goal.
I will achieve this goal by staying focused with my studies and being sensible about decisions
that I make. I want to be pro-active when it comes to finding jobs and suitable housing and I
want to ensure that whatever I do, is with intention and means that I do not hinder myself
in any way.
I will also look at homes which are suitable for me and are not too expensive but still a safe
and nice environment for me to live in. Renting a home first may also be more of a sensible
idea as I may move on and want to move in with somebody else or get a bigger home if I
choose to have family. Looking at renting my first few homes may not be a bad idea
therefore and I must be aware of the terms and conditions when looking at renting a
property and ensuring that I can afford to pay rent each month.
Some areas which I will consequently need to look at could therefore be;
i.

ii.

Where would I want to live? It may be in a town/city where I choose to study or

somewhere completely different that I am fond of and that would give me a good
quality of life by living there.
How much is rent/ cost of buying? Can I afford it to pay the rent each month? Is my
income enough to cover costs?

If I am lucky enough to get a job in film then it is most likely that I will be travelling quite
frequently and going all over the place doing lots of different projects. Having a large
house may not be the most wise therefore but somewhere with enough room to relax,
sleep and eat is what I would like. I would love to live in a city where there is so much
diversity and different places to go. I will look at the places I may go to university as I may
choose to stay where I have studied. I might however look at somewhere near London (or
commutable) as this is where filming is at its biggest and would be where I would most likely
get a job within film.

Harry Foreman

I will therefore look at small houses and flats within in Oxford, Exeter, Kingston and London.
I would say that I do not want to spend more than 850 on rent a month for a 1 bedroom
apartment or house.
Oxford Flat

Kingston Flat

Oxford House

Kingston House
Would have to be apartment. House
Shares available only.

Harry Foreman

London Flat

Exeter Flat

London House

Exeter House

Harry Foreman

2. By The age of 30 I hope to start a family of my own.

I chose this goal because this is something that has always been important to me and I
hold famaily close to me. I have enjoyed my childhood very much and would love to do
what my parents have done for me, to children of my own. I do also want a partner so
that I can share my life with them and have someone to talk to. This is again something
that I think is extremely important , someone that I love to share the rest of my life with.


3. By the age of 35 I hope to have a job that I enjoy and could last me till I retire.

I chose this goal as this is another extremely important value which I have. I do not want to
be an adult that does not enjoy their job and regrets starting that career. I want to be
passionate about what ever career path I do take and feel excited that this is what I could be
doing for the rest of my working life. I want to be able to have that progression from after
leaving university and feel like I have earnt what I have got.

I will achieve this goal by ensuring that I fulfill my mid-term goal of getting a good job after I
leave university and this should hopefully get me into a company that I can build my
authority with.

I will need to use websites such as the national careers service to look at job profiles and see
what skills and qualifications I need to have. (see apendix 6)

Below is a list of jobs that involve media production. From looking at websites such as
Indeed jobs I can see the number of jobs that entail media production is quite large and that
I do have quite a large scope with regards to opportunity when looking at jobs within the
media industry. The majorty of the below jobs are based in London however and I may have
to conder looking at basing myself in London.

This finding is really promising however as it shows that with right skills and qualifications,
the chances of me finding a job within the film and media industry could be quite possible.
Companies such as the BBC and ITV and organisations that would offer great opportunities if
I worked with them and that as long as I have the commitment and skills, then I should be
able to get into a career that I love.

Harry Foreman

Alternative Options
The route that I have just described may not be the only options that I should take and there
are many alternatives to what I have just outlined. For example, I may choose not to go to
university and do an apprenticeship or choose to go straight into work. It is really important
that I consider these alternatives and that I do not narrow my chances.

Harry Foreman

One alternative that I could do would be to look at not going to university and starting an
alternative form of getting into industry when I finish College in July. This could include
apprenticeships, combined study or just going straight into work.
By looking at websites such as GOV.UK Apprenticeship Finder I can identify any
apprenticeships that could be suited to me. Apprenticeships may be better as I would be
going straight into industry and would not have to spend any more time studying. Althouhg
the job profile from National Careers Service does state that a degree would be helpful, it by
no means states that this is an essential requirment to working within the film and media
industry. Getting hands on experience may even be better as I would be going straight into
industry and I would be picking up relevant knowledge straight away.

There are not as many apprenticeships in film/ media production as I thought there could be
and possibly going straight into work may be how one may need to get themeselves into
industry. Starting by being a production runner on TV and film sets may be more beneficial
therefore and there are always going to be pleanty of positions on this type of job. I have

Harry Foreman

already had some work experience on being a runner and by networking with industry
proffesionals I have found out how that this is how some get into industry if they do not
choose to do a degree.
I must also consider alternate career paths as a career within the media industry may also
not be possible. I do have lots of ideas of alternate career paths that I could pursue and
doing some further research into these alternatives could be extremely beneficial.

Bibliography and Appendices
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobfamily/Pages/default.aspx
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/tools/skillshealthcheck/Pages/default.aspx
https://www.safedrivingforlife.info/
http://www.topuniversities.com/blog/study-tips-how-stay-focused
http://www.dofe.org/finder/Default.aspx?ResultsOnPage=20&UserType=2&grp1=46
https://www.podvolunteer.org/?gclid=CKSmzcfE4MYCFdMatAod8yQLZg&lang=en
http://www.planmygapyear.co.uk/
https://www.bing.com/
https://www.google.co.uk/
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/
https://www.brookes.ac.uk/
http://www.kingston.ac.uk/
http://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/film/
https://www.ucas.com/
http://www.opendays.com/
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/
http://university.which.co.uk/
http://www.practiceaptitudetests.com/

Appendix 1

Mr Harry Foreman
Monday, June 15, 2015

Skills Health Check

Your full report
Welcome to your Skills Health Check Report. Your report gives you feedback
on the different questionnaires, together with some other useful information
(including a section with job family suggestions).
Your completed assessments are:
Skill Areas
Interests
After reading your report you may want some further support or careers and
skills advice.
Please telephone 0800 100 900 to speak to a careers adviser. Lines are
open 8am to 10pm, seven days a week.

Your results Skill Areas

The Skill Areas questionnaire measures nine Skill Areas or types of
activities you feel that you are able to do. Each area has specific relevance
to the workplace.
Your results are listed from the Skill Areas you feel you are most able to do,
through to the Skill Areas you feel you do less well. This means you may
find a Skill Area towards the end of the list that you feel you are fairly able
to do, because there are many other areas you feel you are more able to
do.
There are some suggestions for those skills areas that you feel most able to
do to help you when applying for jobs.
To help you develop the skills that you feel are less strong, there are some
activity suggestions if you want to improve them.
Sometimes no extra information will appear. This means that your view of
your abilities seems to be evenly balanced.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Working with Others

Works well with people by listening, understanding and supporting
others.
Creating and Innovating
Produces new ideas and different ways for approaching issues.
Showing Energy and Drive
Shows energy and enthusiasm for meeting difficult goals and taking
on new responsibilities.
Persuading and Communicating
Persuades others and resolves conflict. Communicates clearly when
speaking and writing.
Leading and Taking Responsibility
Takes responsibility for own actions and for leading others.
Managing Change and Pressure
Adapts to changes, remains calm and reacts positively to challenges.
Planning and Focusing on Quality
Plans activities and projects, using time effectively to produce high
quality work.
Learning and Technology
Easily learns new information and quickly learns how to use new
technologies.
Analysing and Problem Solving
Identifies problems and gathers information, making judgements
based on facts.
2

Your strengths
Working with Others
Working with Others is a skill area that you feel you are most able to do.
This is about being able to work well with people by listening, understanding
and supporting others.

Think of situations in which you had to co-operate and get on well with other
people. Some examples could include working as part of a group of people at
school or work; taking part in after-school clubs or hobby groups; being part
of a sports team; volunteering in the community; supporting friends or
family through difficult situations; meeting people from different
backgrounds.
For each situation, consider:
How did you go about working well with others? What did you do?
How did you try to support others? How did you try to understand
what support they might need? How did other people respond?
What did you do to show other people that you appreciate them/their
work?
What types of people do you find it easier to get on with well? What
types of people do you find it harder to get on with well?
Your strengths
Creating and Innovating
Creating and Innovating is a skill area that you feel you are most able to do.
This is about being able to produce new ideas, identify innovative
approaches and different solutions for dealing with issues.

Think about different types of situations in which you came up with new
ideas or different ways of doing something. This could be in your personal
life, at school or at work. It could apply to something practical (e.g. a hobby,
fixing something mechanical, applying for jobs, doing something at home) or
to something artistic (e.g. related to fashion, design or drawing).
Things to consider:
When did you come up with a simpler/faster/better way of doing
something? What was your idea? Why did you choose to do this? How
well did your idea work?
3

When did you come up with lots of ideas about how to do something?
How did you do this? How did you choose between your ideas?
Your areas for development
Learning and Technology
Learning and Technology is a skill area that you feel you can do less well.
This is about being able to learn new information easily and learn how to use
new technologies quickly.
If you would like to improve this skill, the following development suggestions
might be useful.
Development Suggestions
Explore computer programs that are available to you, using tutorials or
setting yourself exercises that stretch your knowledge. Seek tips from others
with more experience.
Find a work-relevant topic you are interested in but know little about. Use a
computer to find out as much relevant information as you can. Then ask a
friend to test your knowledge on this topic.
Your areas for development
Analysing and Problem Solving
Analysing and Problem Solving is a skill area that you feel you can do less
well. This is about being able to identify problems, gather information and
make judgements based on facts.
If you would like to improve this skill, the following development suggestions
might be useful.
Development Suggestions
Think of a complex problem you have been trying to solve. Write down
everything you know about the problem. Now look for themes and
similarities in what you have written down. How can you group this
information? Are there any areas where you would benefit from having more
facts and figures? Share this list with someone you trust.
Identify some evidence that you have collected recently to support a
4

decision. Look at this information critically. Is the source trustworthy? What

other sources could be used? Are there an gaps in this information? Is there
anything in this information that you think could be incorrect? Does this
information take into account different points of view?
Your results Interest
Doing what you are interested in can be very important for job satisfaction.
The Interest questionnaire measures eleven Interest Areas to help you find
out which types of work activity appeal to you most.
The profile below shows how appealing you find each of the eleven Interest
Areas. You will also see related job families which you can explore to find
jobs that appeal to you.
Remember that interests can and do change with time.
Strength of
Interest
Moderately
interested
in:

Interest
Area
Creative

A little
interested
in:

Influencing

Reading
and writing
focused
Leisure

Scientific

Interest Area
Definition
Applying artistic skills,
developing new ideas
and producing
imaginative and
original work.
Working with people
and helping influence
their views and
choices.
Researching
information and
editing or creating
written outputs.
Providing a service to
people in restaurants,
bars, hotels, when
they are learning new
sports or when on
holiday.
Conducting research
using scientific
methods to learn
about the physical or
natural world.
5

Related Job
Families
Arts, Crafts and
Design
Performing Arts,
Broadcast and
Media
Marketing, Selling
and Advertising
Retail Sales and
Customer Service
Performing Arts,
Broadcast and
Media
Publishing and
Journalism
Catering Services
Sport, Leisure and
Tourism

Animals, Plants and

Land
Environmental
Sciences
Medical Technology

Science and
Research
Authority

Storage
and
Transport
Not at all
interested
in:

Caring

Working in difficult
situations or tough
environments, giving
clear orders and
following commands.
Organising, managing
and assisting the
efficient movement of
goods and people.
Using social skills to
teach, support, care
for and help others.

Engineering Working in a precise

and systematic way to
design, build,
maintain or repair
structures or
equipment.
Numerically Working with figures,
focused
numbers and data.

Organising

Planning activities,
maintaining records,
checking detail and
following or creating
procedures.

Security and
Uniformed Services

Storage,
Dispatching and
Delivery
Transport
Alternative
Therapies
Education and
Training
Medicine and
Nursing
Social Services
Construction
Maintenance,
Service and Repair
Manufacturing and
Engineering
Financial Services
Information
Technology and
Information
Management
Administrative and
Clerical
Legal Services
Management and
Planning

Think about how you could combine your interests to find work areas that
you would be interested in.
To find out more about the job families that appear above, please click here.
Job Suggestions
We want to highlight some possible job families that are the best match
between your skills and your interests.
6

The first section focuses just on your skills areas questionnaire, and shows
two job families that may be a good match.
The second section brings in your interest areas as well as your skills areas.
It highlights up to two further job families that may be a good match for
you.
Job suggestions best match for your skills
Education and Training
Based on how you answered the skills areas questionnaire, this
job family may be a good match for you. Education and Training
jobs typically involve planning tasks effectively, gathering
information and spotting problems, and showing energy and
drive.

One activity that is sometimes part of this kind of job is reasoning and using
verbal information. You may be interested in trying the working with written
information activity which is available in the tasks area.
Social Services
Based on how you answered the skills areas questionnaire, this
job family may be a good match for you. Social Services jobs
typically involve gathering information and spotting problems,
planning tasks effectively, and coming up with new ideas.

One activity that is sometimes part of this kind of job is reasoning and using
verbal information. You may be interested in trying the working with written
information activity which is available in the tasks area.
Other job families you may be interested in

Performing Arts, Broadcast and Media

Based on how you answered the interests and skills areas
questionnaires, this job family may be a good match for you.
Performing Arts, Broadcast and Media jobs typically involve
planning tasks effectively, working well with others, and learning
new information and using technology.

One activity that is sometimes part of this kind of job is reasoning and using
verbal information. You may be interested in trying the working with written
information activity which is available in the tasks area.
Your next steps
The job families listed above are just a starting point.
To explore the jobs that you would find within the job families go to the
National Careers Service website which is a good place to start for more
information and for the full job catalogue.
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobfamily/
You can also find out more from:
Reference materials in libraries or your careers service
Looking at other information on the internet
Talking to someone who works in the area that interests you
Professional bodies and associations
Job shadowing to see how the job is done in a real workplace.
After seeing which jobs interest you the most, think about any specific issues
which could make a job more or less suitable for you (e.g. any health issues
you may have, the hours you would be required to work, the location of
work).
Next, look at possible employers, possibilities for further training and job
opportunities in your area.
We hope you are finding the Skills Health Check Tools useful!
What next?
The feedback in this report covers all the assessments you have finished so
far. These are shown in the table below.
8

Skill areas
Interests
Personal style
Motivation
Working with numbers
Working with written information
Checking information activity
Solving mechanical problems
Working with shapes
Solving abstract problems
You might be interested in completing some more question sets. If you do
this, you can then get a fresh report with information about that question
set.
If you have registered for a Lifelong Learning Account, you can save this
report. Whenever you log in to your Lifelong Learning Account you can find
your report, and if you complete more question sets they will be added to
this report.
Next steps after your Skills Health Check
Now you've completed your Skills Health Check we hope you have clearer
idea of what your strengths are. This can help you to choose jobs in which
you can make the most of these strengths.
You might also have identified skills you need to work on. This is especially
relevant if the jobs you want to get into need these skills.
Visit our website for more information and advice on which skills and
qualifications you need to get into over 750 different jobs. There's also
advice on changing career, job hunting, choosing a course and getting
funding for your learning. Simply click on the link or type the following web
address into your browser.
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/pages/SHCinfo.aspx

More advice from the National Careers Service

Find out more about how the National Careers Service can help you with
your decisions about careers, learning and work. Simply click on the link or
type the following web address into your browser.
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/aboutus

10

Appendix 3

Appendix 4

Appendix 5

Cinematographer job information | National Careers Service

11/04/2016, 12:48

Appendix 6
Job profiles

Cinematographer
A cinematographer or director of photography, also known as DP or DoP, is the head of the camera
and lighting crew working on a film or TV set. As a cinematographer you will be responsible for the
development, look and feel of the images which will make up the final film.
To do this job you need to have a passion for film and photography. You also need to be a good
communicator. If you are creative, have leadership skills and want to work in the film or television
industry, then this career could be for you.
A common way into this career is to get experience of camera work by working your way up from a
camera operator role. If you have a portfolio of photography or a reel of film work that you have
produced yourself, then you could market this to get yourself known.

Hours

Variable

Starting salary

Variable

Work activities
In the UK, the term lighting cameraman or director of photography (DoP) is more commonly used than cinematographer. DoPs work closely with directors,
the camera crew and the lighting department to get the right frame, lighting and mood for a film or TV programme.
Camera angles, shot sizes and lighting are all used by the DoP to create a certain look for a film.
Before filming starts, the DoP will discuss with the director how the script will be presented in film. A DoP will then typically:
visit a location (known as a recce) before filming to check its suitability, access to facilities and lighting and sound potential
order filming and lighting equipment
test equipment such as lenses and filters to check their effect
manage all aspects of the filming, sometimes operating the camera
supervise the camera crew to decide on any special camera moves
work closely with the lighting team to decide on lighting techniques
review film footage with the director
As a DoP you might also work on promotional films and adverts.

Working hours and conditions

When you are working on a production your hours can be long and irregular. You may need to work 12 to 14 hours a day during filming, including evenings
and weekends.
Depending on the type of production you are working on, you could be based in a film or TV studio, or out on location. Your base could be anywhere in the
UK, or overseas, so you may need to travel.

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/cinematographer.aspx

Page 1 of 5

Cinematographer job information | National Careers Service

11/04/2016, 12:48

Appendix 6
Job profiles

Cinematographer
A cinematographer or director of photography, also known as DP or DoP, is the head of the camera
and lighting crew working on a film or TV set. As a cinematographer you will be responsible for the
development, look and feel of the images which will make up the final film.
To do this job you need to have a passion for film and photography. You also need to be a good
communicator. If you are creative, have leadership skills and want to work in the film or television
industry, then this career could be for you.
A common way into this career is to get experience of camera work by working your way up from a
camera operator role. If you have a portfolio of photography or a reel of film work that you have
produced yourself, then you could market this to get yourself known.

Hours

Variable

Starting salary

Variable

Work activities
In the UK, the term lighting cameraman or director of photography (DoP) is more commonly used than cinematographer. DoPs work closely with directors,
the camera crew and the lighting department to get the right frame, lighting and mood for a film or TV programme.
Camera angles, shot sizes and lighting are all used by the DoP to create a certain look for a film.
Before filming starts, the DoP will discuss with the director how the script will be presented in film. A DoP will then typically:
visit a location (known as a recce) before filming to check its suitability, access to facilities and lighting and sound potential
order filming and lighting equipment
test equipment such as lenses and filters to check their effect
manage all aspects of the filming, sometimes operating the camera
supervise the camera crew to decide on any special camera moves
work closely with the lighting team to decide on lighting techniques
review film footage with the director
As a DoP you might also work on promotional films and adverts.

Working hours and conditions

When you are working on a production your hours can be long and irregular. You may need to work 12 to 14 hours a day during filming, including evenings
and weekends.
Depending on the type of production you are working on, you could be based in a film or TV studio, or out on location. Your base could be anywhere in the
UK, or overseas, so you may need to travel.

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/cinematographer.aspx

Page 1 of 5

Cinematographer job information | National Careers Service

11/04/2016, 12:48

Income
Freelance DoPs are usually paid a fee for each individual contract or project. Rates will vary based on the type of film, the budget and your experience as a
DoP.
As a DoP in the UK you could be paid up to 65,000 for a production. Televisual.com is a business magazine for the broadcast and production community,
and produces an annual survey report on salaries.
Televisual.com
You can also contact the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) for current pay guidelines.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements
If you want to become a DoP you will need a passion for film and photography. You need to understand how cameras work and have a good working
knowledge of all the camera equipment such as optics, filters and film stock. You will also need to understand exposure, composition, lighting, development,
special effects, colour composition, scene blocking, and sound. You can develop your interest by:
watching films
studying lighting
following the work of current cinematographers
studying photography to learn about film exposure and film composition
To get work, one of the most important things you need is experience. Employers want to know that you have:
camera operating experience and the ability to test equipment such as lenses and filters
experience of working with a camera crew
experience in lighting and the ability to plan for the camera and lighting equipment that might be needed
an understanding of photography so that you're able to capture images with light
Most DoPs start out as a camera trainee or runner, and move on to 2nd assistant camera (AC), then 1st AC. Once you can operate a range of cameras, and you
have established your reputation, you can start to apply for work as a camera operator. Some DoPs will ask for a specific camera operator to work with them.
Have a look at the camera operator profile in the Related careers list for more information about that job.
It can also help to have a degree in a related subject. The following subjects will all give you a good background:
stills
photography
drama
art
film studies
Creative Skillset, the skills body for the creative industries, has a list of film production courses which have been recognised for standards of excellence.
Creative Skillset

Training and development

A lot of DoPs build up their portfolio of work by shooting music videos, adverts or documentaries. It may also help to join a film club, take photos and make
your own short films to get experience. Once you have a reel of your best work, you could upload it to a website to show off your artistic skill and ability.
Get to know gaffers, grips, production managers, producers and directors to try and get your work known. It can be a long and competitive process, so it
helps to get as much experience as you can.
You will also need to keep up to date with new equipment and technology throughout your career. As a freelance worker you are usually responsible for
your own development. You can find out more about relevant approved courses from Creative Skillset:

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/cinematographer.aspx

Page 2 of 5

Cinematographer job information | National Careers Service

11/04/2016, 12:48

The Guild of British Camera Technicians (GBCT) and The Moving Image Society (BKSTS) both offer a range of short courses and seminars to their members.
See their websites for details.
GBCT
BKSTS

Skills, interests and qualities

To be a cinematographer, you will typically need:
a passion for film and photography
knowledge and experience of camera equipment and lighting techniques
creative ability with a camera colour
colour-normal vision
excellent communication skills
the ability to work with a wide range of people
the ability to lead and motivate others
an eye for detail, and a steady hand
the ability to work well in a team and also independently
good IT skills

More information
British Society of Cinematographers
www.bscine.com
Creative Skillset
www.creativeskillset.org
Creative Skillset
(Young creative talent)
www.creativeskillset.org/careers
BKSTS - The Moving Image Society
www.bksts.com
Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union
www.bectu.org.uk

(BECTU)

Opportunities
A lot of DoPs are freelance workers, although some of the bigger TV broadcasters employ some permanent staff.
Competition for work is strong so you will increase your chances of a successful career if you are prepared to work anywhere in the UK or overseas. It could
take a while before you establish a name for yourself, and recognition for your work.
Networking is a really useful way of getting jobs in the film industry. Get to know key people and make contacts wherever you can. You can then market
yourself by contacting companies and offering your services.
You may find the following useful for vacancies and further reading:
cinematography.com
Mandy.com
Broadcastnow.co.uk
BBC Recruitment
ITV Careers
Grapevine Jobs

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/cinematographer.aspx

Page 3 of 5

Cinematographer job information | National Careers Service

The Knowledge

11/04/2016, 12:48

(TV/film contacts directory)

Kays Production Guide

StartinTV

Job market information

This section gives you an overview of the job area that this profile belongs to. You can use it to work out your next career move. It can help if youre looking
for a job now or want to do some further training.
The 'Market statistics' charts are based on figures from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The list of job vacancies under 'Apply for jobs' is from the Universal Jobmatch database. The vacancies are not from the National Careers Service.

Market statistics

Apply for jobs

Median income: Sport

Find courses

culture

Sector
UK

27008
27017

This chart shows the median, or middle, annual income figure for full-time workers in this sector compared to the national median figure for all
sectors.

Gender: Sport

culture

Male
Female

61%
39%

This chart shows the proportion of men and women working in this sector.

Working pattern: Sport

Self-employed
Full-time
Part-time

culture
49%
36%
15%

This chart gives a breakdown of how people are employed in this sector.

Gaps in sector due to skills shortages: Sport

All vacancies
This sector

culture
23%
24%

This chart shows the proportion of vacancies in this sector that employers said are due to skills shortages. This compares with the overall figure
across all sectors.

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/cinematographer.aspx

Page 4 of 5

Cinematographer job information | National Careers Service

Employment forecast: Sport

617000

11/04/2016, 12:48

culture

Predicted nos.
employed

608000
599000
590000
581000
572000
563000
554000
2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Year
This graph shows the predicted numbers of people that will be working in this sector between now and 2020.

2016 A service of the Skills Funding Agency on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

ShareThis Copy and Paste

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/cinematographer.aspx

Page 5 of 5