Your Personal Development Plan Part 1 - Introduction

First Year Students in 2011/2012

This PDP booklet is for the following programmes: BA International Business, Finance and Economics (IBFE) BSc International Management (IM) BSc International Management with American Business Studies (IMABS) BSc Information Technology Management for Business (ITMB) BSc Information Technology Management for Business with Industrial Experience (ITMB w IE) BSc Management (Mgt) BSc Management (Specialism) (Mgt (Spec)) BA/BSc Accounting, Management and Information Systems (AMAIS)

Contents
PART ONE 3-4 Introduction 5-6 Sources of Help and Advice 6-7 Volunteering and Getting Involved 7 Your Personal Development Plan Meetings during your First Year at Manchester Business School 8 2011/12 Teaching Weeks Calendar highlighting when the Personal Development Plan meetings will be held.

PART ONE Introduction Getting a job after your degree isnt just about handling over a CV with a degree class on it. Employers are increasingly interested in what skills you have developed not just in your education, but also in what you do in a part time job, or in your free time, or within your family. You need to be able to demonstrate that you have what they want, and the idea of the personal development plan is to help you to do this. Identifying your skills and working out where you are doing well and where you need to improve will help you to improve your degree class too. Its pretty obvious when you are learning about accounting or management; its also obvious when you are learning quantitative skills. However, sometimes you may not think about how you are practising other things as well. If you look at the aims and intended learning outcomes of your courses, you will see that all of them have a set of skills listed that you can develop. If you are looking for evidence that you have, for example, worked in a team, engaged in networking or developed analytical skills, the full course descriptions will tell you where you should have done that. You should also think about what you have done outside education: your job; your family situation; your hobbies; things you did while travelling; any positions you may have held in a society; voluntary work and so on. The idea of personal development planning is to help you to reflect on what you have done, identify how you are developing and to record some good examples of skills as you go along. All of this should help you when you put together a CV or a job application. Part 2 Assessed Section of this booklet has been put together to cover your first year at Manchester Business School. Your Academic Advisor will work with you on your personal development plan. You will have discussions about your PDP in your BMAN10780 Business and Management Skills seminars that take place every fortnight. You can also discuss your PDP and any other issues that affect your work and development at meetings arranged individually with your Academic Advisor. Before each seminar, read through the relevant Part 2 section of this booklet, noting any reminders and sections asking you to reflect on where you are so far. Look at the checklist of key skills in Part 2 and tick the boxes where you think you have acquired and used the skills this will remind you later that you now have those skills. Spend some time thinking about how you are doing not just with the degree programme but with all other aspects of your life too (work, family, activities, interests etc). Each section provides you with some guidance and suggestions.

Write your reflections on your progress in the boxes given in Part 2, thinking about your goals and future plans. Be honest with yourself the idea is for you to identify your strengths and the areas you need to work on. Your Academic Advisor is there to help you develop your strengths and work on any weaknesses. Make a note of any areas where you think you are not achieving what you want to. Think about how you might set about tackling any areas of weakness so that you are ready to fill in the action plan box with your Academic Advisor. Before seminars, you should also fill in the boxes about any exceptional circumstances that have affected your work since the last meeting and any other matters you wish to discuss with your Academic Advisor, to remind you about them in the class.

Bring Part 2 of the Personal Development Plan booklet (also available electronically on Blackboard) to each of your BMAN10780 Business and Management Skills seminars where it will help you with your discussions. Skills Record The Skills Record section in Part 2 of the Personal Development Plan booklet gives you an opportunity to record your progress and allows you to fill in good examples of your sills (in and out of university) as you go along. Doing this should help form your CV or when you are writing a job application. You are the best person to develop your skills with the help of your Academic Advisor and the courses you take but here are some other ways to achieve your goals: Plan ahead dont wait until the last minute to think about your skills development. Visit the Careers Service as soon as you can and learn what they can do for you (website details can be found later in this booklet). Think about what activities you can do when you are not at university (i.e. the summer) that could enhance your future job opportunities such as an internship or voluntary work. Join one of Manchester Business Schools official Societies or one of the many others affiliated to the Students Union.

You are required to complete Part 2 Assessed Section of the Personal Development Plan electronically and submit it as part of the assessment for BMAN10780 Business and Management Skills at the beginning of May 2012. Download the document from Blackboard and use the boxes provided to insert your comments.

Sources of Help and Advice Below you will find information and links to people and services that can help you develop and record your skills. Help and Advice in Manchester Business School 1. Your Academic Advisor You will have regular meetings with your Academic Advisor throughout your time at university. One of their roles is to explore with you how your skills and abilities are developing and to help you to develop an action plan for improvement. 2. Your Programme Director / Programme Administrator You will have met your Programme Director / Programme Administrator in Welcome Week. You should contact them if you have any programme related questions or issues. Email undergraduate@mbs.ac.uk to get their contact details. 3. The Undergraduate Programmes Office Located in D20 MBS East, you can go to this office with any questions or issues you may have. The office is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. 4. The Assessment and Student Support Centre Located in D14 MBS East, this centre offers advice, guidance and support on any issues that may affect your ability to study and can also refer you to other support services within the university. You can visit or contact them via studentsupport@mbs.ac.uk. 5. Your Student Mentor All first year students have at least one peer mentor who is trained to provide invaluable support and assistance. They can give you informal advice and pass on tips based on their experience of MBS and life at university. Help and Advice in the University 1. The Careers Service The Careers Service can help you with vacation work and placements as well as long term careers. They offer advice to students throughout their degree programmes including sessions/services for first year students. The Careers Service is located in Crawford House where you can visit but there are many useful sections on their website: http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/. 2. The Student Guidance Service The Student Guidance Service is similar to MBS Assessment and Student Support Centre but it is available to all students from across the university. It offers confidential advice on any matters relating to a students studies. Their website http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/sgs/ gives further information about what help and advice is available. 5

3. The Disability Support Office The Disability Support Office can help with issues such as dyslexia and dyspraxia as well as other areas of disability and long term illness. They will assist students with special support needs including testing and seeking additional funding for special needs. For further information visit their website at http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academiclife/support/disabled-students/

4. The Counselling Service The Counselling Service will give confidential personal counselling. In a skills context this may help you to deal with anything which may be affecting your work or personal life. It also runs workshops dealing with problems such as self-esteem, confidence and academic pressures. For further information visit their website at http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/counselling/. 5. Faculty of Humanities Study Skills The Faculty of Humanities Study Skills website provides a source of information, hints / tips and practical activities to help you develop your study skills and become a better learner. It can be found here: http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/studyskills/. 6. The Students Union The Students Union offer advice on a variety of issues such as employment, housing, childcare and health. The Union is run by students and offers opportunities for elections to posts each year. Visit them in the Steve Biko Building on Oxford Road or look at their website at http://www.umsu.manchester.ac.uk/ where you can also find out about their student societies. All the above links and more can be access via the intranet at http://ug.mbs.ac.uk/intranet/secure/handbook/index.aspx

Volunteering and Getting Involved Giving up some of your time to do something useful can be a valuable experience for you personally whenever you do it. It will also help you to develop new skills and practice the ones you already have! If you are interested in doing voluntary work or getting involved in the wider university community then you may want to consider the following options. 1. Student Ambassador Scheme The universitys Widening Participation initiative runs the Student Ambassador Scheme where students visit schools and work with young people. For more information visit their website at http://www.sraid.manchester.ac.uk/wideningparticipation/student-ambassadors/

2. Student Representatives Student Representatives are elected by fellow students and serve on the various Manchester Business School undergraduate committees. You can find further information on the intranet here: http://ug.mbs.ac.uk/intranet/secure/handbook/representation/studentreps.aspx 3. The Careers Service / Students Union The Careers Service and Students Union websites contain link to a variety of charities and not for profit organisations which are seeking volunteers. See http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/employable/volunteering/ and http://www.umsu.manchester.ac.uk/activities/studentaction.shtml.

You may also be eligible to take part in the Manchester Leadership Programme as part of your second year programme structure. More information will be available about this in your options information distributed in May.

Your Personal Development Plan Meetings during your First Year at Manchester Business School A summary of the meetings you will have with your Academic Advisor to discuss and plan your personal development is given below. These will take place within the seminars for BMAN 10780 Business and Management Skills which is one of your first year mandatory courses.

Semester 1 Week 1 or 2 10 or 11 Description PDP discussions of initial personal objectives and development plans PDP discussions and a debrief on the semester Semester 2 Week 1 or 2 5 or 6 Description The format and purpose of personal development plans Reflection of PDPs individual meetings with Academic Advisors to discuss first semester results and reflect on PDPs in light of these Submit PDP via Blackboard as part of the assessment for BMAN10780 Business and Management Skills. Completed Completed

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2011/12 Academic Year - Teaching Weeks

Week Commencing:

Academic Calendar:

19 September 2011 26 September 2011 3 October 2011 10 October 2011 17 October 2011 24 October 2011 31 October 2011 7 November 2011 14 November 2011 21 November 2011 28 November 2011 5 December 2011 12 December 2011 19 December 2011 26 December 2011 2 January 2012 9 January 2012 16 January 2012 23 January 2012 30 January 2012 6 February 2012 13 February 2012 20 February 2012 27 February 2012 5 March 2012 12 March 2012 19 March 2012 26 March 2012 2 April 2012 9 April 2012 16 April 2012 23 April 2012 30 April 2012 7 May 2012 14 May 2012 21 May 2012 28 May 2012 4 June 2012

Start of Semester 1- Induction Week Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 - Reading Week Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Semester Break Semester Break Semester Break Semester Break Exams Exams - End of Semester 1 Start of Semester 2 - Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Semester Break Semester Break Semester Break Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12-NB. Bank Holiday Monday Exams Exams Exams Exams - Bank Holiday Monday & Tuesday. End of Semester 2.