The document outlines a template for creating a development plan to improve three target skills. For each skill, it provides sections to describe strengths and areas for improvement, set a desired outcome goal and supporting statement, identify practices and action steps for growth, potential obstacles, key supporters, and how developing the skill connects to personal, academic and career goals. It also includes definitions and explanations for 10 important employability skills: self and social awareness, technology, productivity, initiative, results driven, communication, relationship building, problem solving, innovation, and agility.
1. Development Plan for Three Skills Template
Create a development plan for three target skills.Target Skill #1
Target Skill #1:
Specify the skill you are developing this development plan for.
(Pick from the 10 Skills we learned about in WRK100. You may
want to use a skill that you wrote about in Assignment 1.)
Strengths:
Describe your strengths in this skill.
Areas of Improvement:
Describe areas of improvement in this skill.
Desired Outcome:
Describe your goals around developing this skill during your
time at School. Think about what improvement of this skill
looks like.
Goal Statement:
Write a positive statement that includes your desired outcome
and your imagined preferred future after development.
Practices for Growth:
Describe 2–3 specific strategies that can be used to develop this
skill.
Action Steps:
Describe an action plan around developing your skill that
includes things you can do now to begin working towards your
goal.
What specific actions are needed to acquire knowledge and
build upon your skill?
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
(Add more steps if necessary.)
Potential Obstacles and Challenges:
What barriers do you need to overcome to reach your goal?
What challenges do you anticipate?
2. Key Supporters:
Identify 1–2 individuals you can check in with, who will
provide feedback along the way and act as trusted supporters.
Explain how these supporters will help you meet your goal.
Supporter 1:
Supporter 2:
Benefits From Change and Connections to Personal, Academic,
and Career Goals:
Connect your goals around skills and identify:
one larger personal goal,
one academic goal, and
one professional goal.
These can be the ones you identified in Assignment 2 or new
ones.
How will your personal development of employability skills
impact your larger goals?
Target Skill #2
Target Skill #2:
Specify the skill you are developing this development plan for.
(Pick from the 10 Skills we learned about in WRK100. It could
be a skill you wrote about in Assignment 1; this needs to be a
different skill than Target Skill #1.)
Strengths:
Describe your strengths in this skill.
Areas of Improvement:
Describe areas of improvement in this skill.
Desired Outcome:
Describe your goals around developing this skill during your
time at School. Think about what improvement of this skill
looks like.
3. Goal Statement:
Write a positive statement that includes your desired outcome
and your imagined preferred future after development.
Practices for Growth:
Describe 2–3 specific strategies that can be used to develop this
skill.
Action Steps:
Describe an action plan around developing your skill that
includes things you can do now to begin working towards your
goal.
What specific actions are needed to acquire knowledge and
build upon your skill?
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
(Add more steps if necessary.)
Potential Obstacles and Challenges:
What barriers do you need to overcome to reach your goal?
What challenges do you anticipate?
Key Supporters:
Identify 1–2 individuals you can check in with, who will
provide feedback along the way and act as trusted supporters.
Explain how these supporters will help you meet your goal.
Supporter 1:
Supporter 2:
Benefits From Change and Connections to Personal, Academic,
and Career Goals:
Connect your goals around skills and identify:
one larger personal goal,
one academic goal, and
one professional goal.
These can be the ones you identified in Assignment 2 or new
4. ones.
How will your personal development of employability skills
impact your larger goals?
Target Skill #3
Target Skill #3:
Specify the skill you are developing this development plan for.
(Pick from the 10 Skills we learned about in WRK100. It could
be a skill you wrote about in Assignment 1; this needs to be a
different skill than Target Skill #1 and #2.)
Strengths:
Describe your strengths in this skill.
Areas of Improvement:
Describe areas of improvement in this skill.
Desired Outcome:
Describe your goals around developing this skill during your
time at School. Think about what improvement of this skill
looks like.
Goal Statement:
Write a positive statement that includes your desired outcome
and your imagined preferred future after development.
Practices for Growth:
Describe 2–3 specific strategies that can be used to develop this
skill.
Action Steps:
Describe an action plan around developing your skill that
includes things you can do now to begin working towards your
goal.
What specific actions are needed to acquire knowledge and
build upon your skill?
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
6. emotions, and intentions; being open to receiving feedback; and
identifying how your behaviors
impact others.
Why it Matters for the Future of Work: Self awareness can help
you find the right career for
you, know when it’s time to leave your current job, and make
you a stronger leader. (Swerdlow,
5)
TECHNOLOGY
Definition: Being able to confidently and effectively use
technology to be productive, complete
goals and tasks, and maintain a competitive advantage.
Why it Matters for the Future of Work: 78% of today’s jobs
require familiarity with technology,
and digitally intensive jobs are growing faster and pay more
than non-digital roles. (Southern
New Hampshire University, 6)
PRODUCTIVITY
Definition: Strategizing, organizing, and effectively managing
your time and priorities.
Why it Matters for the Future of Work: High performers can be
up to 800 percent more
productive than other workers, drastically cutting down the time
and money needed to complete
large tasks - something managers always value. (Keller, 7)
INITIATIVE
Definition: Thinking independently, seeing what needs to be
done, and taking action without
being prompted.
Why it Matters for the Future of Work: Initiative has become
more important in modern
workplaces, as employers rely on people who have the courage
to push their teams forward.
(Mind Tools, 8)
RESULTS DRIVEN
Definition: Acting with a sense of urgency and focus to reach
7. goals, without compromising
integrity or quality.
Why it Matters for the Future of Work: As companies use more
freelancers, they need those
workers to be results-driven so projects stay on track. (Do, 9)
COMMUNICATION
Definition: Actively seeking and delivering information, clearly
articulating ideas, effectively
listening, and confidently connecting to various audiences,
settings, and situations.
Why it Matters for the Future of Work: Communication is one
of the top five skills that will be
important in the future across all industries…and that employer s
currently find lacking. (Gilchrist,
10)
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
Definition: Effectively working with others and establishing,
cultivating, and leveraging networks
over time.
Why it Matters for the Future of Work: 85% of all open job
positions are filled through
personal connections. (Adler, 11)
PROBLEM SOLVING
Definition: Identifying and framing problems, exploring ideas,
and creating effective, ethical,
and evidence-based solutions.
Why it Matters for the Future of Work: Problem solving is
important in every industry, and this
skill gives an especially notable edge in management positions.
(CareerBuilder, 12)
INNOVATION
Definition: Creatively thinking and coming up with new ideas
and solutions to solve old
problems.
Why it Matters for the Future of Work: 84% of business
executives believe that innovation is
8. important, but only 6% are satisfied with their company’s
performance in that area. (McKinsey &
Company, 13)
AGILITY
Definition: Embracing change and effectively adapting when
things around you are constantly
in motion.
Why it Matters for the Future of Work: In one survey, 79% of
executives said that the future of
work will be based on specific projects instead of roles,
meaning that having the agility to adapt
quickly will be extremely important. (Lyons, 14)