Personal Development Plan: Guidance notes
“Personal development planning enables individuals to take charge of their own learning. Learning becomes a proactive as well as reactive process,
designed and prioritised to support immediate development needs as well as longer term ambitions”1
A Personal Development Plan (PDP) enables learners to identify key areas of learning and development activity that will enable them to either acquire new or
develop existing skills and behavioural attributes for the following purposes:
• enhance performance in their current role
• address anticipated changes in their current role
• address career aspirations towards a future role
Prior to completing the Personal Development Plan (scroll down to next page(s) for a template to complete), the learner should undertake a skills analysis
activity to determine their learning and development needs and identify development objectives to meet those needs.
We recommend that the personal development planning process should be undertaken initially by the learner followed by discussion and agreement with their
manager.
It is recommended that this process should take place at least annually.
The learner should start the PDP process at the beginning of this qualification as a minimum.
Personal Development Plan: Key to terminology used in template
Development Objectives are objectives that you have identified to enable you to meet the learning and development needs identified at the skills analysis
stage
Priority identifies whether your development objective is:
• critical to your current role
• beneficial but non-critical to your current role
• critical to your progressing in to future role
• beneficial but non-critical to progressing in to future role
Activities can constitute any learning or development activity that will enable you to achieve your development objectives e.g. formal training, on-the-job
training, work-shadowing another colleague etc.
Support/Resources describe what you need to help you achieve your development objectives. Typically this would involve support from your manager,
department or colleague to enable you to undertake a learning or development activity such as allowing you time away from your role or funding from your
department.
Target and Actual dates state when you intend to achieve your development objectives followed by the date you actually achieve them. Data in these
columns is particularly useful when you review your PDP as it will enable you to identify any factors that may have prevented you from achieving your
development objectives on the target date and build in contingencies to prevent this from occurring in the future.
Review date states when you will review progress on your Personal Development Plan. Assuming that you undergo the personal development process
annually, we recommend that you review your PDP every six months therefore enabling you to:
• Assess your progress
• Reflect on your learning
• Identify whether your development objectives need to be amended
• Identify factors that may have prevented you from achieving your development objectives
• Build in contingencies to enable you (where possible) to meet your agreed target date in the future
Use SMART objectives Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound
You must include all units towards your NVQ as part of your PDP/CPD plan and reflect on each unit. This has been pre-populated in the template below.
Then please add at least 5 other CPD activities to the plan setting and prioritising realistic goals for professional development and taking into account lifelong
learning.
PDP/CPD Plan Name: Date produced:
What are my Priority What support/resources do Target Actual What are your thoughts and reflections of this learning/activity?
development I need to achieve my date date 100 words minimum
Objectives/ objectives achieved
Activities?
001 L5 NVQ Diploma
in OH&S
Unit 402 Develop
and implement
effective
communication
systems for health
and safety
information
002 L5 NVQ Diploma
in OH&S
Unit 510 Promote
a Health and
Safety Culture
003 L5 NVQ Diploma
in OH&S
Unit 511 Develop
and maintain
individual and
organisational
competence in
Health and Safety
matters
004 L5 NVQ Diploma
in OH&S
Unit 512 Identify,
asses and control
health and safety
risks
005 L5 NVQ Diploma
in OH&S
Unit 513 Develop
and implement
proactive
monitoring
systems for health
and safety
HS180 PDP/CPD Template Issue 2 June 2019 MP
006 L5 NVQ Diploma
in OH&S
Unit 514 Develop
and implement
reactive
monitoring
systems for health
and safety
007 L5 NVQ Diploma
in OH&S
Unit 515 Develop
and implement
health and safety
emergency
response systems
and procedures
008 L5 NVQ Diploma
in OH&S
Unit 516 Develop
and implement
health and safety
review systems
009 L5 NVQ Diploma
in OH&S Unit
517 Develop and
implement a
health and safety
audit
010 L5 NVQ Diploma
in OH&S
Behavioural
safety in the
HS180 PDP/CPD Template Issue 2 June 2019 MP
workplace
011 L5 NVQ Diploma
in OH&S
Unit 610 Develop
and implement
the health and
safety policy
Alongside the
mandatory
learning
outcomes above
you should also
consider the
examples below
012 Attending IOSH or
other professional
meetings
013 Written articles
you have
produced or
contributed too
014 Other
qualifications you
have achieved
over the past 12
months
015 Research
016 Qualifications you Not Applicable
may want/be
required to
undertake in the
next 2 years or so
HS180 PDP/CPD Template Issue 2 June 2019 MP
Review Dates:
HS180 PDP/CPD Template Issue 2 June 2019 MP
