Gaining a professional qualification
Featured in the People Development Methods training manual
By Beverley Williams
Category: People Management and Motivation
Credit price: 3 download credits (Single user)
A wide range of professional qualifications exist; some can be attained through the traditional routes of study and examinations and some professional qualifications are awarded as recognition of work that is already being performed to set standards. This type of development is one recommendation option for a manager, however, it is important that they are then able to discuss the options available and give specific guidance where needed. To do this, they must be aware of the type of development that is available; for example, different types of professional qualifications; the ways in which the development can be accessed (for example, a home-study course); what’s important to the company and what best suits the individual’s learning style and circumstances. Receiving a recognised qualification for one’s efforts has a powerful motivational effect. The kitchen assistant who has no previous formal qualifications will take great pride in receiving a certificate for completing a Health and Hygiene in Catering course at the local FE college, while the achievement oriented graduate will seek ongoing professional development throughout their career and will expect to gain relevant professional qualifications. This means that it’s always a good idea to tie in any open learning or self-study to a qualification of some sort if at all possible. This training activity guides participants through the questions they need to think about to ensure that they have all the information available to be able to discuss and recommend qualifications and methods of achieving them.
Begin the training activity by explaining that working towards the attainment of a professional qualification is one development option for the manager to suggest. However, because the range of qualifications is so vast, it is important that the manager is then able to discuss the options available and give specific guidance where needed. Go on to draw participants’ attention to the equal validity of all qualifications, whether or not they are traditionally professional. You run two mini-brainstorms to generate ideas about the benefits and potential problems of attaining a professional qualification, dividing the participants into smaller groups to decide on effective ways of overcoming the problems they come up with. The groups give feedback and take note of each other’s ideas. Next, you emphasise the importance of knowing what the professional standards are, what the organisation wants, what delivery methods are available and what suits the individual involved. Asking the participants to work in groups to consider a number of questions designed to generate the information they need, you coach during the exercise if needed. Each group will then be asked to present their findings to the rest of the participants. You ask questions to bring out detail where appropriate. Finally, you close the training activity by taking key learning points from the participants before distributing a key learning points handout and commenting on the contents where appropriate.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to guide participants through the questions they need to ask to ensure that they have all the information available to be able to discuss and recommend qualifications and methods of achieving them.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 10 |
| Typical Duration: | 02:00:00 |
| No of Pages: | 17 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainers with participants, probably line managers, who are involved in the development of others. Ideally, participants will have already covered, ‘Investigating development methods’, prior to taking part in this training activity.
Download the training activity, Gaining a professional qualification as featured in the Fenman training manual; People Development Methods