Reflection
Order Description
Skills Workshops & Business Simulations
Engage in week-long Business Games and Advanced Skills
Workshops
COMPLETING THE SKILLS PORTFOLIO STREAM SPECIFIC REFLECTIVE REPORT
You will be expected to reference the skills you have learnt throughout the PDP and the particular stream you have followed when completing the Skills Portfolio Stream Specific Reflective Report (please see below for details of the Stream Specific Reflective Repots).
The skills portfolio is the capstone of the Professional Development Programme and as such is designed to enable you to demonstrate the personal skills, accomplishments, experience and attributes that you have acquired and developed as part of your MSc course. A key component of the Skills Portfolio is the stream specific reflective exercise you must complete to assess the competency stream you have followed in the third part of the Professional Development Programme.
The skills portfolio should be evidence based and should include examples of the competencies you have developed and how you have applied these to your studies. In addition you will need to demonstrate how you can articulate these transferrable skills to potential employers, and how both your course and the PDP have contributed towards your career goals.
The skills portfolio should be an honest, in-depth reflection on your strengths and weaknesses and a detailed analysis of the skills and competencies you have acquired as well as of those which you still need to improve in order to maximise your personal potential. You will need to demonstrate how you have engaged with the principles of the Professional Development Programme through reference to the development of, or the need for further development of, the following competencies:
Team working
Presentation Skills
Communication Skills
Leadership Skills
Influencing Skills
Negotiation Skills
Problem Solving
Intercultural Competencies
Self-reflection/awareness
Self-management
Analytical skills
An understanding of ethics & corporate social responsibility
Career Management skills in terms of your career planning and development of employability competences through engagement with Careers & Placements and Careers Workshops
Depending on the PDP Stream that you have undertaken, please complete the following Stream Specific Reflective Reports:
PDP STREAM – BUSINESS SIMULATION REFLECTIVE REPORT
Complete both Section 1 and Section 2
1. Answer the following set of non-stream specific questions:
Your answers should apply to the overall PDP in the context of both your academic programme and any extra-curricular achievements, and needs to be linked to establishing the core skills necessary for your projected career. Answer the questions in essay style, do not use bullet points or lists. Each answer should be a minimum of 300 words.
a. What transferrable skills have you acquired whilst undertaking your course and the Professional Development Programme, and how have you applied them through the duration of your studies? Please refer to the list of skills on the previous page as a guide, but not a definitive list, of the types of transferrable skills that you should incorporate in your answer. (minimum 300 words)
b. What transferrable skills do you still need to develop further, and how do you intend to do this as you transition into work? (minimum 300 words)
c. How can you demonstrate to a future employer that you have acquired the necessary skills competencies for your chosen career? (minimum 300 words)
2. Business Simulation Reflective Report
The Reflective Report must provide a detailed analysis of the skills set that you developed specifically during the simulation that you attended.
a. Using your personal perspective, briefly summarise what for you were the key learning outcomes of the business simulation, using examples of the activities completed as part of the exercise.
b. If different from the above, please reflect on the following areas of potential development while undertaking the simulation: Problem solving, Decision Making, Effective communication, Positive/Professional attitude, Organisation & Planning.
c. Define the skills you developed in terms of what you can now do differently. Explain how these skills can be demonstrated in the workplace, for example, someone with good team work skills would show an ability to support other team members.
d. How do you think you can use the skills developed in your Business Simulation to make a positive impact in your first post-course working role?
