Shape your career - design your professional development plan: rationale and workshop template

Career advancement depends to a large degree on maintaining competence, which in turn depends on continuing learning. Information and communication technology, together with globalization, have made it more possible than ever to choose from a wide array of learning resources. While increased choice is welcome, it is also problematic in that it makes it harder to select the most appropriate options. Taking a systematic approach, such as designing a personal professional development plan, offers a solution to the dilemma. This paper provides background on learning plans and gives examples of guides that can be used for developing professional development plans, either as a career change strategy or for current performance enhancement.