HND Assignment Brief

Session: September 2018

Programme title BTEC Level 5 RQF HND in International Travel & Tourism Management

Unit number and title 3 Professional Identity and Practice

Assignment number & title 1 of 1 Personal Skill Audit and Professional Development Plan

Unit Leader David Boyd

Assessor (s) Claudia Vasto

Issue Date

Final assignment
submission deadline
07-12 Jan 2019

14-19 Jan 2019

Late submission deadline The learners are required to follow the strict deadline set by the College
for submissions of assignments in accordance with the BTEC level 4 – 5
submission guidelines and College policy on submissions.

Resubmission deadline TBA

In-class feedback will be available from formative assessment of the initial

submissions based on each learning outcome.
Feedback
Final feedback will be available within 2 – 3 weeks of the assignment
submission date.

 The work you submit must be in your own words. If you use a quote or an
illustration from somewhere you must give the source.
General  Include a list of references at the end of your document. You must give all
your sources of information.
Guidelines  Make sure your work is clearly presented and that you use readily
understandable English.
 Wherever possible use a word processor and its “spell-checker”.

Internal verifier

Signature (IV of the

Date
brief) *

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 ICON College of Technology and Management
Pearson BTEC Level 5 RQF HND in International Travel & Tourism Management
Unit 3: Personal and Professional Development (Level 4)
Session: September 2018

This Unit will be assessed by a written assignment and a mock job interview.

Assignment Context and Scenario

This assignment is aimed at assessing the learner’s ability to demonstrate the role and significance
of continuous professional development and its benefits to both the employees and the employers.
This also requires the learner to assess her or her own skills and competences as well as the
different learning and development approaches so that a professional development plan can be
constructed and implemented.

The learner is also required to demonstrate the ability to prepare himself or herself to apply for jobs
and face interviews professionally and meet the expected standards and required transferable skills,
whether in hospitality or travel and tourism industry. The learner will carry out this assignment under
the four learning outcomes as follows:

The activities in this coursework assignment are all based on the scenario provided above
but your discussion should also be supported by relevant theories and concepts whenever
deemed necessary.

Learning Outcome 1: Explore the importance of on-going professional development and

self-directed learning to enhance professional identity and career opportunities

Discuss the role of on-going professional development in an organisation and examine its benefits
to the employees and employers in an organisation of your choice. For a specific travel and tourism
or hospitality organisation, investigate the employer expectations of professional skills and
standards.

Evaluate the importance of on-going professional development and the associated professional
skills requirements within the context of your chosen organisation. Critically evaluate your own skills
and competencies to meet the employer expectation of professional skills required for employment
within a specific job role you have chosen.

Learning Outcome 2: Assess own skills, competences and the different learning and development
approaches

For a specific job role in your sector, systematically assess your skills, abilities and competences
using appropriate methods and techniques. Review a range of learning theories or models and
approaches used to explain personal and professional development process.

Evaluate your own skills and competencies and the most appropriate developmental approach to
develop personal and professional skills for the chosen job role.

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Learning Outcome 3: Design a professional development plan, within a specific work context

Based on the skills and competences reviewed in learning outcome 2, construct a professional
development plan to enhance chosen skills and competences within a specific work context.

Provide a detailed development plan that applies underpinning learning and development theory, in
a specific work context. Produce a comprehensive development plan that sets out clear and
achievable targets, strategies and outcomes of learning and training within a specific work context.

Learning Outcome 4: Demonstrate a range of service industry and transferable skills for a job
application

Activity: Mock Interview (Learner may present a portfolio of credential, including an updated CV)

Prepare and apply for a suitable travel and tourism sector job and undertake a job interview in a
controlled environment and review key strengths and weaknesses of the job interview process.

Evaluate the job interview process emphasising on the obstacles and the challenges your may have
to overcome and produce a detailed and coherent critical reflection of the interview process and
your own abilities during the process.

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Relevant Information
1. Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
Learning Outcome
LO1 Explore the
importance of on-going
professional
development and
self-directed learning to
enhance professional
identity and career
opportunities
LO2 Assess own skills,
competences and the
different learning and
development
approaches
LO3 Design a
professional
development plan, within
a specific work context
LO4 Demonstrate a
range of service industry
and transferable skills for
a job application
Department of Business
Pass Criteria Merit Criteria Distinction Criteria
P1 Examine the key M1 Evaluate the D1 Critically evaluate
benefits of on-going importance of own skills and
professional on-going competencies to meet
development for professional the employer
different stakeholders development and the expectation of
within a specific associated professional skills
organisation professional skills required for
requirements within employment within a
P2 Investigate a specific specific job role.
professional employer organisational
expectations of skills context.
and competencies
within a specific
organisational context
P3 Assess own M2 Evaluate own
abilities, skills, and skills and
competences for a competences and
specific job role the most appropriate
development
P4 Review a range of approach to develop
learning theories and personal and
approaches used for professional skills for
personal and a specific job role
professional
development
processes
D2 Produce a
P5 Construct a M3 Provide a comprehensive
development plan to detailed development plan
enhance chosen skills development plan that sets out clear
and competencies that applies and achievable
within a specific work underpinning
targets, strategies
context learning and
development theory, and outcomes of
in a specific work learning and training
context within a specific work
context
P6 Undertake a job M4 Evaluate a job D3 Produce a
interview for a suitable interview process detailed and
service industry role and the obstacle and coherent critical
challenges to reflection of an
P7 Review key overcome
interview process
strengths and
weaknesses of an and own abilities
applied interview during this process
process
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2. Preparation guidelines of the Coursework Document
a. All coursework must be word processed.
b. Document margins must not be more than 2.54 cm (1 inch) or less than 1.9cm (3/4 inch).
c. Font size must be within the range of 10 point to 14 point including the headings and body
text (preferred font size is 11).
d. Standard and commonly used type face such as Arial should be used.
e. All figures, graphs and tables must be numbered.
f. Material taken from external sources must be properly refereed and cited within the text
using Harvard standard
g. Do not use Wikipedia as a reference.
h. Word limit must be strictly followed.

3. Plagiarism and Collusion

Any act of plagiarism or collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the College
regulations. In this context the definition and scope of plagiarism and collusion are presented
below:

Plagiarism is presenting somebody else’s work as your own. It includes copying information
directly from the Web or books without referencing the material; submitting joint coursework
as an individual effort.

Collusion is copying another student’s coursework; stealing coursework from another

student and submitting it as your own work.

Suspected plagiarism or collusion will be investigated and if found to have occurred will be
dealt with according to the college procedure. (For details on Plagiarism & Collusion
please see the student hand book)

4. Submission
a. Initial submission of coursework to the tutors is compulsory in each unit of the course.
b. Student must check their assignments on ICON VLE with plagiarism software Turnitin to
make sure the similarity index for their assignment stays within the College approved level. A
student can check the similarity index of their assignment three times in the Draft
Assignment submission point located in the home page of the ICON VLE.
c. All Final coursework must be submitted to the Final submission point into the unit (not to
the Tutor). A student would be allowed to submit only once and that is the final
submission.
d. Any computer files generated such as program code (software), graphic files that form part
of the coursework must be submitted as an attachment to the assignment with all
documentation.
e. Any portfolio for a unit must be submitted as a hardcopy to examination office.
f. The student must attach a tutor’s comment in between the cover page and the answer in the
case of Resubmission.

5. Good practice
a. Make backup of your work in different media (hard disk, memory stick etc.) to avoid distress
for loss or damage of your original copy.

6. Extension and Late Submission

a. If you need an extension for a valid reason, you must request one using an Exceptional
Extenuating Circumstances (EEC) form available from the College examination office and
ICON VLE. Please note that the lecturers do not have the authority to extend the coursework
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 deadlines and therefore do not ask them to award a coursework extension. The completed
form must be accompanied by evidence such as a medical certificate in the event of you
being sick.
b. Late submission will be accepted and marked according to the college procedure. It is noted
that late submission may not be graded for Merit and Distinction.
c. All Late coursework must be submitted to the Late submission point into the unit (not to
the Tutor). A student would be allowed to submit only once and that is the final
submission.

7. Submission deadlines: as above (page 1)

Submit to: Online to the ICON VLE only

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