Assessment brief
Module code & title SOEE2701 Fieldwork and tutorials 2
Assignment title Career Action Plan (CAP)
Assignment type
A career action plan which provides your intentions to improve your 3 weakest transferable/generic skills areas over the next 18-24 months. The plan must follow the SMART criteria.
Learning outcomes assessed
Acquire key knowledge on a number of different types of environmental careers. Understand the specific and generic skills that graduate employers expect from environmentalists, and understanding of the place of undergraduate studies in lifelong learning.
Identifying and working towards targets for personal, academic and career development.
Assignment length limit 750 words and 4 sides of A4.
Use of GenAI in this assessment
RED: AI tools cannot be used You must not use GenAI tools. The purpose and format of the assessments makes it inappropriate or impractical for AI tools to be used.
Weighting 15%.
Deadline or date of assessment Before 2pm Wednesday 11th December2024.
Submission method The CAP should be submitted as a single pdf document via the Turnitin submission point in Minerva.
Feedback provision
Written feedback will be provided on each of the 3 sections using the SMART criteria. The feedback will be provided in Minerva.
We aim to provide feedback within 15 working days.
Assignment summary guidance
This assignment is providing you with an opportunity to reflect and report on what you have learnt throughout your life so far, your time at Leeds, time on this module and also how you intend to build on this and develop the skills and competencies required for your employability and career prospects.
Step 1 - thinking and researching which areas to include
To complete your own personal career action plan what you need to do is critically review your skills and employability. Conducting a current stateskills assessment which may include evaluation of your ideals, skills, competencies, accomplishments, strengths and development areas to date. To help with this, consider what you have learnt from the past, including examples from work experience, employment, your degree subject, interests/activities, travel, this module etc
ADAPTABILITY & FLEXIBILITY;
ANALYTICAL & PROBLEM SOLVING;
COMMERCIAL AWARENESS;
COMMUNICATION & INTERPERSONAL;
DECISION MAKING;
IT & DIGITAL LITERACY;
LEADERSHIP;
NEGOTIATION & INFLUENCING;
PLANNING & ORGANISATIONAL;
SELF MOTIVATION & INITIATIVE;
TEAM WORKING; AND
WORKING UNDER PRESSURE
For each of the above skills assess which are your strongest and which are your weakest areas. Choose the 3 weakest areas. We have actually already done this in one of the workshops.
STEP 2 - WHAT NEEDS TO BE WRITTEN AND SUBMITTED
Divide the career action plan into 4 sections as follows it is recommended that you use 4 sides of A4 and use 1 side per section.
1. An introduction. To add context write a short paragraph that explains very briefly the reasons why you have chosen these 3 weak skills areas. You may want to place a Gantt chart here if you have developed one for your timetable.
2. Weakest transferable skill 1: e.g. Commercial awareness
3. Weakest transferable skill 2: e.g. Planning and organisational skills. .
4. Weakest transferable skill 3: e.g. Leadership.
Develop a SMART action plan for the next 18-24 months to describe what actions you will take that will help you improve your 3 weakest skills areas to assist in achieving your longer term aims.
The SMART model was developed by psychologists as a tool to help people set and reach their goals. SMART means: Specific; Measurable; Attainable; Relevant; & Time-bound.
Specific (20 marks)
Action points are clear and identifiable
Think – Who? Where? What? When? Which?
Is your goal well-defined? Avoid setting unclear or vague objectives; instead be as precise as possible.
• How will you build upon your strengths?
• How are you going to cope with your weaknesses?
• Where can you find the relevant skills?
• How can you get the experience?
• What are you going to do to acquire these?
Measurable (20 marks)
• How can you judge success or failure?
• What are the indicators of progress?
• Do you have plan B?
Attainable (20 marks)
• Are your plans and activities realistic?
• Can you achieve them in the time scales you will set?
Relevant (20 marks) - this can be done in section 1 on page 1
• Explain why the development is relevant to you.
• Why is it weak at the present time?
• I have chosen these skills areas because …
Time bound (20 marks)
• When are these going to happen?
• Do you have a timetable of action points?
• Gantt Charts can be very valuable here.
This website might also be useful in getting you started.
https://students.leeds.ac.uk/#Careers-Service
https://students.leeds.ac.uk/info/1000067/career_options
http://careerweb.leeds.ac.uk/info/13/career_planning/197/getting_started_with_your_caree r_planning