Introduction
Self-managed learning is the technique that individuals utilize in managing their learning. The individuals engaging in self-managed learning are quite enthusiastic and have goals that are focused towards personal and organizational development. Research establishes that everyone manages their learning to an extent that he or she deem fit for his or her status. However, just informing people that they need to take charge and enhance their learning can be very inefficient. The individuals who are often successful in their careers manage their learning and take advantage of the numerous opportunities accorded to them to improve their knowledge. Such a system of persistent and consistent learning forms the basis for lifelong learning, which is defined as all learning activities that are undertaken throughout the life of an individual (Megginson, 2007, 14). Lifelong learning aims at improving knowledge, competence, and skills within the social, civic, personal, or employment perspective. Self-managed learning needs to be planned and structured to enhance lifelong learning.
TASK 1
1.1 Approaches to self-managed learning
There are several approaches that encompass various opportunities to engage in self-managed learning and ensure individuals consistently engage in lifelong education. Key approaches are highlighted below:
1.11 Mentoring Individuals
This is an influential embargo and personal development tool that is utilized as a vital approach towards self-education. It is an effective tool that helps individuals progress consistently in their careers and has garnered some popularity in organizations that focus on maximizing the potential of their employees. Mentoring is a partnership between two people who work in similar fields and share common experiences. A mentor takes the role of a guide who purposes to help the mentee find the right direction towards developing solutions and career growth. Mentors rely on their knowledge of similar experiences and emphatically advise their mentees towards tackling issues in a more robust manner. Ultimately, the aim of a mentor should be to assist the mentee gain confidence in herself and believe that she has the prerequisite skills and knowledge to be successful in her ventures. Mentoring is quite essential in learning since it enables an individual to be more self-aware and to explore novice opportunities confidently (Smith, 2011, 34). The mentoring approach allows one to take responsibility for her life and direct it towards her goals and dreams in a structured manner without leaving anything to chance.
1.12 Research
Learning through conducting researches encompasses the understanding of learning objectives where the learners determine, test, and reflect on their learning objectives in a self-responsible manner. The learning objectives can be achieved through autonomous participation in groups and co-operation in undertaking research projects. Learning through research ensures that unexploited research subjects are properly investigated. The new information gained through this approach can strengthen an individual’s self-determination and enhance their abilities to engage in independent research. In the long run, these individuals are more confident in establishing facts and engaging in lifelong education that is structured towards improving human life.
1.13 Secondments
Many people do not acknowledge the fact that it is possible to explore different career opportunities by momentarily changing roles within the same company that they work for. Such an action is often defined as ‘going on secondment’. It is particularly common in the commercial sector where corporations are adept at ensuring they make the best use of the various interests and skills that their staff possess. The change can last only for a short time, but it provides a learning opportunity for the employee concerned. Secondments offer employees with an opportunity for career growth since they get to engage in new activities that enhance their CVs. Secondments ensure that participants are flexible and enhance adaptability, since it exposes participants to personal and professional challenges. Ultimately, such employees develop skills that are quite significant in learning and adapting to different roles and cultures.
1.14 Social Networks
Social networks enhance self-managed education since it offers a platform for networking and socializing. A social network service is an online service agency that focuses on facilitation of social relations among people regardless of their backgrounds. These people often have something in common that brings them together like real-life connections, shared interests, and common activities. The social network’s service offers a profile of each user who can create social links and take advantage of an assortment of other services that enhance networking. Through this platform, individuals can share interests, events, activities, and ideas within their respective networks thus enhancing knowledge. Social networks accord people an opportunity to learn from each other and boosts the need to consistently engage each other in a bid to boost self-confidence and actualization thus establishing a proper basis for lifelong education (Pedler, 2013, 9).
1.15 Conferences and Seminars
A conference is a meeting of professionals in a given field of the profession who meet to deliberate on scientific or technical developments in their fields. They often have a broad attendance and have extensive goals that have to be achieved. Seminars, on the other hand, are presentations by experts in certain fields to individuals in a bid to teach them on how to run organizations successfully. Both conferences and seminars bring together experts from various fields who engage each other constructively. This approach is focused towards enhancing self-education by encouraging active interactions with experts in the field and sharing ideas on how best to improve systems within the industry. Ultimately, participants participate actively in acquiring knowledge that is imperative in self-education and lifelong learning.
1.2 Encouraging Lifelong Learning
Lifelong learning on a personal and professional basis should be encouraged since it ensures that an individual can achieve their full potential in life. However, lifelong learning is an art that is difficult to have hence individuals need to be encouraged to actualize all their goals and objectives. On a personal basis, a SWOT analysis is a very significant tool that can encourage lifelong learning and enhance the individual knowledge base. An individual needs to write down their goals and objectives in life and comprehensively structure their activities within a timeline. When doing so, she should highlight the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats she might face. By doing so, the individual gets to acknowledge the kind of environment she operates in and formulate a plan to penetrate it and be successful. Professional development in lifelong learning can be encouraged by incentives offered by the companies individuals work for. Companies should ensure that those who engage in lifelong learning have an opportunity for career development and enhancement. Promotions and salary increments are packages that should be utilized in encouraging lifelong education and performance (Amherst, 2000, 64). Professional development can also be promoted through conferences and seminars that ensure employees receive training at subsidized prices if not free. These bold steps by corporations can foster proper growth and development of individuals who are focused on personal learning and career development.
1.3 Benefits of self-managed learning to individuals and organizations
On an individual basis, self-managed education creates the value for learning by ensuring that a person can self-actualize and achieve their objectives and goals in life. Learning ensures that individuals have a persistent feeling of development and advancement in their careers. It can also cause an upsurge in job satisfaction and highlight on personal weaknesses, which can then be tackled and eliminated. Self-managed education boosts confidence among participants due to acquisitions of new skills and creates the ability for one to work more efficiently with other employees. Individuals engaging in self-managed education are more open about their issues and often assess their shortcomings with an objective of improving on them.
Organizations stand to gain much when they employ individuals who are keen on self-managed education. First of all these employees are on the verge of learning and can provide new ideas to the corporation that can stimulate its growth and profitability. Those engaging in self-learning are quite flexible and can work effectively with fellow employees thus creating a conducive working environment and resulting in low employee turnover. Self-managed employees are more focused and have a keener interest in their jobs thus being able to achieve the goals and objectives of the business (Scott, 2004, 39). Self-managed education is core to the success of organizations, and it is imperative for management to assist their employees comprehend the necessity for continuous learning and self-direction.
TASK 2
2.1 Current skills and competencies
The National Health Service (NHS) is a body that is focused towards setting policies and achieving credible changes in the healthcare system in a bid to ensure all patients receive dependable healthcare. This organization regulates most healthcare institutions and ensures that they all adhere to a strict code of conduct while administering treatment to patients. Currently, I am a healthcare assistant who is passionate about working in an institution where I can assist the sick and ensure they have the most conducive environment to achieve full recovery. The hospital I work for, not only adheres to the regulations of NHS, but has also developed its vision and objectives in a bid to ensure they offer the best treatment to their patients. These form the professional and organizational objectives that I have to meet if at all I am to continue serving in the healthcare sector.
2.11 Professional standards and organizational objectives
- The health facility should be able to offer patients with all-inclusive services.
- Services to be offered to patients should be structured to the preferences and needs of clients.
- Staff working in hospitals should be supported and valued in a bid to ensure they in turn are courteous to clientele.
- There should be a consistent improvement in the quality of services being offered by continuous learning and enhancement in technology.
- All healthcare professionals need to be certified by a professional body to ensure professionalism.
2.12 Current skills
Currently, I am healthcare assistant tasked with taking care of patients under the instruction of certified health practitioners. I monitor how treatment is accorded to patients and advise clients on how best to achieve full recovery by strictly taking the full dosage as authorized by doctors. I am aware of all services that are offered by the hospital I work for currently and can guide patients accordingly through the treatment options available to them. I am quite eloquent in my speaking and have effective listening skills, which come in handy when dealing with patients. I have dedicated myself to self-management in a bid to achieve lifelong learning, and this course drives me in every activity I undertake within the hospital. My social skills have enabled me to build on my networks and through mentorship I have been able to improve on my prerequisite knowledge that is needed for certification. I am embarking on finishing my degree and receiving professional certification.
2.2 Development needs (SWOT analysis)
| Strengths:
i) Effective communication and social skills that allow me to network and create credible relationships. ii) Well versed with technological needs of the healthcare system thus an important resource when it comes to computer software. |
Weaknesses:
i) I am a poor timekeeper and often end up being late in assigned activities. ii) I am a poor team player often believing that I can achieve the best alone without help from my colleagues. |
| Opportunities:
i) The hospital fast tracks career growth for those focused on self-management education and lifelong learning. ii) The hospital invests heavily in healthcare technology and demands credible software handlers with a background in healthcare. |
Threats:
i) High employee turnover due to stringent measures of professional conduct and productivity. ii) Failure to receive NHS certification by the end of the year. |
2.3 Development opportunities
I have an opportunity to improve my professional skills in my current position as a healthcare assistant. Engaging actively with certified healthcare practitioners has enabled me to build on my professional knowledge and to gain hands-on experience on how patients should be treated efficiently. My communication skills are improving since I interact with patients well enough and engage them effectively. There is a need for me to engage more in teamwork and to be confident in my fellow team members. I have been introduced to more software utilized in healthcare and in future I intend to venture into software design and engineering to ensure the software needs in the healthcare sector are sufficiently met. The conferences and seminars that are organized by the hospital have broadened my thinking on self-managed education, and I intend to remodel my career path towards achieving the best I can within the healthcare industry.
2.4 Personal Development Plan
Highlighted below is a table that identifies the activities I intend to undertake in future to achieve my future perspective in the healthcare sector through self-management and lifelong education.
| Period | Activity | Procedure |
| December 2015 | Graduate and get certified by the NHS. | I plan on graduating and applying for certification from the NHS by completing coursework and getting recommendations. |
| January 2016 | Seek for permanent employment. | Having been certified, I would seek permanent employment in a reputable hospital that accords me an opportunity to serve and engage actively in continuous learning. |
| June 2016 | Pursue a certificate in software engineering | Start a one-year course in software engineering that is channeled towards the healthcare industry. |
| December 2016 | Do research on software needs in hospitals and present it to the NHS. | I plan to undertake research on the software needs of hospitals by collecting data from health practitioners. |
| July 2017 | Finish my certificate in software engineering | Finish my certificate and start focusing on generating software that are centered on improving the quality of healthcare. |
Conclusion
Everybody in the society should initiate the process of managing their personal learning to facilitate continuous lifetime learning. It should be eminent though that there is a level of commitment required to achieve goals and objectives, and this calls for discipline and self-reflection on both short-term and long-term targets. Self-managed education enhances lifelong learning, and it should be encouraged as individuals, organizations, and the society benefit a lot from it.
References
Amherst, M. S. C., 2000. Planning and organizing personal and professional development. 1st ed. Hampshire, England: Gower Aldershot.
Megginson, D. &. W., 2007. Continuing Professional Development. London: CIPD.
Pedler, M. B. J. a. B. T., 2013. A manager’s guide to self development. 6th ed. Maidenhead,England: McGraw-Hill Education Professional.
Scott, C., 2004. Managing Personal Change, (Revised Edition: Moving Through Personal Transition ) Crisp Fifty- Minute Series, Course Technology. Boston, MA: Thomson Learning.
Smith, J., 2011. Personal Development Planning: What You Need to Know: Definitions, Best Practices, Benefits and Practical Solutions. Newstead, Australia: Emereo Pty Limited.