Action Planning

What is it?

Action planning involves setting targets for yourself and deciding how you will achieve them. It involves making decisions and planning your future. You will have to become focused and think about what sort of work you want to do and will be able to do.

An action plan will help you to:

• take a step-by-step approach to plan for your future
• take responsibility for your future
• develop useful skills, like making decisions
• think about yourself and assess yourself
• make a record of your achievements
• apply for jobs, courses or further education
• recognise your achievements

What does an action plan include?

Aims:
Where you are now and where you want to be. This might be a career aim or an educational aim, e.g. getting onto a course.

Action:
How you intend to get there. Once you have decided upon an aim, decide what steps you will need to take to achieve it. These steps might be written as a series of goals along with a description of the methods or routes you will use to achieve them.

Timescales:

By when. You set target dates for completing your goals and/or the overall aim. Remember to be realistic about what you can achieve and how much time you have in which to do things.

Review:
Dates for checking how you're getting on. At the review stage, you consider how you are progressing towards achieving your goals. You may need to revise part of it, add in new goals or rewrite the plan to reflect changes.

Why do I need one?

As you complete your goals you can mark down the date on your action plan as a permanent record. The achieved goals and overall aims may then be listed on future action plans - perhaps as achievements. By having an action plan the task of finding evidence to support your future applications for work or courses becomes much easier.

Keeping a comprehensive record also means that you identify all your achievements, recognise the value of the things you do and so can use the information to your best advantage.

Example

This example of a student’s action plan contains additional sections that may help the writer complete their applications forms and letters, the action plan forming a document where they can summarise a lot of the information that can be used in applications.

Name: John Peter Current Situation: Working in a temporary part- time job in a builder's yard while awaiting GCSE results. Several applications in the post for apprenticeships with local plumbers and builders. Aims: To train as a plumber. Action: Update CV and visit/send copies to companies (speculative approach). Approach local contacts (friends of father) who work in the building industry. Timescale: By July 1st will approach public sector bodies and companies in the gas and chemical industries if no response in building. Qualifications/ Skills/ Personal Characteristics Needed to Achieve Aim: Plumbers must have the ability to: use hand tools, read drawings and plans, make calculations/take measurements, have mechanical aptitude, be polite and courteous when dealing with customers, able to study and learn about plumbing systems, have a responsible/reliable approach to work, be good with their hands, be fit and active and not frightened of working in confined spaces or at heights, may have to work with others or alone at times. Previous Achievements/ Experiences/ Skills/ Interests/ Leisure Activities: GCSE study - Maths has taught me how to make calculations and take measurements. GCSE study - Craft & Technology has developed my practical skills, using tools, reading drawings and plans. I enjoyed the subject and would like to do work using these skills. The experience of studying for GCSE's has prepared me for further study and shows my ability to do it. Work Experience - currently working part-time in a builder's yard. When possible, I help with serving customers. Practical Experience - helping father (a builder) to build an extension at home. A friend of my father who is a plumber talked to me about his typical working day and I spent time helping him when he fitted a new central heating system for a neighbour. Interest - making things in a workshop at home e.g. decorative metal work items donated to the RSPCA. Interest - running. Membership of local running club that helps me to keep fit and active. Personal Characteristics. What these demonstrate: Self-reliant - I am able to work on my own (have completed individual projects for Craft & Technology at school). Well-motivated - I visited several builder's merchants with a copy of my CV and filled in five application forms to get my current part-time job to get relevant work experience. Resources/Sources of Information: Careers Centre - to find the names of local companies offering modern apprenticeships. Cyber Cafe - have used the internet here to find information about modern apprenticeships in general. Huddersfield Technical College - have visited and talked about the sort of training that is involved 'The Institute of Plumbing' - information about plumbing in other industries such as ship, chemical and gas industries. Review Date: August, when exam results are known.

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