Learning and P&DRs

Your Personal Development Plan (PDP) is one of the most important parts of our annual performance process.  If the University wants to stay relevant for students, continue to deliver high quality research and be prepared for an uncertain future, then learning will be fundamental to making this happen. Through the P&DR process we hope to provide a process to embed and promote a culture of learning and continuous improvement. 

Personal Development Plans

Managers are expected to have a meaningful conversation about each of their employee’s development plan for the coming year. This should then be captured in a formal Personal Development Plan (PDP) for that individual. These plans will be varied to reflect the needs and learning styles of each person.

Research shows that the majority of an individual’s learning and development occurs on the job and not in the training room; and their plans should reflect this. This may include a range of learning activities such as: stretch assignments, new projects, secondments, formal further education, coaching, mentoring, self-directed research, shadowing, training, online learning or any other activities that support their development in their current job or for their career.

While this is an important part of the annual P&DR process, please remember that development conversations should not only happen once a year and should feature regularly in your 1-to-1s.

For more information, please see the Development Planning page.