STEP Supporting Talent to Employment Programme

Unit 3 Maintain yourself in professional practice

Elements 3.1 Maintain and develop your own professional competence3.2 Establish and maintain working relationships with contacts in

your profession3.3 Manage your own work

Unit Summary

This unit covers all the key aspects you need to maintain yourself in professional practice – continuing professional development, effective networking, managing own work

Element 1 covers your ability to identify the standards which are expected of professionals in your industry. This can relate not only to knowledge and technique, but also other broader skills such as time-keeping, reliability and attitudes and ways of behaving which are vital to your professional reputation. It also covers keeping up to date with professional standards, setting yourself targets for your own improvement, and allowing yourself enough time to ensure you improve are also covered in this element

Element 2 covers your ability to seek out organisations and individuals who are influential and important in terms of your work, and to build and maintain contact with them. This can cover a very wide range of people and organisations; you need to be clear about who you make contact with, and why. Contacts would include artists you might work with in future, or professional bodies who might represent your interests are examples

Element 3 is about setting goals for your work, prioritising different pieces1 of work according to their importance and urgency, estimating and managing the time and resources you need to complete work on time, keeping interruptions and diversions to a minimum and rescheduling work when necessary

1 pieces of work would vary with the artform eg delivering workshops, performing, developing artwork

Element 3.1 Maintain and develop your own professional competence

What you need to do

a identify the professional standards expected in your area of work, by referring to appropriate sources of information

b accurately identify your own skills and competences, and review these against the relevant standards

c identify both general areas for development and specific objectives2 for improving your own practice

d make sure you are legally compliant

e choose objectives for improvement that are challenging, realistic and achievable

f regularly update your development objectives

g make sure you devote enough time and resources to development to enable you to reach your objectives

h evaluate the history, significance and forces affecting your area of work, and use this to inform your professional activities

2 objectives here means tangible goals, aims, purpose or intention

What you need to know and understand

i the nature of your industry and its role in society

ii what you can learn by listening to, and appraising, the activities and achievements of other professionals

iii how to recognise the technical demands imposed on you by different aspects of your practice, and by usual ways of working

iv how to identify and review your own skills against industry standards

v relevant legislation and compliance e.g.employment law, insurance, health and safety and safeguarding children and vulnerable adults

vi how to identify areas for development and set objectives

vii how often you should update your development objectives, and why this should be a continual process

viii how to estimate the time and resources you need

ix how your area of work is evolving, what forces affect it, and what sorts of information and systems you can use

x industry organisations and other sources of information, including computer-based information, that you can use to keep yourself up-to-date

Evidence requirements

You must prove that you maintain and develop your own professional competence to a competent standardTo do this you must provide evidence to convince your assessor that you consistently meet all the performance criteria

Your evidence must be the result of real work activities undertaken by yourself. Evidence from simulated activities is not acceptable for this element

Your evidence must also show that you identify and work towards the following standards

standards set by other practitioners the technical demands of individual pieces

Your evidence must also show that you identify and develop the following skills and competences

technical skills in your area of work broader occupational skills required in

professional practice Your evidence must also show that you access and use the following information sources

publications professional networks personal contacts programmes and events in your area of work the internet

Examples of evidence

Work activities

setting standards to assist your own improvement

keeping up to date with the work of others Products or outcomes

file of material showing how you keep up to date with developments

your targets for improvement

a practice log or diary

Written or spoken reports how you have used the example of other

practitioners to guide your own development

how you have identified your own strengths and weaknesses

Witness testimony

from a coach or teacher, detailing your ability to achieve targets for improvement, and the realism and challenge of your targets

Media technology

how you have used technology eg. film/video, audio, power point presentations

Element 3.2 Establish and maintain working relationships with contacts in your profession

What you need to do

a review the activities of other practitioners and organisations, and assess their impact on the profession

b seek out contacts whose activities can benefit your own work, and to whom your own work can offer benefits

c communicate with contacts in a professional manner

d allow sufficient time to maintain relationships with your contacts

e establish professional contacts in at least one other European country

What you need to know and understand

i professional networks within your area of work

ii industry organisations

iii how to collect and review information to assess the impact of other people’s activities

iv what others are doing, and how your own work relates to that

v how to communicate in ways which maintain professional integrity

vi how to estimate and plan for the time needed to maintain contacts

vii your work in a European context

Evidence requirements

You must prove that you establish and maintain working relationships with contacts in your profession to a competent standard.

To do this you must provide evidence to convince your assessor that you consistently meet all the performance criteria

Your evidence must be the result of real work activities undertaken by yourself. Evidence from simulated activities is not acceptable for this element

Your evidence must also show that you establish and maintain the following contacts:

with individuals with organisations

Examples of evidence

Work activities

researching new contacts

keeping in touch with existing contacts

Products or outcomes

correspondence files with existing contacts

contacts lists or databases

Written or spoken reports

how you identify contacts who may be useful to you

Witness testimony

from a professional network or organisation

Element 3.3 Manage your own work

What you need to do

a have clear goals for the work that you undertake

b prioritise different areas of your work according to their importance and urgency

c plan your work so that you can achieve these goals

d estimate the time and resources you will need to complete different pieces of work as planned

e focus on your goals and try to keep interruptions and diversions to a minimum

f regularly review what progress you are making towards your goals and replan and reschedule work accordingly

g achieve a healthy work / life balance

What you need to know and understand

i the importance of having clear goals for your work

ii how to prioritise work according to its importance and urgency

iii the importance of planning your work and different planning aids you can use

iv how to maintain a clear focus on your work and not be diverted by other things

v how to review the progress you are making and when and how to reschedule activities

vi how to comply with legislation

Evidence requirements

You must prove that you manage your own work to a competent standard

To do this you must provide evidence to convince your assessor that you consistently meet all the performance criteria

Your evidence must be the result of real work activities undertaken by yourself. Evidence from simulated activities is not acceptable for this element

Your evidence must also show that you estimate and plan all the following resources

money equipment materials other people

Examples of evidence

Work activities

planning pieces of work or larger projects

Products or outcomes

diaries

planners

schedules

Written or spoken reports

why you chose particular goals

how you decided to prioritise one piece of work over another

Witness testimony

from others involved in your work