Personal and Professional Development Programme

Welcome to The Henley College and to your Personal and Professional Development (PPD) Tutorial Programme. Whilst you are enrolled with us, you will see a two-hour session each week on your timetable labelled Tutorial (Personal and Professional Development). This is a mandatory lesson like your subjects and is led by a Personal and Professional Development tutor who will support you during your time with us. They are there to support you and liaise between you, your teachers, and home. If you are studying A levels, your class will consist of students from a number of different A Level subject areas. If you are a Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 BTEC student, you will be with the class that you are with for your main subject.

The first hour of your tutorial (PPD) session will be delivered by your PPD tutor. This hour will cover topics including staying safe, personal finance, next steps, essential skills development, and employability. These sessions will be instrumental in your personal and professional development and give you the best opportunity for success during and after college.

The second hour will sometimes be a one-to-one meeting with your tutor and if you don’t have a 1-2-1, there will be independent Personal and Professional Development work to complete. Your tutor will tell you when your 1-2-1s are, what the independent study tasks are and when it needs to be completed by (usually the following week). This may be a piece of work to prepare you for the next session, something to help you with your continuing professional development, (such as working on your current CV or an apprenticeship or university application form), or updating and completing Skillsbuilder and Unifrog tasks.

Skillsbuilder is a programme (framework) that provides a benchmark tool to assess your current skill strengths, identify areas for development and plan career progression. It is widely used across education and by employers in the UK and is designed to teach, measure and develop eight core employability skills: Listening, Speaking, Problem Solving, Creativity, Staying Positive, Aiming High, Leadership, and Teamwork.

Unifrog is an education and careers platform that explores pathways, looking at career exploration, application building, work experience management and independent research. t's a great place to log all the brilliant activities and interactions you have outside of the classroom. You may have used it in your previous setting, but it is now elevated to an age-appropriate level focusing on what you will need to be the most successful version of yourself after your time with us.

We will also help you to achieve The Henley College 'Elevate' award. This is awarded for overall college attendance (across all subjects and tutorial hours), work experience (careers), participation in enrichment and progression from your starting point in Skillsbuilder tasks. This award, therefore, recognises those who have developed both personally and professionally during their first year with us. We are acknowledging and celebrating the non-academic progress and skill development achievements of our young people. You will be able to put this award on CV's, job applications and UCAS applications, increasing your progression and employability opportunities.

We look forward to welcoming you to The Henley College and supporting you on your personal and professional development experience.