DCF Cymru Digital competence for Wales

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Skills for Work: Personal Development Planning

Personal development planning is an Entry 1 to Level 2 Skills for Work unit in which learners identify their skills, interests and experiences, use feedback to find strengths and areas to develop, set goals, SMART goals at Level 2, write an action plan and review their progress. It is one 20 hour unit that learners combine with other units into a Skills for Work, or Skills for Life and Work, Award, Certificate or Diploma. Digital demand is low because no criterion requires a digital tool. Digital work sits in online skills quizzes, researching career routes, digital planning tools, sharing work for feedback and keeping a digital portfolio.

Awarding body
WJEC
Level
Entry Level 1 to Level 2
Guided learning hours
20
First taught
September 2027
Amount of digital work
Low
Unit pack
Open the unit delivery and assessment pack
How this unit is assessed
  • Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Four learning outcomes (personal skills, interests and experiences, areas for personal development, simple personal goals, and taking part in activities to develop personal skills), each with separate Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3 assessment criteria. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
  • Level 1 and Level 2: Four learning outcomes (personal skills, interests and experiences, strengths and areas for development, planning personal development goals, and reviewing progress and skills developed), each with separate Level 1 and Level 2 assessment criteria. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.

The digital skills in this qualification

  1. Using online quizzes and skills audits to find strengths and interests

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    Learners identify their skills and interests from Entry 1, and at Level 2 they analyse them and their strengths and development needs. The pack points to online tools such as the Careers Wales Buzz quiz, Career Match quiz and the Profi personal skills quiz, and suggests skills audits at Level 1 and Level 2. The criteria are assessed, but using an online quiz is only suggested.

    DCF: Identity, image and reputation, Sourcing, searching and planning digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils complete a short online quiz about their interests, then note which personal details the quiz asked for and whether they needed to give them.
    Year 8
    Pupils fill in a skills audit in a shared spreadsheet, rating themselves from 1 to 5 on six skills, then compare the result with an online careers quiz.
    Year 9
    Pupils take two different online careers quizzes, compare the job suggestions, and write a short judgement on how reliable each quiz is and what personal data it collected.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcomes 1 and 2, assessment criteria 1.1 and 2.1, page 6; suggested activities, page 9; Resources available to support delivery, pages 10 to 12

    “personality-based quiz, helps young people to learn more about their strengths”
    Progression step 3

    • I can identify the benefits and risks of giving personal information and device access to different software.

    • I can begin to reference sources used in my work, and consider if content is reliable.

    Progression step 4

    • I can evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justify my opinions and reasons for choices, and reference using appropriate methods.

  2. Researching how skills link to learning and career routes

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    At Level 1 learners describe how their skills and interests relate to learning, work or personal life, and at Level 2 they explain how skills influence educational or career choices and how they can be applied to future learning or work. The pack says digital competence can be developed through online research and lists Careers Wales job profiles and the Prospects job match tool. Online research supports the assessed criteria but is not itself required.

    DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils use the Careers Wales website to find one job linked to a subject they enjoy and copy down two skills the job needs.
    Year 8
    Pupils search for two jobs that match their interests, bookmark the job profiles and record the entry routes and skills for each in a table.
    Year 9
    Pupils research a chosen career using several websites, refining their searches to find college courses and apprenticeships, and explain which of their current skills would help.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcomes 1 and 4, assessment criteria 1.2 and 4.2, page 6; Curriculum for Wales, page 4; Resources available to support delivery, pages 10 and 11

    “hundreds of job profiles, includes what a job involves, what the pay is like”
    Progression step 3

    • I can adjust keywords and search techniques to find relevant information.

    • I can store search results for future use, e.g. bookmark, add to favourites.

    Progression step 4

    • I can search a variety of sources using relevant search techniques with increased complexity.

  3. Planning goals and action steps with planning tools

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    Learners point out a simple goal at Entry 1 and state three steps to reach it at Entry 3, create a simple plan at Level 1 and write SMART goals with a detailed action plan including timescales and resources at Level 2. These are assessment criteria. The pack says use of planning tools can develop digital competence, but a paper plan meets the criteria equally well.

    DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils set one goal for the half term and type three steps to reach it into a simple table in a word processor.
    Year 8
    Pupils turn a goal into a SMART goal and put the steps into a shared online calendar or task list with a date for each.
    Year 9
    Pupils build an action plan in a spreadsheet with columns for each step, the resources needed, the deadline and a progress check, choosing the planning layout that suits their goal.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Entry Level, learning outcome 3, assessment criteria 3.1 and 3.2, page 5; Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 3, assessment criteria 3.1 and 3.2, page 6; Curriculum for Wales, page 4

    “Create a detailed action plan including timescales and resources”
    Progression step 3

    • I can independently create and plan work before beginning a digital task.

    Progression step 4

    • I can select and effectively use a variety of planning techniques.

  4. Inviting and using feedback on shared work

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    At Level 1 learners must use feedback from tutors, peers or work related activities to identify development needs, and at Level 2 they analyse strengths and development needs using that feedback. The amplification gives examples such as short written comments on a worksheet. Collecting comments through a shared document is a suggested route, not a requirement.

    DCF: Evaluating and improving digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils share a slide listing their strengths with a partner, who adds one comment suggesting another strength they have seen.
    Year 8
    Pupils share their goal plan as an online document, ask a teacher and a peer to comment, and reply to each comment saying what they will change.
    Year 9
    Pupils collect comments on their action plan from two peers and a tutor through a shared document, then update the plan and explain which feedback they acted on and why.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 2, assessment criteria 2.1 and 2.2, page 6; amplification of LO2, page 8

    “Analyse strengths and development needs using feedback from tutors, peers, or work-related activities”
    Progression step 3

    • I can invite feedback/responses from others, e.g. use 'comment' in online platforms, asking questions or adding suggestions.

    Progression step 4

    • I can suggest and make improvements that are relevant for audience and purpose, based on feedback and self-evaluation of my digital work.

  5. Keeping a digital portfolio and progress log

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    Learners review progress towards their goals at Level 1 and evaluate it at Level 2, and the pack lists portfolios of evidence, paper based or digital, and photographic or video evidence of activities. Building a digital portfolio and tracking progress in it is suggested, not required.

    DCF: Storing and sharing, Creating digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils take a photo of themselves taking part in a team task and save it with a short caption in a named folder.
    Year 8
    Pupils keep a weekly digital log of progress towards a goal, with dated entries and a photo or short clip as evidence.
    Year 9
    Pupils organise a digital portfolio with folders for goals, evidence and reviews, use version history to show how their action plan changed, and add a short video review of their progress.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 4, assessment criteria 4.1 and 4.2, page 6; Sources of evidence, page 9

    “portfolios of evidence (paper-based or digital)”
    Progression step 3

    • I can manage files and folders locally or online, e.g. move files to a folder.

    • I can use a range of software to select, produce and edit a range of multimedia components for a purpose, such as:

      • text and images, e.g. format text (bold, underline, italics, highlight); insert and edit text boxes; columns; use refine tools (spellchecker, find and replace); word wrap; crop; alter size and shape; alter images; add effects; trim and split sound and video clips; transitions; onion skin
      • presentation, e.g. page orientation; animations; transitions; remove and alter images; use background; use action buttons to create hyperlink; embed objects.
    Progression step 4

    • I can use appropriate advanced file management techniques, e.g. version history, restore previous version, tagging, compression.

    • I can select and use a variety of appropriate software, tools and techniques to create, modify and combine multimedia components for a range of audiences and purposes, such as:

      • text and images, e.g. explore and use effectively image manipulation techniques; explore and use appropriately the many aspects of document layout; use animation, video and audio effects such as echo, tempo, envelope, layering, frame rate, key frames
      • presentation, e.g. use design tools; adapt themes and colours to suit the purpose; create master templates.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

The pack names GCSE Business as a linked WJEC qualification. Within the Skills Suite it lists Exploring career pathways, Overcoming barriers, Work experience, Teamwork, Applying for jobs, Interview confidence and techniques, Working in Wales and Building a growth mindset as closely related units. Exploring career pathways shares researching jobs and training routes, Overcoming barriers shares action planning and reflection, and Work experience gives a real setting for reflecting on performance. For the digital side, the Using IT in the workplace unit is where learners locate, evaluate and manage digital information, which supports the online research and digital portfolio work here.

Source: WJEC Personal development planning unit delivery and assessment pack, read with the WJEC Entry 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life and Skills for Work specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).