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
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.
Skills that use Evaluating and improving digital content
-
Inviting and using feedback on shared work
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.
Good to know
- The unit codes are S662E1, S662E2, S662E3, S662L1 and S662L2, one for each level, and the unit is 20 guided learning hours: "GLH 20" (Unit overview, page 3).
- No special equipment is needed: "Assessment of this unit should not require any specific resources." (Resources required for assessment, page 12).
- Evidence can be digital. The pack lists "portfolios of evidence (paper-based or digital)" and "photographic or video evidence of participation and activities" (Sources of evidence, page 9), the portfolio "is not limited to paper-based materials" (specification Section 4.1, page 18), and evidence for sampling "must be provided digitally by the centre" (specification Section 5.2, page 23).
- Digital competence is optional in this unit: it "can be developed through digital portfolios, online research, and use of planning tools" (Curriculum for Wales, page 4).
- AI use is allowed only when acknowledged: "When properly referenced, this can be acceptable", but misuse includes "Using AI to complete parts of the assessment so that the work does not reflect the learner's own work" (specification Section 4.6, page 21). Goals, plans and reflections must be the learner's own.
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory". Teachers "may choose to use these suggestions, adapt them, or develop their own alternatives" (specification Section 4.1, page 18).
- The online quizzes and career tools in the resources list are third party: the pack says "their inclusion does not imply endorsement" (page 12), so check what personal data a quiz asks for before learners use it.
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).