Nature of personal and professional skills

In a complex world, students are challenged every day to think, engage, and communicate in various contexts. The personal and professional skills (PPS) component of the Career-related Programme (CP) core enables students to meet these challenges, both now and in the future. The course helps students to develop not only as individuals but also as citizens within local and global communities, and it prepares them for their future pathways in higher education, further training or employment. Throughout the PPS course, students develop a range of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, critical and ethical thinking, and intercultural understanding. These skills are transversal, meaning they can be applied in a variety of contexts appropriate to both their personal and professional growth. The course also connects and deepens the learning and skills developed in the other CP core components and programme elements.

The PPS course is a compulsory component of the CP. It is a timetabled course of a minimum of 100 hours and is completed throughout the two years of the CP. Based on the aims, learning outcomes, and course syllabus outlined in this guide, each school will design and develop its own unique PPS course. Student learning will be documented through a student-curated portfolio. This portfolio is maintained throughout the course to demonstrate progress towards each learning outcome and to showcase achievement of the learning outcomes at the end of the course. The school is responsible for determining and reporting completion of the course in relation to the learning outcomes.

Aims

The PPS course provides students with the opportunity to develop the necessary skills to forge their own pathways, personally and professionally, throughout their lives. Students gain the confidence to navigate the complexities of a challenging world, both now and in the future.

Through inquiry, students will:

• develop and apply transversal skills in a range of contexts

• explore and understand a variety of concepts related to their own personal and professional development

• consider, understand, and value diverse perspectives

• become reflexive lifelong learners who can influence, manage, and respond to change.

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes identify what students should be able to do through engagement with the PPS course. By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to demonstrate competency in the following five learning outcomes:

LO1—Develop and apply intrapersonal skills in a variety of contexts.

LO2—Develop and apply communication and interpersonal skills in a variety of contexts.

LO3—Develop and apply thinking skills in a variety of contexts.

LO4—Develop and apply intercultural understanding in a variety of contexts.

LO5—Demonstrate an awareness of the ethical implications of one’s choices and actions on self and others.

Elements of course design in PPS

Concepts, contexts, content, and skills are the foundational building blocks for the design of the PPS course, and they are integrated through inquiry. This approach supports the development of personal and professional skills and amplifies student agency, allowing for student choice and student ownership of learning. The PPS course offers six broad concepts that allow students to explore topics of interest while developing and applying personal and professional skills in a variety of contexts. The teacher and students determine and co-create the content. Inquiry drives this interaction.