Professional Development Plans (PDPs)

The Professional Development Plan is a document that you complete in consultation with your placement manager. It records professional goals that you would like to achieve during your placement and outlines how you will achieve those goals. It is important that your professional goals align with your placement team’s goals. Your placement manager will give you direction as to what your team’s goals are.

At the beginning of your placement, your PDP is like a roadmap that gives you directions on how to get to where you want to be at the end of the placement. At the end of your placement, your PDP also becomes like a report card. It enables you to look back at your placement and decide whether you have been successful in fulfilling the steps you set out for yourself. Your manager will do this with you and will provide you with feedback about your performance.

PDPs are compulsory for all Transport staff – including the Secretary! Many of your placement team colleagues will complete their PDP online in a system called Transport Equip. They may also refer to it as a ‘PDR’ which stands for Performance and Development Review. Some of your colleagues may think that you need to complete your PDP online. Remember that you do things a little bit differently because you are a Graduate. You complete this Word document instead.

If you need assistance completing your PDP please refer to the PDP process document or consult the example PDP saved in the ‘Important documents’ section of this topic.