Study Path Development
Building Vocational Skills

This is the first part in the series on study path development. The aim of the series is to inform students in vocational education about learning path development, and to provide support with regard to the development of the four learning path competencies:

• the ability to make responsible study and vocational choices;
• the ability to shape their own competency development independently;
• the ability to take responsibility for their own study progress;
• the ability to establish a supportive social network.

Study Path Development – Building Vocational Skills is an informative, practical but above all inspiring book for all first-year students who want to discover whether they have chosen the correct area of study. The book both informs students and tests them via self-assessments with regard to the how, what and why of study career coaching and learning path development. This gives students insight into their personality traits, motivation and vocational capacity. In addition to the assessments, the book suggests a large number of practical tasks to help students develop their learning path competencies.

This book comes with a CD-ROM containing the forms from the book in digital format, which students can print out time after time and use to record their progress with regard to learning path competencies and social and communication skills.

The book also includes a code key that provides exclusive access to the online Self-Assessment Library 3.0 by Stephen P. Robbins, which allows students to perform a large number of personality tests over the course of a year in order to help them discover their attitudes to life and work as well as what skills and interests they possess.

Monique Dankers-van der Spek is an advisor, coach, interim HRM manager, trainer and lecturer in social and communication skills at Academie Communicatie, Informatietechnologie en Informatiemanagement at Saxion Hogescholen. Her previously published works include Elk probleem draagt een geschenk in zich and Communicatie en teamwork in de lerende organisatie.

This series is the result of a collaboration between lecturers from seven different higher education institutions.