An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a tool that helps identify and articulate a person's skills and abilities. Completing an IDP allows you to identify areas in your skill set that may need development to help you succeed in your future career; once you have identified these areas, you can use your IDP to plan out which workshops, events, and opportunities offered by the University of Lethbridge are the most beneficial to you. Completing an IDP is not mandatory for the completion of any graduate degree at the University of Lethbridge, but is strongly recommended for students from any discipline. The IDP offered by the University of Alberta provides an excellent starting place for your personal professional development journey.
An IDP can help guide you through;
- Self-Assessment: determine needs and skills you are missing
- Self-Engagement: attend available workshops and activities
- Self-Mapping: document your transferable skills in your CV/Personal Portfolio
To receive credit on your My Experience Transcript for completing an IDP, you must also attend an IDP workshop and an IDP review workshop, both of which are offered by Career Services at various points throughout the semester. These can be found on the My Experience Program Tracking webpage.
Sample Professional Development Timeline
Individual Development Plan (IDP) Tools
- An incredibly useful professional development tool that allows you to assess your own skillset and values, as well as identify potential career paths. Tailored for Social Science and Humanities grad students at any stage of their graduate career
- A career and Professional development tool designed for graduate students in the Sciences.
- Versatile PhD is the oldest, largest online community dedicated to non-academic and non-faculty careers for PhDs in humanities, social science and STEM.
- Vitae is the global leader in supporting the professional development of researchers, experienced in working with institutions as they strive for research excellence, innovation and impact. They strengthen their members' institutional provision for the professional development of their researchers through: research and innovation, training and resources, events, consultancy, and membership.
- Developed by the University of Alberta.