Free course

Planning a better future

Free statement of participation on completion

Planning a better future is an introductory course for anyone considering changing jobs, wondering how to move up the ladder or return to work after a break, and those who might be looking to aspire to better things.

Earn this free Open University digital badge if you complete this course! The badge can be displayed, shared and downloaded as a marker of your achievement. The badge is awarded for completing the course and passing the quizzes.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

Reflect on where you are now and where you would like to be.
Understand the impact of change for you and what options are open to you.
Identify your goals and action that you can take next to reach them.

Enter course

First Published: 10/09/2019

Updated: 21/04/2020

You can start this course right now without signing-up. Click on any of the course content sections below to start at any point in this course.
If you want to be able to track your progress, earn a free Statement of Participation, and access all course quizzes and activities, sign-up.

Course content

Introduction and guidance
- Current section:
  Introduction and guidance
  Planning a better future is an introductory course for anyone considering changing jobs, wondering how to move up the ladder or return to work after a break, and those who might be looking to aspire to better things.Each section of the course offers short, interactive quizzes to test your knowledge. Successful completion of the course will enable you to achieve an online badge and a statement of participation. This course does not carry any formal academic credit. However, it does provide a ...
- Guidance for accessing alternative formats
- Structure of the course
- Why study this course?
- Learning outcomes
- Before you begin
- References
- Acknowledgements
What is a badge?
- Current section:
  What is a badge?
  Badges are a means of recognising certain skills and achievements acquired through online courses. Badges demonstrate your work and achievement on a course.While these badges do not carry any formal credit and are not subject to the same rigour as formal assessment, you can share your achievement with friends, family and employers, and on social media such as Facebook or LinkedIn. You might like to include your badges or statement of participation on your CV as evidence of self-directed ...
- What is a statement of participation?
- What are the requirements?
- Enrol on the course to collect your badge
- How do I access my badge?
- How do I access my statement of participation?
section1How did I get here?
- Current section:
  Introduction
  How well do you really know yourself? This block will help you to develop your self-awareness and take stock of your life by helping you to review your experiences and identify what you have learned from them. Your past has shaped you through your family background, education and training, and work and leisure activities. You’ve gained knowledge and skills from your experiences – probably more than you think – and will have developed characteristics and capabilities that help you to cope ...
- Learning outcomes
- 1 Who am I?
- 2 What roles do I play in life?
- 3 What learning experiences have I had?
- 4 What are my main achievements?
- 5 What are my helping and hindering factors?
- 6 What are my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?
- What you have learned in this block
- Block 1 quiz
- Acknowledgements
- Block 1 quiz
section2Where do I want to go?
- Current section:
  Introduction
  The SWOT analysis that you completed at the end of Block 1 should have helped you to take stock of your current position. However, it is important for you to understand that the SWOT analysis is a ‘living document’. You should revisit it regularly to see what, if anything, has changed. The next step is to focus more on the future, recognise what’s important to you and what you want from life as a whole. In this block you’ll look at your values, identify the kind of work that might interest ...
- Learning outcomes
- 1 What do I really want from work?
- 2 What kind of work would I like to do?
- 3 How satisfied am I with my current circumstances?
- 4 How important is work in my life as a whole?
- 5 Review
- 6 What options are available to me?
- What you have learned in this block
- Block 2 quiz
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Block 2 quiz
section3How do I get there?
- Current section:
  Introduction
  In Blocks 1 and 2 you’ve carried out some activities that should have increased your self-awareness, and you have been guided to explore opportunities. You’ve probably put a lot of time into analysing your life and career, and you should have considered your strengths, skills and experience, and researched the occupational areas that interest you. This block is designed to help you to take decisions and develop a plan detailing how to put them into action. The advice, guidance and activities...
- Learning outcomes
- 1 Making decisions
- 2 Goals, restrictions and resources
- 3 Forming a plan of action
- 4 Getting the job
- 5 Application forms
- 6 The curriculum vitae
- 7 The covering letter
- 8 The interview
- 9 What to do if you are not successful
- What you have learned in this block
- Block 3 quiz
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Block 3 quiz
section4Taking my learning further
- Current section:
  1 What have I learned?
  We hope you found Planning a better future [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] interesting and informative. You may remember answering a few questions at the start of the course about your learning motivations. Now you’ve completed all or part of the course we’d like to ask you to reflect on your experience by completing one last short activity. Activity 1Timing: Allow about 15 minutes Questionnaire about your learning You might find it useful to review ...
- 2 Badge and statement of participation
- 3 Where next?
- 4 Feedback

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