1. STEP Supporting Talent to Employment Programme
Unit 3 Maintain yourself in professional practice
Elements 3.1 Maintain and develop your own professional competence
3.2 Establish and maintain working relationships with contacts in
your profession
3.3 Manage your own work
Unit Summary
This unit covers all the key aspects you need to maintain yourself in professional practice –
continuing professional development, effective networking, managing own work
Element 1 covers your ability to identify the standards which are expected of professionals
in your industry. This can relate not only to knowledge and technique, but also other broader
skills such as time-keeping, reliability and attitudes and ways of behaving which are vital to
your professional reputation. It also covers keeping up to date with professional standards,
setting yourself targets for your own improvement, and allowing yourself enough time to
ensure you improve are also covered in this element
Element 2 covers your ability to seek out organisations and individuals who are influential
and important in terms of your work, and to build and maintain contact with them. This can
cover a very wide range of people and organisations; you need to be clear about who you
make contact with, and why. Contacts would include artists you might work with in future, or
professional bodies who might represent your interests are examples
Element 3 is about setting goals for your work, prioritising different pieces1
of work according
to their importance and urgency, estimating and managing the time and resources you need
to complete work on time, keeping interruptions and diversions to a minimum and
rescheduling work when necessary
1
pieces of work would vary with the artform eg delivering workshops, performing, developing artwork

2. Element 3.1 Maintain and develop your own professional competence
What you need to do
a identify the professional standards
expected in your area of work, by
referring to appropriate sources of
information
b accurately identify your own skills and
competences, and review these against
the relevant standards
c identify both general areas for
development and specific objectives2
for
improving your own practice
d make sure you are legally compliant
e choose objectives for improvement that
are challenging, realistic and achievable
f regularly update your development
objectives
g make sure you devote enough time and
resources to development to enable you
to reach your objectives
h evaluate the history, significance and
forces affecting your area of work, and
use this to inform your professional
activities
2
objectives here means tangible goals, aims, purpose
or intention
What you need to know and understand
i the nature of your industry and its
role in society
ii what you can learn by listening to,
and appraising, the activities and
achievements of other professionals
iii how to recognise the technical
demands imposed on you by different
aspects of your practice, and by usual
ways of working
iv how to identify and review your own
skills against industry standards
v relevant legislation and compliance
e.g.
employment law, insurance, health and
safety and safeguarding children and
vulnerable adults
vi how to identify areas for development
and set objectives
vii how often you should update your
development objectives, and why this
should be a continual process
viii how to estimate the time and
resources you need
ix how your area of work is evolving,
what forces affect it, and what sorts of
information and systems you can use
x industry organisations and other
sources of information, including
computer-based information, that you
can use to keep yourself up-to-date

3. Evidence requirements
You must prove that you maintain and develop your
own professional competence to a competent standard
To do this you must provide evidence to convince your
assessor that you consistently meet all the
performance criteria
Your evidence must be the result of real work activities
undertaken by yourself. Evidence from simulated
activities is not acceptable for this element
Your evidence must also show that you
identify and work towards the following
standards
• standards set by other practitioners
• the technical demands of individual pieces
Your evidence must also show that you
identify and develop the following skills and
competences
• technical skills in your area of work
• broader occupational skills required in
professional practice
Your evidence must also show that you
access and use the following information
sources
• publications
• professional networks
• personal contacts
• programmes and events in your area of work
• the internet
Examples of evidence
Work activities
• setting standards to assist your own
improvement
• keeping up to date with the work of others
Products or outcomes
• file of material showing how you keep up to
date with developments
• your targets for improvement
• a practice log or diary
Written or spoken reports
• how you have used the example of other
practitioners to guide your own development
• how you have identified your own strengths
and weaknesses
Witness testimony
• from a coach or teacher, detailing your ability
to achieve targets for improvement, and the
realism and challenge of your targets
Media technology
• how you have used technology eg.
film/video, audio, power point presentations

4. Element 3.2 Establish and maintain working relationships with contacts in your
profession
What you need to do
a review the activities of other
practitioners and organisations, and
assess their impact on the profession
b seek out contacts whose activities can
benefit your own work, and to whom
your own work can offer benefits
c communicate with contacts in a
professional manner
d allow sufficient time to maintain
relationships with your contacts
e establish professional contacts in at
least one other European country
What you need to know and understand
i professional networks within your
area of work
ii industry organisations
iii how to collect and review information
to assess the impact of other people’s
activities
iv what others are doing, and how your
own work relates to that
v how to communicate in ways which
maintain professional integrity
vi how to estimate and plan for the time
needed to maintain contacts
vii your work in a European context

5. Evidence requirements
You must prove that you establish and maintain
working relationships with contacts in your profession
to a competent standard.
To do this you must provide evidence to convince your
assessor that you consistently meet all the
performance criteria
Your evidence must be the result of real work activities
undertaken by yourself. Evidence from simulated
activities is not acceptable for this element
Your evidence must also show that you
establish and maintain the following
contacts:
• with individuals
• with organisations
Examples of evidence
Work activities
• researching new contacts
• keeping in touch with existing contacts
Products or outcomes
• correspondence files with existing contacts
• contacts lists or databases
Written or spoken reports
• how you identify contacts who may be useful
to you
Witness testimony
• from a professional network or organisation

6. Element 3.3 Manage your own work
What you need to do
a have clear goals for the work that you
undertake
b prioritise different areas of your work
according to their importance and
urgency
c plan your work so that you can achieve
these goals
d estimate the time and resources you will
need to complete different pieces of
work as planned
e focus on your goals and try to keep
interruptions and diversions to a
minimum
f regularly review what progress you are
making towards your goals and replan
and reschedule work accordingly
g achieve a healthy work / life balance
What you need to know and understand
i the importance of having clear goals
for your work
ii how to prioritise work according to its
importance and urgency
iii the importance of planning your work
and different planning aids you can use
iv how to maintain a clear focus on your
work and not be diverted by other things
v how to review the progress you are
making and when and how to
reschedule activities
vi how to comply with legislation

7. Evidence requirements
You must prove that you manage your own work to a
competent standard
To do this you must provide evidence to convince your
assessor that you consistently meet all the
performance criteria
Your evidence must be the result of real work activities
undertaken by yourself. Evidence from simulated
activities is not acceptable for this element
Your evidence must also show that you estimate
and plan all the following resources
• money
• equipment
• materials
• other people
Examples of evidence
Work activities
• planning pieces of work or larger projects
Products or outcomes
• diaries
• planners
• schedules
Written or spoken reports
• why you chose particular goals
• how you decided to prioritise one piece of
work over another
Witness testimony
• from others involved in your work