The start of a new year is the perfect time for everyone to reflect and start anew. It is also the time for apprentices to make goals and focus on the year ahead, whether they are going to take their EPA or continue with their programme. As apprentices, we have to carefully plan the different responsibilities and tasks we have to juggle in the workplace and at university.
Before the new year, review all your commitments and determine how you can improve with a realistic plan. A calendar year has gone by; therefore, before entering a new one, look back and reflect on what you have achieved.
If you set goals at the beginning of 2024 review your progress on each of them highlights what knowledge, skills, and behaviours you gained from which project and/ or task and reflects on how you found the task by looking at the times you excelled and when you were challenged.
From this reflection, you can determine what your accomplishments and areas of improvement are; this will allow you to set goals for 2025 and
visualise who you want to be at the end of 2026.
By setting clear goals for the year ahead you can track your progress easily and find that they are achievable. If you set goals that are unrealistic, you may find that it demotivates you. You should aim to set goals that will push and challenge you, but you have a goodprobability of achieving it in the next year.
Set three types of goals: professional and personal. Professional goals can include looking into ways to improve your communication skills, such as reaching out, networking, and collaborating with another team. An academic goal can look into ways to improve your time management skills. This could be by using a weekly timetable to get yourself into a routine so that you are delivering your assignments on time. A personal goal should be something that does not overlap with the workplace or academia; this could be you starting or continuing a hobby and working that into your routine.
To make realistic goals, make sure they are SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). For example, I will read two books a month so that I can take a break from work and study. This goal is specific to two books; depending on the genre, you can make it more specific. It is measurable and time-bound as you have given yourself a month to complete it; at the end of the month, you can reflect on your progress and determine if the time frame is too long or short; changing this can make the goal more achievable. The goal is relevant as it will allow you to improve your work-life balance.
Throughout the year, review your goals regularly, whether this is quarterly or biannually; this will allow you to ensure that you are making progress on your goals. If you complete your goals early or do not feel as if you are developing, take time to make the goal harder or set
new goals.
