Graduate student professional development : Perfectionnement professionnel des étudiants des cycles supérieurs : enquête et recommandations

For the purposes of this report, the term "professional skills" is used to refer to both academic skills and transferable skills and competencies of other kinds that graduate students will need to acquire as 'carry-forward' or work-ready skill sets applicable in workplace settings of all kinds. "Professional Skills" includes academic skills developed while undertaking the courses and research that characterize disciplinary areas of study. Such skills include both those related to the conduct of research and related scholarly work and those connected to teaching through work as teaching assistants or, in the case of some doctoral students, as course instructors. The second kind of professional skills with which this study is concerned has to do with the acquisition of transferable competencies of a broader nature, ranging from interpersonal and leadership skills to career search and career advancement strategies. These have to do, in general, with a student's ability to present himself or herself professionally and to integrate quickly into complex workplace environments after graduation.