Skill Development means developing yourself and your skill sets to add value for the (future) organization and for your own career development. Fostering an attitude of appreciation for lifelong learning is the key to future workplace success. Continuously learning and developing one's skills requires identifying the skills needed to be durable employable, and then successfully seeking out trainings or other opportunities for developing those skills.
Developing your skills begins with assessing which skills are important for your desired career development. Read about this. Speak with your mentor/ coach/ professor/ alumni/ senior students and career counselor to identify the types of skills that will help move you forward in your career.
Your development should follow the 70-20-10 rule:
70% of your development should come from on-the-job activities and action learning. This can include development experiences like participating in a project, serving on a cross-functional team, taking on a new task, internships, taking on a board function of an association, etc.
20% of your development should come from interactions with others. This includes having a mentor, being a mentor, coaching, participating in communities of practice, etc.
10% of your development should come from training, including classes, workshops, webinars, lunch lectures, inhouse days, etc.
Once you have identified the skills you need to develop to achieve your career goals, your next step is identifying how you will develop your skills.
Your goal is to understand how your value applies to opportunities within the wider world of work. Developing your career awareness means gaining knowledge of career paths and job opportunities, and the skills and qualifications necessary to be successful in these positions.
There is a lot of information available to you on the Internet, but it is crucial to seek out information from fellow students, alumni, coaches and companies.
Ultimately, the fit of an organization’s culture with your personal goals, values, and work style is something you need to assess for yourself.