Your skills development journey at Cambridge

What is skills development?

A skill is an ability to do an activity or job well, especially because you have practised it. Skills development is the process of building your capabilities by practicing existing skills or learning new ones. This will help you achieve your personal and professional goals, build confidence, and adapt to change.

Why is skills development important?

High skills proficiency is associated with higher income and job satisfaction. An openness to learning and developing skills allows you to adapt to the ever-changing employment and economic landscape. It is also a quality that employers look for.

However, skills aren't just about employment. Skills development is personal to you - you might want to learn graphic design skills to promote an event you are running or improve your presentation skills to take part in an academic conference. Building your skills can be useful in all areas of your life, from professional roles to passion projects.

What skills could I be developing?

You can find the 9 broad skill categories here. Each category includes a number of skills that you could develop. These capture the broad range of skills that are valuable to the current and future needs of the labour market, and to your personal development.

You don't need to be an expert at every skill! Think about your personal, academic and career goals: which skills would be most useful for achieving these? Understanding your current skillset could also help you identify areas for development.

Understanding your skills

You've already been developing skills throughout your life, whether through studying, extracurriculars, employment, volunteering, or hobbies.

Understanding your current skillset helps you:

• Identify and articulate skill strengths. Awareness of skills you have already built and how to describe them will be useful in job applications and interviews.
• Find out which areas could be further developed. Having a clear idea of where you could continue to build allows you to purposefully direct your skills development.
• Understand the connection between your skills and development opportunities. Identifying how your current activities have built skills, and how to build further through interesting opportunities can kickstart a positive approach to life-long learning!
• Know how to get the most out of your time at Cambridge.

Use the Skills Discovery Tool to evaluate your current skills and create a personalised development plan.

Skills development at Cambridge

When you are studying at Cambridge, your academic studies are a priority. Through this, you will be developing valuable skills including critical thinking, research, analysis, and communication.

Cambridge also offers extensive opportunities to build skills through societies, sports, volunteering and leadership roles. You can explore options through the Cambridge SU societies directory, or by visiting the Freshers' Fair in Michaelmas and the Refreshers' Fair in Lent. You could also join College-based societies, which may advertise events through your JCR/MCR or on social media.

Find out more information about which skills you can develop through different opportunities on the activities page.

Making time for skills development

Skills development doesn't have to be about doing more. Simply reflecting on the skills you are building through your studies and existing activities is valuable - take a look at the activities page or use the Skills Discovery Tool to help with this.

Learning new skills can actually save time by improving efficiency. For example, using new digital tools could help you find and cite sources faster, while joining a sports team could improve your time management. Getting out and engaging with new activities can also improve your wellbeing and make you feel more connected to your community, giving you the best starting point for academic success.

Some roles will come with a lot of responsibilities. Leadership or committee positions, for example, can be very enriching but may be time intensive. Think about what you already have on before committing to new activities or roles that might stretch your time and energy. Equally, if you are ready for more responsibility, go for it!

Choose activities strategically based on your interests, goals, and current commitments. There are involvement options ranging from online courses to recreational societies to leadership positions. There is no 'right' way of developing your skills, so find out what works best for you.

Skills development is for everyone

Your skills development will be influenced by your background, responsibilities, learning style and personality.

If you are neurodiverse, have caring responsibilities, a disability or health condition, you may feel developing certain skills is more difficult, or face barriers to engaging with skills development. You could start by reflecting on all the skills you will have developed through your circumstances. This could include time management, advocacy skills, persistence and problem-solving.

Consider flexible options, such as online courses and webinars, if you have limitations on your time or energy. This could also be a great place to start if you need to build confidence. Many societies and activities will provide accessibility statements for their events or can produce them on request.

For additional support, have a chat with a friend, careers consultant, your ADRC advisor or mentor, or your tutor about making a skills development plan that works for you. Access to 1-to-1 study skills support may be available through your ADRC advisor.

If you would like to take the Skills Discovery evaluation with a person, rather than via the online platform, please do book an appointment with a Careers Consultant.

Online resources

Get started by taking a look at the resources you can access through your University account. There are courses available for every skill!

• LinkedIn Learning is available to all Cambridge students and staff. There are a range of online courses on creative, technical and professional skills. Find out how to access LinkedIn Learning through your University account.
• Cambridge University Libraries run in-person and online courses on skills across all levels of study and disciplines. You can also use their CamGuides resource to build skills for your academic study. Speak to your College or department librarian for further skills development - many libraries run their own skills sessions.
• The UIS offers a wide range of free IT training courses, from programming to photo and video editing.