The scope of preparation for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars is evolving to keep pace with the dynamic shifts in academia and society. Professional development (PD) plays a crucial role in this evolution, equipping students with a broad range of essential competencies for their future careers. Engage in PD to build confidence and become a versatile professional positioned to thrive in academia and beyond. At USask, there are many professional development and skill building opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
Visit the Grad HUB for a directory of supports & services.
Workshops
- March 19 & March 26: Interview Skills Training
- April 3: Canadian Neuroscience Seminars
- May 14 & May 22: Resume & CV Writing
More Dates
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Empowering Graduate Students & Postdoc Scholars for Success
Our Professional Development Team at CGPS is dedicated to equipping graduate students and postdocs with the essential skills, knowledge, and experiences needed to excel in their academic and professional careers. We offer a comprehensive suite of services designed to enhance personal growth, foster career readiness, and build a strong professional network.
Level UP
Seamlessly integrated with USask's Learning Management System, the Level UP dashboard offers a diverse selection of professional development (PD) options developed by CGPS' PD Specialist. Choose from a variety of self-directed or face-to-face offerings tailored to your needs.
Development Plan
The Grad HUB's Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a valuable resource designed to help you chart your academic and professional development towards your career aspirations. The IDP aids in identifying your career goals, development opportunities, and the essential tools needed to achieve them. Ultimately, the IDP aims to support you in planning for your future and maximizing your graduate student experience.
Beyond the Professoriate
The BtP platform is an online professional development platform designed to help graduate students and postdocs transition into academic or non-academic careers. The platform offers a variety of training modules and resources, including free access to annual career conferences.
Mentorship Program
Launching this spring, the USask Graduate Mentoring Program will connect graduate students with mentors who are USask alumni and professionals from academia, industry, government, and non-profit organizations.
The program aims to:
- Support graduate students by providing guidance, advice, and professional connections to foster their academic and professional growth.
- Offer tailored career development guidance, exploring diverse career paths.
- Enhance networking opportunities with professionals and USask alumni.
Bridge the Communications Gap
Knowledge translation and communication skills are essential for graduate students, as they bridge the gap between research and practical application. Effective communication makes complex ideas and findings accessible to a wider audience, including policymakers, industry professionals, and the general public. This not only increases the impact of your research but also promotes collaboration and innovation across disciplines. By being a strong communicator, you can advocate for your work, secure funding, and contribute to informed decision-making.
Get involved in a communications competition and benefit!
Falling Walls
Falling Walls is an exciting pitch competition that challenges students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career professionals to develop a compelling argument for their innovative research and its potential to change the world. USask joins the University of Alberta's Falling Walls Lab to compete for a spot at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin, Germany.
SSHRC Storytellers
The SSHRC’s Storytellers Challenge asks postsecondary students to show Canadians, in up to three minutes or 300 words, how social sciences and humanities research is affecting our lives, our world and our future for the better. Get Inspired! View the Storytellers gallery.
3MT
80,000 words are in a typical PhD thesis. Years of gruelling research, sleepless nights, and history-making breakthroughs. Presenting something of this scale would take approximately nine hours.
3MT competitors do it in 3 minutes. Find out more!
Find a Conference
| Mitacs | Our courses and workshops revolve around eight-course bundles, comprising eight online self-paced courses and seven online instructor-led workshops. The synchronous components (instructor-led workshops) are offered in an engaging and interactive learning environment, with small groups typically ranging from 10 to 24 participants. A variety of workshop dates are offered. Visit Mitacs, and bookmark CGPS' calendar. |
| BtP Career Conference | Started more than ten years ago as a way to show PhDs the many opportunities open to them — and how to transition from academia into a new professional career. Keep an eye out for information distributed through CGPS. |
| BtP Webinars & Info Sessions | Through our partnership with BtP, sign into the platform and get registration access for ongoing info sessions and recorded material like 'what do employers really value about your degree', 'how to unlock the hidden job market', and more. Platform access |
| GPDN | As members of the Graduate and Postdoctoral Development Network and sponsors of the annual career conference, CGPS arranges for you to get free access to the annual career symposium for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Watch for registration info from CGPS every year in November. |
ProSkills
To help graduate faculty equip students and postdoctoral scholars with professional skills for success both inside and outside academia, we’ve developed a suite of easily deployable modules that can be integrated into any course, providing valuable resources to enhance your students' career development.
This project was initially led by former Associate Dean Ryan Walker and a team of subject matter experts from CGPS and GMCTL.
For more info contact grad.pd@usask.ca
Connect
Meet Kenisha Blair Walcott, the Professional Development Specialist at CGPS. A chartered professional in human resources (CPHR) and lifelong learner, Kenisha is passionate about collaboratively impacting the lives of other professionals through her work. Talk to Kenisha about your professional development needs!
Meet Theresah Andoh, a Professional Development Graduate Student Intern working towards her Master's in Public Administration at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, USask.
Get in touch with the team at grad.pd@usask.ca.
