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Home » Graduate & Postdoctoral Professional Skills (GPPS)

Graduate & Postdoctoral Professional Skills (GPPS)

Supporting the professional development of our graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in a multifaceted way drives the mission of Graduate Studies at York and is key to creating success. Our commitment is to ensure that you have all the tools you need to succeed within and beyond the academic world, informed by reflection and intentional planning through the Faculty’s Individualized Development Plan (IDP). The Graduate & Postdoctoral Professional Skills (GPPS) program is divided into six broad areas to connect you to opportunities and resources that will help you develop your professional plans and goals, and to strategically meet those goals:

  • Career Exploration and Planning 
  • Communication
  • Health and Wellness
  • Managing Time and Resources
  • Research Dissemination
  • Teaching

How to Search for Opportunities and Resources

  • Use the ‘Select a Theme’ dropdown to filter opportunities and resources by skills area and click ‘Submit’ 

Additional Search Options 

  • The ‘Select Format’ option can also be selected to filter opportunities by mode of delivery
  • The ‘Search by Keyword’ box can also be used to browse by keyword
    • To reset previous selections and see all available opportunities, click the ‘Reset’ button


FGS and its various partners strive to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with a variety of workshops, lectures, presentations, seminars and other resources to enhance their experience at York and add to their skillset. If you have any questions about available offerings, please contact the Postdoctoral Services & Professional Skills Coordinator.

Please note that offerings marked with an asterisk (*) are available only to graduate students.

Other units and centres at York also strive to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in specific research areas. They offer a variety of workshops, presentations, resources, and opportunities with a focus on a particular community. Professional development resources relevant to specific research area include (note: this list is not exhaustive):

Individualized Development Plan (IDP)

York University's IDP is designed to help students identify their professional goals as well as to better understand the skills and competencies needed to achieve those goals. The IDP includes a framework that will help to develop a plan for professional skills, but is intended to be supplemented by ongoing consultations with academic supervisors, graduate program directors as well as relevant individuals across the university and beyond.

Please visit Individualized Development Plan (IDP) for more information.

If you are a postdoctoral researcher, please visit Individualized Development Plan (IDP) - Postdoctoral Researchers for more information on a tool to assist in identifying and developing goals during the fellowship.