Skill is a part of competency. Competency consists of three parameters- Knowledge (K), Attitude (A) and Skills(S).

For example- I might be having very good interpersonal skills or people skills, but I will not be competent to join a company as HR Professional unless I possess adequate education/ experience (Knowledge) and the right temperament/ behaviour (attitude). While rating skills, you have to determine what abilities are required to perform a job practically but while rating competency, you have to determine the set of abilities/ skills required along with the knowledge and attitude needed for the said job.

The single -subject isolation of research students has been questioned and reduced. Now, the emphasis is placed much more on a multi -disciplinary experience and on the development of life -long skills both relevant to the subject being studied but also of more general value, such as skills in technology, communication and languages, entrepreneurial skills, personal and presentational skills, and skills in teamwork, time management, and leadership. Doctoral degrees seek to transform students into independent researchers, capable of adapting to a range of employment destinations and taking up leadership positions in academia, industry and the professions. Yet, many commentators argue that traditional PhD programmes lack broad professional development opportunities and produce overly specialised graduates who struggle to adapt to the workplace (e.g. Clark 1996; Kemp 1999a, 1999b). Research indicates that the skills sought by employers are the ability to formulate and solve interdisciplinary problems, to communicate, and to manage and lead projects, acting as independent researchers (e.g. Sekhon 1989; Clark 1996; Cryer 1998; Notowny et al. 2001; Pearson and Brew 2002; Usher 2002) and applying their disciplinebased research expertise flexibly to other contexts (Cryer 1998; Pearson and Brew 2002).