DEVELOPMENT OF PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Professionalism refers to those qualities and skills that must be possessed by a practicing professional. It develops overtime and takes the shape in the context of professional practice. The term professional skills may be defined as those skills which are essential for graduates for becoming successful in their professional life. These consists of generic or transferable skills like facing the workplace challenges, working in team broader expertise, communication skills, personal attributes etc. These also include the attributes of self motivation, self management, self promotion, punctuality, getting on well with others and organization and clients and show initiatives. Professional skills can be developed by work experience, work placement and other forms of work-integrated learning at college or university level in the professional context. Professional skill can be developed to a maximum level when students reflect on what they have learnt and how they have learnt. Donald Schon suggested the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning was one of the defining characteristic of professional practice. If the students are required to reflect intentionally on their learning experiences, it become the starting point in the development of professional practice skills.