🟣GitHub Skills
GitHub Skills
Introduction
GitHub Skills is a free, interactive learning platform developed by GitHub that enables developers of all levels—whether just getting started or already familiar with GitHub—to improve their workflow, collaborate more effectively, and adopt modern development practices. (skills.github.com) The courses are built within GitHub itself and use actual GitHub features such as Issues, Pull Requests, Actions, Codespaces, and more. (GitHub)
Unlike traditional tutorials or static guides, GitHub Skills emphasizes hands‑on, real workflows: learners interact with real repositories, receive automated feedback via GitHub Actions, and develop practical, usable skills. (GitHub)
What GitHub Skills Offers
The content on the main GitHub Skills site is organized into several “learning days” or thematic groupings, each containing courses that teach specific capabilities. (skills.github.com)
First Day on GitHub
These courses are aimed at beginners who want to get started quickly. For example:
Introduction to GitHub – Learn the very basics of repositories, branches, commits, and pull requests. (GitHub)
Communicate using Markdown – Gain skills in Markdown for documentation and collaboration. (skills.github.com)
GitHub Pages – Build a site or blog directly from a GitHub repository. (GitHub)
First Week on GitHub
Designed for users who already know the basics and want to deepen their workflow. Courses include:
Review Pull Requests – Collaborate effectively using GitHub’s review mechanisms. (skills.github.com)
Resolve Merge Conflicts – Understand why merge conflicts happen and how to solve them. (skills.github.com)
Release‑based Workflow – Explore branching strategies, release management and structured workflows. (skills.github.com)
Connect the Dots – Find how commits, issues, and project discussions link together in a repository. (skills.github.com)
Code with Codespaces – Develop code directly in your browser (or VS Code) using GitHub Codespaces. (skills.github.com)
Code with Copilot – Use AI‑powered suggestions with GitHub Copilot, Codespaces, and VS Code. (skills.github.com)
Automate Workflows with GitHub Actions
For those ready to automate tasks and deploy software, this set of courses covers:
Hello GitHub Actions – Build your first Action and integrate it into a workflow. (skills.github.com)
Test with Actions – Use CI (Continuous Integration) workflows to test code via GitHub Actions. (skills.github.com)
Publish Packages – Use Actions to build and publish to a Docker image or package registry. (skills.github.com)
Deploy to Azure – Automate a deployment pipeline using GitHub Actions and Microsoft Azure. (skills.github.com)
Write JavaScript Actions – Create your own custom Actions using JavaScript. (skills.github.com)
Reusable Workflows – Create workflows that can be used across multiple repositories. (skills.github.com)
Code Security and Analysis
Recognizing that security and code health are critical, GitHub Skills provides courses such as:
Secure your repository supply chain – Understand dependencies, vulnerabilities, and security in your project supply chain. (skills.github.com)
Secure code game – A gamified course about software security. (skills.github.com)
Introduction to CodeQL – Use GitHub’s CodeQL engine for code analysis. (skills.github.com)
Change commit history – Learn about rewriting commit history (advanced Git concepts). (skills.github.com)
Introduction to secret scanning – Enable and understand how to scan for secrets in your repositories. (skills.github.com)
Why GitHub Skills Matters
Built in GitHub: Because the learning happens inside GitHub, every exercise uses real-world tools—nothing simulated or artificial. This means skills translate directly to actual projects. (GitHub)
Immediate Feedback: GitHub Actions built into each exercise give learners automated validation and feedback as they complete tasks. (skills.github.com)
Flexible & Practical: Whether you’re learning how to create your personal site (via GitHub Pages) or setting up CI/CD pipelines, GitHub Skills covers workflows that are widely used in professional software development.
Scalable Learning: Beginners can start with an hour‑long course, and more advanced users can dive into automation, security, and deployment in greater depth—all within the same ecosystem.
Open to Customization: The platform even supports creating your own courses. The “Quickstart Guide” lets organizations or advanced users author GitHub Actions‑powered learning modules. (skills.github.com)
How to Get Started
Visit the GitHub Skills website: https://skills.github.com/ (skills.github.com)
Choose a course that matches your level—e.g., Introduction to GitHub for first‑time users.
Follow the instructions: you’ll fork a repository, complete the steps (edit files, create pull requests, etc.), and receive feedback via GitHub Actions.
As you finish a course, you’ll get a sense of confidence in using GitHub workflows, collaborating, and automating tasks—capabilities helpful whether in research, data management, or software development contexts.
When ready, branch out into advanced topics: GitHub Actions automation, code security, or creating your own courses.
Relevance for Research Data Management & FAIR Principles
For someone working in research data management or academic settings (for instance in your role at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine), GitHub Skills is valuable in multiple ways:
It enables you to document workflows (via markdown, versioning, branches) in a way that supports reproducibility.
Automating tasks with GitHub Actions aligns with FAIR data workflows—ensuring that data processing and analysis steps are traceable and repeatable.
The collaborative features of GitHub support team science, where multiple stakeholders (biologists, data stewards, analysts) contribute to code, documentation, or pipelines.
Creating your own custom course means you could build tailored training for your research data management community—e.g., a module on “Versioning & Sharing R Scripts in GitHub” or “Automating Data Deposits with GitHub Actions.”
Summary
GitHub Skills is a versatile, practical platform that meets learners where they are—whether just starting with GitHub or ready to automate complex workflows. By providing immersive, repository‑based learning with real feedback and real tools, GitHub Skills enables you to build workflow proficiency, support reproducibility and collaboration, and embed modern practices into research or development. As someone involved in data stewardship and research data management, it offers a valuable way to upskill yourself or your team in tools that underpin modern, FAIR‑aligned research workflows on GitHub.
If you like, I can prepare a tailored learning path (with recommended courses + timeline) for your role and context in biomedical/biotech research. Would that be helpful?
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