The characters gain skills as indicated in the class progression
Which usually boils down to one skill increase every uneven Level and one skill feat every even Level (exceptions apply)
You May also get to increase a skill/get a skill Point from certain feats, usually archetype dedications but again that is not an Universal Rule
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In first edition, you got a number of skill points every level to divide between all your skills. Generally, what happened was that "people would invest in their important skills every level" in order to max them out. PF2 was designed with this in mind.
A unified mechanic in Pathfinder 2nd edition is that most things are calculated with: Proficiency Modifier+ Stat Modifier + Level. With the proficiency modifier being +2 for trained, +4 for expert, +6 for master, +8 for legendary.
So a 2nd level ranger with 18 dexterity who is trained in stealth rolls 2+4+2= +8 for stealth checks. When they level up to 4th level they roll 2+4+3=9 for stealth checks. This is functionally identical to "putting a rank in stealth when you level up." If you decided to make increase stealth to expert at 3rd level you would instead roll 4+4+3=11 for stealth checks.
So you get 1 better in all of your trained skills every level, but every odd level you get a "skill increase" that you can use to either become trained in another skill or to specialize in a skill you're already trained in. Think of "increasing to expert, master, etc." less like "putting a rank in a skill" and more like the old feats that gave you static bonuses to skill checks (e.g. skill focus.)
I have been getting this question a lot in my campaign but I haven't been able to find the answer. When can a player become expert in a skill, and continue to increase beyond expert? In 1st edition the characters got skills points every level; is that no longer the case in 2nd edition?
It literally says it right in the Skill Increases feature of a given class. For reference:
At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain a skill increase. You can use this increase either to increase your proficiency rank to trained in one skill you’re untrained in, or to increase your proficiency rank in one skill in which you’re already trained to expert.
At 7th level, you can use skill increases to increase your proficiency rank to master in a skill in which you’re already an expert, and at 15th level, you can use them to increase your proficiency rank to legendary in a skill in which you’re already a master.