The top section is literally just character-building. There's no mechanical effect on the gameplay - it won't change your dice rolls or anything - but it can be used to help you stay in character, and make actions that make sense for them. Think of the 'skills' bit as a place to put a special thing *this specific character* can do that not everyone can.
Also, I just wanna say, I love the idea of the laminated wipe-clean character sheet!