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A globe surrounded by round orbs and the Eight Essential Skill icons. Inside the orbs are pictures of happy, successful people, who've succeeded through building their skills.

One day, everyone will build the essential skills to succeed

Essential Skills

Skills Icon: ListeningSkills Icon: SpeakingSkills Icon: Problem SolvingSkills Icon: CreativitySkills Icon: Staying PositiveSkills Icon: Aiming HighSkills Icon: LeadershipSkills Icon: Teamwork

Essential skills unlock learning in the classroom, boosting academic outcomes, perseverance and self belief. They halve the likelihood of being out of work, and increase earnings across a lifetime. They even boost wellbeing and life satisfaction.

But access to these skills isn’t fair. And where they are missed, it undermines social mobility, productivity and wellbeing.

We think everyone, at every stage of their lives, should have the opportunities to build them.

Read the research

Our Approach

An image of a pre-school age child within a circular frame. They are playing with wooden bricks.
Pre-School
An image of a school pupil within a circular frame. They are in a class surrounded by friends, working in an exercise book.
School years
An image of a young adult within a circular frame. They are likely in their collage or sixth-form years and they are smiling at the camera proudly.
Apprenticeship,
College & University
An image of a young working professional within a circular frame. They are wearing a trendy professional outfit and glasses whilst looking at a laptop screen in a meeting. They have a relaxed and confident expression.
Early Career
An image of a middle-aged working professional within a circular frame. They are relaxed and smiling.
Mid-career onwards

The product of five years’ cutting-edge research and design, the Skills Builder Universal Framework makes it possible for everyone to teach, learn, and measure essential skills.

The Framework breaks each of the eight skills down into a sequence of steps, supporting an individual's personal development from absolute beginner through to mastery. It takes soft skills and puts rigour behind them.

In the workplace, the Skills Builder Universal Framework can be used to support personal and professional development as well as improve leadership skills of both individuals and their teams. Businesses can also use the Framework in their recruitment practices, as well as in outreach and work experience programmes.

Explore the Framework

Our Reach

20
Countries
900
Partner
Organisations
2,635,000
Individuals reached
2.7x
Accelerated
Progress

Skills Builder Partnership is a global group of businesses, education institutions, and impact organisations.

We are all committed to using the Skills Builder approach to transform how the world builds essential skills.

Some of our partners
Explore our Impact

Work with us

The Partnership is growing quickly. Join us to benefit from expert support in building and assessing essential skills in your organisation – whether you are a business, education institution or impact organisation.

A picture of a group of skilled workers in an office meeting.
Employers
Align your outreach, recruitment, and staff development to boost essential skills across your business
Find out more
A picture of schoolchildren working on a project together with comic books.
Educators
Transform your learners’ essential skills development at all ages through working with us.
Find out more
A picture of emergency service workers problem-solving as a team
Impact Organisations
Demonstrate your programmes’ impact and join a movement of like-minded organisations
Find out more

Free tools and resources

You can get started right away with our free tools and resources to build essential skills.

A laptop displaying the Skills Builder Benchmark

Skills Builder Benchmark
For individuals to reflect and self-assess their essential skills, and get insights and guidance‍

A laptop and smart-phone displaying the Skills Builder Launchpad

Skills Builder Launchpad
For individuals to build their essential skills step-by-step through engaging short modules

A laptop displaying the Skills Builder Hub

Skills Builder Hub
For educators to assess and teach learners essential skills through short lessons and projects

A laptop and smart-phone displaying the Skills Builder Home Zone

Skills Builder Homezone
For parents and carers to work with their children to build and practice their essential skills

News & Press

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