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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: AdaptingSkills Icon: PlanningSkills 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.

Explore the Framework

Our Reach in 2024

20
Countries
941
Partner
Organisations
1,845,000
Individuals reached
2.7x
Accelerated
Progress

Skills Builder Partnership is a global group of schools and colleges, businesses, NGOs and government agencies.

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

Explore our Impact

Work with us

Skills Builder Partnership is growing quickly. Find out what is already going on in your country and get involved by following the links below:

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

Go to Benchmark
A laptop displaying the Skills Builder Hub

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

Go to Hub

News & Press

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