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Global Accelerator
2024-25

Apply now
The Skills Builder Accelerator is the flagship programme for global educators. You nominate a ‘Skills Leader’ and a member of the senior leadership team to work closely with us. Together, we’ll develop a complete strategy for achieving excellence in building students’ essential skills. At its core, the programme will upskill staff, including on how to best use our online resources and assessment tools.

At the end of the first year, you’ll have a sustainable, long-term plan, a team of confident teachers, demonstrable student progress and a Skills Builder Award. Students at schools like yours on the Global Accelerator make, on average, twice as much progress as comparable peers.
An image of a school teacher providing support for her student during a lesson.
The Universal Framework Icons. Listening, Speaking, Problem Solving, Creativity, Staying Positive, Aiming High, Leadership and Teamwork.

What is the Global Accelerator Programme? 

The Global Accelerator is a year-long training and development programme. 

At the end of the first year you will have:

  • An expert lead practitioner known as your ‘Skills Leader’
  • A team of confident trained teachers
  • Demonstrable student progress in eight essential skills
  • A Skills Builder Award in recognition of best practice 

How does the Global Accelerator programme work? 

Places are limited. We’ll match you with a dedicated Skills Builder Education Associate who is a qualified teacher. Your programme will include Skills Leader and teacher training, peer learning opportunities, planning meetings, and a complete curriculum and assessment model for your learners.

What could you do on a Global Accelerator programme?

Global schools tailor the programme to fit existing curriculum plans, careers strategies and school priorities. 

Skills Builder, at its best, is embedded throughout your ethos and practices: policies, staff training, the curriculum, assemblies, and more. Here are some ways others have got started. You might: 

  • Introduce all eight essential skills to the whole school from the outset. Or, you might prefer to work with a target group of students initially. 
  • Use a weekly timetabled slots and the 300+ 15 minute lessons from Skills Builder Hub to teach a focus skill to a particular year group or phase. Tutors can then reinforce skill development through their subjects. 
  • Embed employability skills into your curriculum. We can use training time with your curriculum teams to audit schemes of work, or lesson plans. 
  • Look for special days in the school calendar to run longer activities or off-timetable days.
  • Use self-assessments from Skills Builder Benchmark to set individual targets for your learners.

The Skills Builder Partnership

The Skills Builder Partnership brings together 900+ education institutions, employers and leading organisations around a common approach to building eight essential skills. Central to our approach is our rigorous progression framework, a set of underlying principles and a complete suite of tools and teaching materials.

An illustration of the globe, surrounded by the skills icons and circular images of people in of different ages and careers - showing the versatility of essential skills.

The Skills Builder Framework

The Skills Builder Universal Framework is the national standard for teaching essential skills. It breaks each skill into teachable steps, supporting progress for all ages and abilities - including those with special educational needs. The Universal Framework was developed by Skills Builder with the Careers and Enterprise Company, Gatsby Foundation, Business in the Community, EY Foundation, CIPD and the CBI.

A diagram showing the various stages that are included within each skill.

The Skills Builder Principles

Refined over a decade, the Skills Builder Principles outline best practice in teaching essential skills for learning and life. The six principles will form the basis of your strategy, and your success in embedding them will be recognised with the Skills Builder Award.

The six Skills Builder principles. Keep it simple. Start early and keep going. Measure it. Focus tightly. Keep Practicing and Bring it to Live.

The Hub

Designed by teachers for teachers, the Skills Builder Hub is the online teaching and impact platform for building essential skills. Aligned to every step of the Framework, there are 300+ Short Lessons and a suite of reinforcing resources including posters, assemblies and passports.

An image showing the Skills Builder Hub loaded onto a laptop. The hub is showing a learner's skills profile that the teacher can assess.
Click on each of the Accelerator elements to open up the dialogue box.
Scroll right to see the whole journey, then tap on each of the elements to learn more.
TERM 1
TERM 2
TERM 3
Touchpoints with Skills Builder
Skills Leader Training Days
Skills Leader Training Day 1
Skills Leader Training Day 2
Planning Meetings
Strategy Meeting 1
Strategy Meeting 2
Strategy Meeting 3
Teacher Training Sessions
Teacher Training Session 1
Teacher Training Session 2
Online all-through support
Premium Resources
Online Tools & Resources
Peer Learning & Events
The Bronze Skills Builder Award - A bronze gradient rosette with the multi-coloured Skills Builder roundel in the middle.
For those making a commitment to high-quality essential skills education.
  • Started embedding the Skills Builder Principles
  • Some teachers will be using a common language for essential skills
  • Plans for further development will be in place
The Silver Skills Builder Award - A silver gradient rosette with the multi-coloured Skills Builder roundel in the middle.
For those building on their commitment to high-quality essential skills education.
  • Made good progress towards embedding the Skills Builder Principles
  • Majority of teachers will be using a common language for essential skills
  • Policies and procedures will have begun to reflect the approach
The Gold Skills Builder Award - A gold gradient rosette with the multi-coloured Skills Builder roundel in the middle.
For those modelling best practice in high-quality essential skills education.
  • Fully embedded the Skills Builder Principles
  • All teachers will be confident educators of essential skills
  • Essential skills education will be fully integrated into daily practice

What is the Skills Builder Award?

  • The goal is to equip your children with the essential skills they need to succeed in education, wider life and future employment.
  • The Skills Builder Award recognises primary schools who are delivering high-quality essential skills education at a Bronze, Silver and Gold standard.
  • You will achieve an Award by embedding principles of best practice outlined in the Award Guide.
  • You will work closely with your Education Associate in three Planning Meetings to develop and implement a manageable, long-term plan.
  • Awards are dated for three years and reviewed annually by our team.
How do I apply to the Skills Builder Global Accelerator programme?

It takes about fifteen minutes to complete an online application form.

There are four main questions.  

  • What commitments are in place from your Senior Leadership Team to support this programme?
  • How might the Skills Builder Accelerator support priorities in your school or college?
  • How will you use the Skills Builder Accelerator to support your students most in need of building their essential skills?
  • What excites you about becoming a Skills Leader on the Skills Builder Accelerator?

The online application forms cannot be saved, so will need to be completed in one go. After submission, we review applications after each deadline. You will be contacted via email in the week after your nearest deadline about the outcome of your application.

Download top tips to support you with your application.

Can I speak to someone about the programme?

You can email us at sophie.deaville@skillsbuilder.org and we will get back to you.

Who can apply for the Accelerator?

Any school, college or specialist educational setting outside of the UK can apply for the Global Accelerator. There are a limited number of programme places.  If you are in the UK, please go to the Accelerator page here.

How much does the Accelerator cost?

The Accelerator core elements cost £1900 ($2544) per institution per year. There are funded options for eligible schools and colleges. Please see below for eligibility.

How much time do I need to commit to the programme?
  • The nominated Skills Leader will attend two virtual training days, where they work with fellow Skills Leaders.
  • The Skills Leader and a member of SLT will both attend three virtual strategy meetings across the year, this is 1-2-1 with your Skills Builder contact.  
  • You will also book two virtual training sessions for your staff, most do this in a regular staff training slot, and it’s two 1-hour slots.

The goal is to explicitly build essential skills through the curriculum and special experiences. Many do this by dedicating a weekly or fortnightly 20-minute slot to essential skills.  

You can see more about the programme structure on the “programme” tab.

What happens if my application is successful?

We review applications in the week after each deadline. We will contact you in the week following the deadline. If your application is successful, your place on the programme is confirmed, and you are committed to the programme for the following academic year. This is one of the reasons it is important to ensure that someone in the senior leadership team is the second contact on the application.

What happens if my application is unsuccessful?

We review applications in the week after each deadline. We will contact you in the week following the deadline. If your application is unsuccessful, we will contact you to let you know why. We might need to clarify something with you over a call, or we may invite you to reapply in the next round.

What makes a successful Accelerator application?

There are a limited number of places available for global institutions. This means we can only work with the most committed schools and colleges. This is especially true for those applying for funded places. In your application, you will need to demonstrate that you understand the time commitment and logistics and that you will be supported by senior leadership to enact change in your school.

Who is eligible for funding?

We fundraise through our employer partners, who want to directly support you to the Global Accelerator. Funding is restricted to state-maintained (and low-fee paying) schools, colleges and specialist educational settings, who aren’t already working with us.

When do applications close?

The deadline to apply is 5th July 2024. We anticipate that in some areas all programme places and associated funding will be allocated before the final deadline, so you are encouraged to apply early for the best chance of success.

What languages will training and support be delivered in?

All training and support will be delivered in English. We also have translated versions of many of our resources and will work with you to ensure you have access to the support you need to teach your students.

How are different time zones accommodated?

We work with institutions across the globe and will do our best to arrange our support meetings at a convenient time for all parties.

I work at an independent school/college outside the UK, can I apply for the Accelerator?

If you are a private school or college outside the UK, please get in touch with us at sophie.deaville@skillsbuilder.org.

Round 1 deadline
29 March 2024
Round 2 deadline
24 May 2024
Round 3 deadline
5 July 2024

You can find out more about the Global Accelerator before applying in a few ways:

1
Register your interest
To find out more, register your interest here.
2
Send us an email
Email us at sophie.deaville@skillsbuilder.org

We look forward to receiving your application.