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Increase your organisation’s impact with essential skills

The Skills Builder Universal Framework provides a complete approach for ensuring individuals effectively build their essential skills through your programmes or provisions.

We provide organisations with tools, training, resources and deep expertise to support skills development across their content design, impact measurement and facilitation.

Benefits

Enrichment

Hone the impact of essential skills in your programme to support your mission.

Impact

Measure progress of your beneficiaries' essential skills and demonstrate this to stakeholders.

Capacity Building

Upskill your team and empower your Skills Leader to lead the organisation in achieving accreditation.

Who we work with

Programme Journey

The Global Impact Fellowship provides you with a series of online training sessions and a session of bespoke support. You will work as part of a cohort for 3-4 months, as part of your 12 month membership to the Skills Builder Partnership.

12 MONTH PROGRAMME
1. Application
Complete your application and commitment to the programme
2. Connect
Meet your cohort, explore the programme and create your initial action plan
3. Bespoke Support 1
A one-to-one online call with the Skills Builder team
4. Build
Reflect, learn best practice and implement changes to achieve your impact level
5. Bespoke Support 2
A one-to-one online call with the Skills Builder team
6. Achieve
Share programme updates to achieve the Impact Level criteria
7. Impact Level
Submit evidence for review and accreditation process

Impact Levels

What are the Impact Levels?

  • The Skills Builder Impact Levels recognise high-quality essential skills provision at four levels of impact: awareness, reflection, practice and progression.
  • The Impact Level accreditation is awarded to individual provision / programmes / platforms which demonstrate best practice and meet the listed criteria.
  • As an active member of the Skills Builder Partnership, your accreditation will be validated in each year of your membership, you will receive an annual kitemark and will feature on our Impact Directory.

How do I achieve an Impact Level?

  • In your training sessions, you will be able to discuss your priorities and provision, and map out a plan for the year to achieve the Impact Level(s) you want to work towards.
  • You can submit your provision and programmes' evidence for review at any point during your membership.
  • As soon as your Impact Level is achieved, it will be featured on the Impact Directory and you will receive a kitemark to use in your marketing, impact reporting and resources.
  • In the summer we will finalise the numbers reached through your accredited provision, contributing towards our collective impact reporting.
The Impact Level 1 badge
Raising awareness of essential skills
  • Programmes that are successful at this level make individuals more aware of the eight essential skills and their importance for success. 
The Impact Level 2 badge
Reflecting on essential skills
  • Programmes that are successful at this level give individuals the opportunity to become more self-aware of their skill levels and next steps by reflecting on the essential skills. 
The Impact Level 3 badge
Practising essential skills
  • Programmes that are successful at this level give individuals the opportunity to reflect as well as apply and practise their essential skills and the steps.
The Impact Level 4 badge
Progressing in essential skills
  • Programmes that are successful here combine the chance for individuals to reflect on the essential skills before and after applying them. Programme content  is specifically targeted on making steps of progress and data is collected to demonstrate this. 

Tools & Resources

Benchmark

An image of the Skills Builder Benchmark

What? Skills Builder Benchmark is an online self-assessment tool. Learners can reflect on their skill set, using questions aligned to the Skills Builder Framework. Admins can use it as an impact measurement tool, by setting up groups and collating data about individual learners.

Who? Individuals aged 11+ can register for free and record their reflections.

Cost? Free for individuals to use. Admin Licences can be purchased by members of the Skills Builder Partnership. Click on the Download a prospectus button above to find-out more.

Launchpad

An image of the Skills Builder Launchpad

What? Skills Builder Launchpad features online learning modules that build every step of the Skills Builder Framework. It is designed for older learners to build their own essential skills independently.

Who? Individuals aged 11+ can register for free and start learning.

Cost? Free.

Hub

An image of the Employers Toolkit

What? Skills Builder Hub features a huge array of resources for building essential skills - plus an easy way to track group-level progress against the Skills Builder Framework.

Who? Teachers and facilitators, working with children and young people can access free resources and the assessment tool.

Cost? Free to use. Premium elements can be purchased.

Case Studies

Children's University
Organisation

Children's University

Children’s University works nationally across 69 local authorities reaching over 110,000 students to offer limitless learning beyond the classroom. This year they transferred their Passport to Learning online, supporting a greater understanding of the skills being developed through a diverse range of extra-curricular activities.

Learning providers select up to 3 top skills that a child will learn which can then be discussed and validated by a Children’s University manager. Children can then collect stamps across all eight skills through a multitude of clubs.

Aligning to the Framework has allowed children to reflect on their progress in the skills and identify new opportunities. Children’s University gains a national picture of participation to help share best practice and increase access to providers.

Children’s University are undertaking an exciting new phase to further integrate the Skills Builder Framework into their online platform to support learners with their self-reflection. Incorporating the language of the steps will enable children to further pinpoint their success and guide their next steps for development.

Harlequins Foundation
Organisation

Harlequins Foundation

Since 2019 the Harlequins Foundation and Skills Builder Partnership have been working together to create a Sports Toolkit to transform how all young people develop the essential skills through sport.
This Toolkit is being piloted by community foundations like the Harlequins Foundation, Charlton Athletic Community Trust and Albion in the Community, in addition to sports for development organisations: Street League, Sported, London Youth's fifteen Active Talent organisations, Active Communities Network Hampshire, SportInspired, Sport Impact and the Eton Fives Association’s Westway Club.

The Harlequins Foundation believes that all young people should have the opportunity to develop relevant technical and vocational skills to support employment and entrepreneurship in the 21st century.  They deliver a range of educational opportunities that meet the needs of the local population of their borough heartlands in order to address disparities in education and employment, with a specific focus on those most vulnerable in society.

Their Development Officers and HITZ alternative provision team have integrated the eight skills into their programmes to underpin skills development and support transferability in both sports and education settings. Combining two pillars of their strategic mission, skills and wellbeing, the Harlequins Foundation identified Staying Positive as a core skill in their programmes. Using the Sports Coaching Handbooks, the team will focus on the explicit development of Staying Positive skills across their work and work alongside educators in their network to ensure young people can continue to build and apply these skills.

Spiral
Organisation

Spiral

Spiral deliver workshops, particularly working with students from FE colleges and other post-16 institutions. These interactive workshops focus on equipping young people with the transferable skills essential for success and use activities based on real-life career challenges to support skill development and confidence in career readiness. Their work was already aligned with the Skills Builder essential skills and they develop all 8 through their programmes, with focus areas for each project in line with the Focus Tightly Principle of skill development.

The Spiral team co-design their sessions with employers, and use work-based learning to equip young people with relevant skills, enhance their work experience and populate their CV.  Using the Skills Builder framework for entry and exit-level assessment allows them to measure the impact of these programmes and to highlight young people’s strengths and areas for development.

Spiral’s programmes facilitate young people’s access to employment, apprenticeship, training, or further education opportunities. These are targeted to their interests and supported by their extensive network of opportunity partners, including the Skills Builder Partnership.

National Literacy Trust
Organisation

National Literacy Trust

National Literacy Trust are an independent charity dedicated to giving disadvantaged children the literacy skills they need to succeed.

The Trust’s flagship literacy and employability programme ‘Words for Work’ is designed for Key Stage 3 and post-16 students.  It challenges the inequality in employment opportunities for young people, giving them the communication skills they need to be successful in the workplace.

Words for Work aims to:

  • Demonstrate the importance of literacy for success in employment by providing workplace context for students
  • Improve young people’s verbal and written communication skills through activities lead by teachers and through engagement with corporate volunteers
  • Give young people confidence in their own abilities and raise their career aspirations

This work has also been expanded to ensure learners are developing the essential skills in all settings, including specialist and alternative provision schools and colleges at all Key Stages.  Words for Work highlights the importance of communication in the development of skills such as Leadership and Teamwork, whilst the careers-related learning focuses on the development of Aiming High skills in younger learners.



To see programmes that have achieved an Impact Level through their Skills Builder Programme, visit the Impact Directory.
How can I become a member and join the Global Impact Fellowship?

You need to complete an application form and state which Cohort you would like to join. We could recommend booking a call with us first.

Can I speak to someone about joining the programme?

Please book a call here. We would love to speak to you and answer your questions.

Who can register for the Global Impact Fellowship?

Any impact led and not-for-profit organisations that are based outside of the UK.

Are there costs associated with the Global Impact Fellowship?

Places on the Global Impact Fellowship are fully-funded for eligible organisations. We fundraise through our employer partners, who want to directly support you to access the Global Impact Fellowship programme. Funded programmes places are limited and solely for non-profit organisations and NGOs based outside the UK.

Due to this we do ask you to carefully consider before applying that your organisation is ready to commit to the programme, attending the online sessions and undertaking the work towards achieving an impact level. If you feel like joining a later cohort would suit you better you can select this on your application form.

When can I sign up?

You can sign up at any time. Please be aware there are deadlines for applying for each cohort, they are as follows:

AutumnCohort (Sep - Nov) deadline for applications is Friday 8th September

Spring Cohort (Jan - Mar) deadline for applications is Friday 3rd January 

Summer Cohort (Mar - May) deadline for applications is Friday 21st March

When do training session run and what is the format?

The Global Impact Fellowship provides you with a series of group online training sessions and two online calls of bespoke support. You will work as part of a cohort for 3 months.

Guides

Get started straight away with Skills Builder guides - full of useful top tips and ideas to start using the Universal Framework in your organisation’s work.
All Organisations
An image displaying the front cover of the Skills Builder Guide for Youth Organisations

Guide for Youth Organisations

This guide is to support organisations who work with young people in a youth setting to learn more about the Skills Builder Universal Framework, accompanying resources and how to use these to support their employability programmes such as CV writing and interview workshops.

Download now
A screenshot of the Impact Directory page of the Skills Builder website.

Impact Directory

Explore reviewed programmes from out partners, and filter by Impact Level, theme, age, location, skills and more.

Browse programmes
All Organisations
An image displaying a screenshot of the Careers and Employability guide

Careers and Employability guide

For organisations who want to support individuals to develop their skills as part of their employability provision. In the Guide you’ll find: exciting ideas for your programmes, examples of best practice, inspiring video case studies and links to further resources.

Visit the site
Inclusion
An image displaying the front cover of the Skills Builder Inclusive Organisations Guide

Inclusive Organisations Guide

Practical advice for building skills with learners

Download now
An image displaying the front cover of the Skills Builder Expanded Framework

The Expanded Framework

This free toolkit breaks progression down, by placing three simple stepping stones between steps to give more intensive scaffolding.

Download now
Sports
An image displaying the front cover of the Skills Builder Sports Toolkit

Sports Toolkit

Advice and case studies for all sports settings. Developed in partnership with Harlequins Foundation.

Download now
An image displaying the front cover of the Skills Builder Coaching Handbook

Coaching Handbook

Practical advice for building skills
with learners. Developed in partnership with Harlequins Foundation.

Download now
An image displaying the Skills Builder Coaching Handbook Digital Resource. On front cover is a darkened image of a team of teenage wheelchair basketball players in red uniforms. In the foreground is the title 'Coaching Handbook' and the eight essential skills icons.

Coaching Handbook 1.0

A digital alternative to the original Coaching Handbook. Find practical advice for building skills with your learners.

Access the resource