Does your badge support individuals to demonstrate their essential skills?
The Skills Builder Universal Framework for Essential Skills provides a shared language and common approach to building essential skills to address the skills gap across contexts, and at every stage of life - in order to achieve collective impact.
Together, we work to level the playing field so that everyone can build eight essential skills to thrive:
Created in collaboration with Skills Builder, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Business in the Community and the Gatsby Foundation, the Framework stops the essential skills from being hazy concepts by breaking each one down into 16 teachable, measurable steps.
The Framework provides a clear and structured ‘roadmap’ for progression over time. By getting started at Step 0, the Framework steps increase in complexity up to Step 15 through four stages:
- Getting started
- Intermediate
- Advanced
- Mastery
How can I include the Framework in my badge?
There are three opportunities to reference the Skills Builder Universal Framework in your digital badge:
1. Criteria for earning a badge
2. Standards
3. Tags
1. Criteria for earning a badge
Which essential skills are demonstrated in your badge?
What are the main outcomes for badge earners?
It can be tempting to select all the skills but it’s helpful to keep it simple and focus tightly on the priority skills all badge earners will demonstrate by taking part. Consider which skills are integral to the activities and to access learning.
1. Select your essential skill(s) of focus (skillsbuilder.org/framework).
2. Then choose the relevant stage. Choosing a stage allows for flexibility with individual learner outcomes, as some may demonstrate higher or lower Steps within this stage.
3. Include the hyperlink to that skill’s Framework page in the Criteria URL box. For example:
- The earner of this badge has demonstrated Aiming High skills at the Getting Started stage, as defined by the Skills Builder Universal Framework, meaning they have practised the ability to work with care, pride and a positive approach to challenges.
- The earner of this badge has demonstrated Problem Solving skills at the Intermediate stage, as defined by the Skills Builder Universal Framework, meaning they have practised the ability to explore problems in details, considering their solutions, causes and effects.
2. Standards
Available to all: If your badge focuses on more specific Steps within your chosen skill stage, you can reference this and include a hyperlink in the Standards section. This is a great way to help learners better understand and articulate the exact strategies they have demonstrated through your badge.
For example:
Available to members of the Skills Builder Partnership only: Members have access to Skills Builder’s Quality Assurance process and may have received an accredited Impact Level for their provision.
If your organisation has received an Impact Level for your badge’s provision, you can include this in the Standards section. Your Skills Builder contact will be able to provide a URL to your provision’s feature on our Impact Directory.
3. Tags
You can select any of the Skills Builder eight essential skills tags for your badge.
1. Select the tag ‘Skills Builder Universal Framework’.
2. Select the relevant essential skill(s): Listening, Speaking, Problem Solving, Creativity, Staying Positive, Aiming High, Leadership or Teamwork.
These tags can sit alongside other technical skills, knowledge or attributes which are developed through your badge.
Using the Framework to Create Pathways
The Universal Framework outlines progression for lifelong learning in the essential skills. If you offer multiple badges, you can use the stages and Steps of the Framework to help you plan Pathways. You may wish to signpost learners to explore the next appropriate badge which builds on their previous knowledge and understanding of the essential skills.
For example: Your first badge may focus on Speaking at the Getting Started stage but you may offer another badge which increases in difficulty and targets the Intermediate stage. Building progression into your Pathways can help learners to take ownership of their learning journey and easily guide their next steps.
About The Skills Builder Partnership
The Skills Builder Partnership is a UK-based global best practice network of over 750 non-profit organisations, employers, schools and colleges, working towards a shared mission: that one day everyone will be able to build the essential skills to succeed.
To find out more about the partnership, our collective impact and free tools and resources for skills development, visit: skillsbuilder.org
To find out how your organisation can join the Skills Builder Partnership, contact: info@skillsbuilder.org
About Badge Nation
If you are interested in the work of Badge Nation and would like to explore using digital badges to recognise the achievements of the people you work with then please visit badgenation.org to find out more.
