We initiated our skill-building program with students aged 8-18, and we later incorporated over 120 students aged 5-6 years. Starting as young as possible allows more time for mastery, emphasizing that these skills are crucial not only for employability but for thriving in all aspects of life. This early involvement helped them develop critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork at a young age. Every lesson plan across all grades (Grade 3-12) includes a segment dedicated to core skills development. Educators and Academic heads are responsible for choosing a skill to integrate into their lessons. This integration is explicitly mentioned in the lesson plans, along with the specific skill step that will be developed during a particular week. The frequency of these skill-building sessions is set at once every 15 days for each class. In practice, this means that every class engages in a cycle where they build a skill step, practice it, reinforce it, and undertake a related challenge. This systematic approach ensures consistent development and reinforcement of core skills. By embedding these practices early and maintaining a consistent focus, we ensure that students not only acquire essential skills but also have ample opportunities to practice and refine them over time.

We implemented a comprehensive system for tracking and evaluating both student progress and teacher effectiveness in skill development. Here is a detailed explanation of our approach: Student Self-Assessment and Reflection We use Skill Hub Benchmarking (for some classes) as a self-reflection tool to help students record their ability to apply each step of the Universal Framework in their daily lives. Students document their learning with "I can" statements in their notebooks, which serve as success criteria and self-assessment markers. This approach provides a balanced understanding of each student's strengths and weaknesses, highlights their progress, and identifies next steps for improvement. We measure not only the students’ progress but also the teachers’ efficacy in implementing the skills curriculum. This is achieved through effective monitoring, sharing of best practices, and classroom visits to observe and provide feedback on how teachers conduct skill classes. Our formative assessment sheets include a dedicated column for skill evaluation, where students are marked in real-time based on the skills they have developed. This integration ensures that skill development is recognized alongside academic achievements, giving the report sheet a comprehensive edge.

Each weekly lesson plan allocates specific time solely for the explicit development of core skills. This dedicated period ensures that students concentrate on acquiring and refining one skill at a time before integrating it into subject-specific contexts. All classes engage with resources from the Skills Builder Hub, and visibly display outstanding listening skills. Teachers specialize in particular skills according to their proficiency and subject demands. This targeted approach ensures consistent focus and deeper skill development. We use certificate templates from the hub to reward students who accomplish specific skills. This recognition not only celebrates their achievements but also motivates them to continue improving. Teachers who excelled at demonstrating skills were also applauded by the senior management to keep up their high spirits.

We implemented a multi-faceted approach that integrates continuous skill practice across various activities, subjects, and grade levels. Skills were aligned with the curriculum, such as integrating Teamwork in math & Creativity in English & science. Grade and subject specific curriculum document, which is a yearly overview of the activities and experiential learning modules outline the enhancement of skills using hub resources. Teachers plan subject-specific activities that allow students to practice their skills within different academic contexts. In the month of April-May, each subject across Grades 4-11 dedicated two 40-minute slots to celebrate and reinforce skill achievement. Students engage in interdisciplinary projects that push the boundaries of traditional subject learning, encouraging the application of multiple skills simultaneously. For example, Grade 6 undertook a project on mitigating the environmental and social impacts of festivals. Grade 7 carried out a project on how stereotypical beliefs about men and women impact them at work. This allowed students to practice problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and speaking skills.

To embed this principle, we integrated experiential and project-based learning to make the skills tangible and relevant to students. We worked with our Education Associate to organize the start-up success enterprise challenge where students practiced multiple skills through hands-on activities. These challenges involved – over 135 junior students who created miniature models of equipment and 35 Senior Students who created small planters. These activities allowed students to practice all eight students. Through projects like Social Entrepreneurship, students identified community needs, developed innovative solutions, and organized events inspired by teamwork modules. Another project focused on raising awareness about water scarcity through a captivating play, allowing students to hone their problem-solving and communication abilities while addressing a critical social issue. We hosted a community day to sharpen critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Underprivileged children from a neighbourhood school were invited to find solutions to real life problems. Taking inspiration from the Challenge Day section of the Hub, we launched an innovative plastic waste management program, making our institution the first in the neighbourhood to become plastic neutral. This helped students see the relevance of their skills in addressing real-world environmental issues. This project emphasized teamwork and problem-solving by addressing a significant environmental challenge.