PwC’s Virtual Schools Series, part of their New World New Skills community programme, aims to support secondary school students to develop their essential skills for the future and make the most of their potential in their chosen career. The programme includes a suite of high-quality, pre-recorded videos and activities to be completed in the classroom, all of which can be viewed ‘on demand’.
There are three versions: two are focused specifically on essential skills (for different age ranges) and the other is a Dragons’ Den style challenge. All versions are mapped to the Skills Builder Universal Framework.
Each version of the Virtual Schools Series is designed with eight sessions. The Essential Skills programmes cover all eight essential skills; the Dragons’ Den challenge focuses on four essential skills at specific steps. Students have the opportunity to understand, apply and reflect on each skill effectively.
The Skills Builder names, definitions and icons are used throughout the programme. Within each session, students are prompted to reflect on their progress against the focus skill or skills. There are different activities or challenges in each session, which give students the opportunity to apply or practise the skill.