It has never been more important to build a set of essential skills to succeed in life for our children and young people: the ability to creatively solve problems, to self-manage, to communicate effectively, and to work well with others. These are skills that are needed to do almost anything well.

The need for these skills is clear, but there is still a gap – too many children and young people do not build these skills to the level they need, and so miss out on opportunities to thrive in other parts of their lives. Too often this is an area where terminology is confused and confusing. The work of all the schools, colleges and organisations in the Skills Builder Partnership is to cut through this: to refine a consistent, universal approach to these essential skills.

We define the essential skills as: Listening, Speaking, Problem Solving, Creativity, Staying Positive, Aiming High, Leadership and Teamwork.