ASDAN partners with Skills Builder Partnership UK to strengthen essential skills development

ASDAN is pleased to announce a new partnership with Skills Builder Partnership UK, strengthening our shared commitment to supporting learners to develop the essential skills they need for learning, work and life.

Skills Builder Partnership works with schools, colleges, employers and charities across the UK and internationally. It is best known for the Skills Builder Universal Framework, which provides a clear, step-by-step approach to teaching and assessing essential skills such as listening, speaking, problem solving, creativity, teamwork and leadership.

ASDAN programmes and qualifications are underpinned by six core skills: learning, communicating, decision making, thinking, team working and self-awareness. These skills support personalised, inclusive learning and help learners build confidence, independence and readiness for next steps.

This partnership aligns ASDAN’s six core skills with the Skills Builder Universal Framework, creating a shared language for skills development. This makes it easier for learners to recognise and explain their skills, and for practitioners to give clear, consistent feedback across different contexts.

Importantly, ASDAN and Skills Builder remain distinct offers. ASDAN programmes can be delivered independently, and there is no requirement for centres to adopt Skills Builder. Equally, organisations using Skills Builder do not need to deliver ASDAN programmes. This partnership is about creating alignment and opportunity, not additional requirements.

What this means for ASDAN members

For ASDAN members, the partnership strengthens existing practice rather than adding new demands. The alignment supports members to:

make skills development more visible and measurable
use consistent language when supporting and assessing learners
help learners understand how their skills apply beyond the classroom
support progression into further education, training and employment

The mapping between ASDAN’s core skills and the Skills Builder framework provides a practical bridge between ASDAN delivery and a framework that is widely recognised across education and employment. Members can draw on this alignment where helpful, while continuing to deliver ASDAN in the way that best meets the needs of their learners.

The Skills Builder language can be used naturally within ASDAN delivery, including portfolio evidence, reflective activities and learner feedback. This helps create a coherent learner journey, where skills are introduced, developed and evidenced over time.

A practical example of how this works in practice can be seen in ASDAN’s Placements with Purpose map, which shows how essential skills development can be woven through the curriculum and linked to meaningful employer engagement and progression planning.

Through the partnership, ASDAN members can also choose to engage with Skills Builder’s wider network and resources if this supports their practice. This includes professional development, tools for embedding essential skills across the curriculum and guidance on measuring impact.

One of their flagship education programmes is The Accelerator, a structured, fully supported initiative designed to help schools, colleges and specialist settings embed a whole-organisation approach to essential skills development. Applications for fully funded places for 2026-27 are now open, offering training, resources and expert support to ensure that essential skills are consistently taught, assessed and reinforced across different contexts. Participation is optional and sits alongside, rather than within, ASDAN delivery.

Members who would like to explore the partnership in more detail, including how the Skills Builder Universal Framework aligns with ASDAN programmes and qualifications, can visit our dedicated Skills Builder Partnership page.

ASDAN’s mission to engage, elevate and empower learners with diverse needs aligns closely with Skills Builder’s evidence-based approach to essential skills development.

Together, we are committed to supporting members to strengthen practice, widen opportunity and ensure that all learners can develop the skills they need to thrive, whatever their starting point and wherever their next steps may lead.