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West London College is a large and inclusive Further Education provider with campuses in Hammersmith, Southall, and Ealing, serving a highly diverse student population from a range of socioeconomic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. We support over 10,000 students annually across study programmes, adult learning, SEND provision, and apprenticeships.
We got involved with the Skills Builder Accelerator to ensure that all our learners—regardless of background or starting point—develop the essential skills they need to succeed in learning, work, and life. These include communication, teamwork, problem solving, and self-management, which employers consistently identify as critical but often underdeveloped.
The Skills Builder framework provided us with a clear, measurable and progressive approach that complements our curriculum intent, tutorial programme, careers education (including National Careers Week), and our enrichment offer. With rising employer expectations and an evolving labour market, it became increasingly important to build a consistent language and structure around these essential skills for both staff and students.
Through Skills Builder, we’ve been able to:
Integrate skills development into our tutorial Scheme of Learning (e.g., Weeks 12–14, 16–18, and throughout Careers Week).
Link the framework to our student portal, handbook, and one-page profiles.
Embed employer-facing events and activities, such as CV writing, mock interviews, and employer sessions, with an explicit skills focus.
Track learner progression via Compass self-assessments, with tutors using results to support target setting and individual development.
This initiative supports our wider strategic goals around improving employability, raising aspirations, and supporting students—especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds—to thrive beyond college.
Overall impact
The Skills Builder Accelerator has had a powerful impact across West London College—embedding essential skills into the heart of our teaching, careers work, and learner development. It has unified staff around a shared, structured approach, improving planning, assessment, and learner target setting. For students, it has built confidence, raised aspirations, and improved engagement—particularly for those furthest from the labour market.
One highlight was a three-week communication course, where learners who were NEET or poor attenders became re-engaged and showed marked improvement in behaviour and self-belief. The MP4 feedback shows how this focus on a single skill—taught in real-life contexts—can transform learner outlook and motivation.
We also launched a Careers & Skills Hub, open to the public and employers. Parents are informed through newsletters, and essential skills are visible in all learner journeys.
The NHS recruitment project was a key success: they gave us six essential skills to develop in ESOL learners, many of whom were asylum seekers. After seven months of structured support, they were successfully recruited—bridging education and employment. The Royal Navy and Met Police now approach us to recruit learners, specifically praising their communication and professionalism—demonstrating the far-reaching impact of the Accelerator.
Keep it simple
We’ve built strong awareness of essential skills among students, teachers, and parents by embedding the Skills Builder language across the college. Students are introduced to the eight essential skills in their handbook, student portal, and one-page profiles. Student portal has a translation tool for every language known. This helps learners to understand and access the tutorial material on skills builder. Tutorials include dedicated sessions on teamwork, listening, aiming high and more, all using consistent language from the Universal Framework. Students complete Compass self-assessments and use the results to set SMART skill-based targets, which are reviewed regularly with tutors.
Staff use the same framework language in tutorials, ILPs, and feedback, supported by training and planning tools. During National Careers Week, employer talks and CV activities explicitly reference key skills, helping students understand their relevance beyond college.
Parents are introduced to the framework during progress reviews, and essential skills are referenced in reports and careers discussions. We celebrate skill development through tutorial praise, certificates, student of the month, and Jack Petchey Awards.
This consistency ensures students recognise essential skills as part of their success and progression—not just a checklist, but something valued across all areas of college life.
Start early, keep going
At West London College, all learners—regardless of age or level—have structured, consistent opportunities to build their essential skills. From induction, students complete a one-page profile and Compass self-assessment, setting their starting point. SMART targets are set for every learner and tracked across the year. Skills Builder is embedded in Schemes of Learning, careers programmes, tutorials, work experience (WEX), and enrichment.
We follow a 360-degree strategy, embedding essential skills into quality assurance, teaching and learning, assessments, reviews, target setting, learner progress monitoring, and careers progression. We come at the learner’s skills from every angle to ensure lasting development.
Weekly tutorials focus on step-by-step skill growth, differentiated for 16–18s, adults, and high-needs learners. All employer engagement and Careers Week activities are mapped to the Skills Builder framework. Attendance is tracked via subject scorecards to ensure full participation.
Skills development is reviewed through Compass data, WEX essential skills surveys, termly learner feedback, and tutorial reviews. For parents, skills are referenced in reports, EHCP reviews, and progress evenings.
This consistent, whole-college approach ensures learners continuously build and apply their skills across learning and life—from first steps at college to their future destinations.
Measure it
We use a range of tools to understand and track learners’ essential skills development. All students complete a Compass self-assessment at the start of the year, which sets a baseline for each of the eight essential skills. Tutors use these results to set SMART targets that are reviewed regularly through tutorials.
We conduct audits on targets to ensure skills are being addressed meaningfully and that progress is clearly evidenced. Tutors log and review progress in ILPs, and some curriculum teams use Essential Skills Trackers aligned to their levels or subjects for deeper tracking and planning.
Compass is revisited mid-year and end-of-year, giving a clear picture of learner growth. Learners also reflect on their skill use through the WEX Essential Skills Survey, and employers provide formative feedback on learners’ skill development during work placements—helping validate classroom progress in real-world contexts.
These insights directly inform learner reviews, tutorial planning, and quality assurance. Skills Builder data is also used to inform reports and discussions during target-setting reviews and curriculum planning.
This structured and consistent approach ensures skills development is monitored from every angle—supporting progress, personal development, and successful transitions into further learning or employment.
Focus tightly
At West London College, learners are given regular and structured opportunities to build essential skills through direct instruction. Our weekly tutorial programme is mapped to the Skills Builder Universal Framework, focusing on skills like listening, teamwork, staying positive, and aiming high.
Essential skills are also embedded into curriculum Schemes of Learning. In Public Services, students collaborated with uniformed services to improve teamwork and leadership through project-based learning. In Business, students completed a three-week communication skills project with a BBC Apprentice star, applying what they learned in presentations and team tasks.
We use Skills Builder tools—including the step framework, visual icons, and Compass data—to deliver structured sessions with consistent language and progression. Activities are practical, scenario-based, and include reflection and feedback.
These opportunities are reinforced through WEX, enrichment, and subject-based assessments, helping students apply their skills in real contexts. As a result, we’ve seen increased engagement and a noticeable improvement in attendance during tutorials and skills-focused activities—especially where students see the direct link between essential skills and their career goals.
This approach ensures that essential skills are not abstract—they’re visible, teachable, measurable, and deeply valued across all areas of college life.
Keep practising
At West London College, students have regular, embedded opportunities to practise essential skills across curriculum, enrichment, and careers activity. Essential skills are the baseline for our work experience programme. During National Careers Week, all employers were asked to deliver workshops within each learner’s field of study—while explicitly referencing and reviewing essential skills
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We build skills practice into project-based assessments, such as in Public Services, where students worked with uniformed services to develop teamwork and leadership. In Business, learners completed a three-week communication skills project with a BBC Apprentice finalist. These projects require learners to actively apply skills like speaking, problem solving, and staying positive in real scenarios.
Our weekly tutorials and employability sessions offer direct practice through group challenges, CV writing, mock interviews, and role-play. These are all mapped to Skills Builder and reinforced through curriculum Schemes of Learning.
We also extend opportunities through lunch-time drop-ins in our Careers Hub, where students receive one-to-one coaching linked to the framework. Enrichment and EDI events—including British Values, Black History Month, and Anti-Bullying Week—also reinforce key skills through active participation and reflection. Every lesson a WLC has entry and exit routines which are focused on skills.
Bring it to life
At West London College, we ensure learners connect essential skills to the real world through a rich mix of employer engagement, live projects, and targeted careers support. During National Careers Week, employers were briefed to design workshops that reflected learners’ fields of study while reviewing the eight essential skills. Over 200 learners attended face-to-face and online events featuring healthcare, construction, law, and creative industries
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We work closely with West London Careers Hub and West London Skills to deliver employer-led sessions that reinforce how essential skills and positive attitudes influence progression. Guest speakers from well-known organisations regularly lead sessions, focusing on what employers value—especially communication, teamwork, and staying positive.
We actively promote job descriptions to students and highlight the essential skills section so they understand the real-life application of the framework. This is discussed in tutorials and careers meetings with employers such as the NHS, Tesla, BBC, Barclays bank.
In curriculum areas, students complete real-life projects, such as Public Services team-building exercises with uniformed services and Business learners taking part in a communication challenge with a BBC Apprentice finalist.
Together with enrichment, careers fairs, and tutorial planning, we help learners clearly understand how their essential skills open doors—both in their personal lives and future careers
What's next
Building on the success of the Skills Builder Accelerator, our next step is to deepen personalisation and tracking of essential skills through embedding the Navigate platform across the college. Navigate will allow learners to take greater ownership of their development, log evidence, and link skill progress to future careers and study goals.
We are planning to train all tutorial and curriculum staff in the use of Navigate, integrating it into our existing Compass assessment cycle and target-setting reviews. This will ensure a smooth progression model from Compass (initial assessment and tracking) to Navigate (learner-owned reflection and evidence).
We also want to expand employer involvement—inviting them to view learner Navigate profiles during mock interviews, work placements, and careers fairs, so they can comment on real progress in areas like communication and teamwork. This will create a direct link between skills development and employer confidence.
