Harrow, Richmond and Uxbridge Colleges (HRUC) has received a national award for helping students build essential skills.
HRUC is now one of a select group of schools and colleges to be recognised with the Skills Builder Flagship Award.
Workplace confidence
Working together with the Skills Builder Partnership, HRUC aims to ensure that every learner is confident navigating the jobs market.
The Flagship Award acknowledges HRUC’s commitment to ensuring that students leave college with the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the workplace, bridging the gap between education and employment.
Essential skills
HRUC adopted the Skills Builder Universal Framework to break down the eight essential skills into teachable steps:
- Listening
- Speaking
- Problem solving
- Creativity
- Adapting
- Planning
- Leadership
- Teamwork
Resources enable staff to deliver impactful lessons on specific skill steps and measure students’ progress to ensure tangible skills development.
Real-world experience
HRUC also uses the Framework to help students taking part in work experience.
During masterclasses with HRUC’s employer partner Heathrow Airport, students were tasked with applying their problem solving and teamwork skills to complex logistics challenges. They benefited from direct feedback from Heathrow employees based on the Framework’s steps, ensuring they can apply their skills in a work environment.
Students also had the chance to test their skills during a recent international service trip to South Africa, where they collaborated with local residents on community projects. They thrived in a real-world, high-stakes environment thanks to the toolkit they had been equipped with at college.
Personal growth
The result is that learners are now able to articulate their strengths during university or job interviews, with the ability to solve problems, work in teams, and manage themselves in unfamiliar environments.
This allows them to continue their journey of personal growth that begins at HRUC.
Path to success
Liam Plumridge, HRUC’s Assistant Director for Enhanced Skills and Employability, said: “Being awarded the Skills Builder Flagship Award is a significant achievement for HRUC that proves our commitment to creating a college-wide culture of workplace readiness.
“We spend a lot of time focusing on learners’ technical skills, but employers have given us feedback about how important it is that students have soft skills like speaking, listening and teamwork. Through the Essential Skills Framework, we can help our students develop those skills so they feel more confident and comfortable when they take their first steps into the world of work.
“It gives every student, regardless of their starting point, a clear path to success.”