Skills Design
Skills your programs build, described in your language
We help you understand which skills your programs are building, and we describe them in the framework and the language that mean something to you and your learners.
Everyone starts from a different place
Some organisations already have a comprehensive framework, programs that work, and a system that runs, and what they want from us is confirmation that they’re on the right track. Others are just starting to develop theirs and need someone to build alongside them.
The Common Skills Team has done this before, so we’ll walk you through it and help as much or as little as you need. Usually that means a few conversations, the documents you already have, and some of your educators’ time near the end. The work runs in four phases, and each phase ends with a document or a build that you keep.
The engagement
Four phases, four things you keep
Each phase ends with a document or a build that you keep.
- Discovery
Where we work out where you are, what you already have that’s working (or needs a quick tweak), and what else needs to be brought to the table. You keep a signed architecture document, written so you can read it.
- Build
Once the architecture is signed, we build your map, test it against the learners you care about, add any evidence or statements that turn out to be missing, and build scoring mechanisms to suit your learners. You keep your map, a gap report, scoring, and a taxonomy in your own words.
- Validate, train, and build out
Your educators see it working before anything is final, and everything you need to run it is built and handed over. You keep rubrics, reports, teaching guides and the full handover package.
- Ongoing support
Things change, so we stay on after handover. We re-map your programs when they change, set up new badges as you add them, and re-check everything end to end at the three-year mark.
Phase 1
Discovery
Where we work out where you are, what you already have that’s working (or needs a quick tweak), and what else needs to be brought to the table. You keep a signed architecture document, written so you can read it.
- Aims
We split what you want to achieve into individual outcomes. Each one gets success criteria, a scope, and a clear picture of the learners it is for.
- Review what exists
We collect what you already have, such as pathway descriptions, learning outcomes, and any rubrics or lists of what you offer, and assess what state each piece is in. Don’t worry if you don’t have everything; often it’s sitting in documents you already hold (annual reports, program summaries), and where it isn’t we can help you build it, or build it for you.
- Signals and evidence
Together we work out what evidence your programs already produce, what information your live system will send us and what it needs back, and then we design everything to suit that shape.
- Architecture
You get a document, written so you can read it, that says: we collect these signals, we process them this way, and these are the outputs you get. You sign it off before any build starts, so there are no surprises later.
Phase 2
Build
Once the architecture is signed, we build your map, test it against the learners you care about, add any evidence or statements that turn out to be missing, and build scoring mechanisms to suit your learners. Build ends when the scoring exists. Steps 5 to 7 repeat as a cycle until it’s right.
- Gather and map
We run all of your materials through our mapping process onto the Common Codes framework, our own skills framework, and write any additional materials you don’t already have.
- Test and validate
We test the results against the learners we agreed on in Discovery, and keep iterating until the outputs match the architecture you signed.
- Gaps, scoring, and taxonomy
You get a gap report, which shows which of your intended outcomes your current programs don’t yet reach; scoring mechanisms that turn results into the shape your system needs; and, if you need one, a skills taxonomy written in your own language.
Phase 3
Validate, train, and build out
Your educators see it working before anything is final, and everything you need to run it is built and handed over.
- Walkthrough
Your educators walk through the prototype with us, and together we evaluate it against the outcomes we set in step 1.
- Build out and handover
After that final say, we build the rubrics, reports, teaching guides, and any other supporting materials you need, package everything, and hand it over.
Phase 4
Ongoing support
When your programs change
We re-map them.
As you add badges
New badges get set up as you add them.
At the three-year mark
We re-check everything end to end to make sure it’s still doing what it should.
Not sure which phase you are at?
Get in touch and we will work it out with you.