Launch of “soft skills” framework

A framework has been launched, to help businesses identify and quantify transferable soft skills. Created as a result of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Skills Builder Universal Framework will create a structured way for employers to keep a record of the skills their workforce has learned and developed – including listening, problem-solving, staying positive, leadership and teamwork – to help bring those skills in line with education and work experience on their employees’ CVs.

The framework will help employers understand what skills gaps their organisations face – either through providing targeted training or recruiting new talent into the business. The Essential Skills Taskforce is a coalition of organisations behind the framework which aims to provide shared understanding across different workplaces to help employers to get the best from their workforce.

The increasing prevalence of automation, as well as the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, has emphasised the importance of ‘human’ skills within the workplace.

The framework was developed by a coalition of organisations including the CIPD, BITC, the Confederation of British Industry, the EY Foundation, The Careers & Enterprise Company, the Gatsby Foundation and The Skills Partnership