Skills development has always played a critical role in Street League’s programmes and employability support. Now it’s going to play a key role in our approach to sports coaching too. Street League have been working closely with Skills Builder to develop their new sports coaching toolkit, created in partnership with Harlequins Foundation.

In 2019 we successfully introduced the Skills Builder Universal Framework into our employability academies. This gave us a fresh approach to how we support young people to develop the skills they need in the world of work and skill development tools used by our staff. The Framework says people need eight essential skills to succeed, these are: listening, speaking, problem solving, creativity, staying positive, aiming high, leadership and teamwork. We were excited to join forces with Skills Builder Partnership again to support our sports coaching team.

A key part of our work together is the Skills Builder Sports Toolkit, used by our Youth & Community coaches when promoting the development of essential skills in young people. For a lot of the young people that we work with, classrooms and learning have a very negative connotation. By bringing the learning out of the classroom and onto the football pitch or into the gym, it shows that skills can be learnt and developed in different ways.

Adapting to Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has made skill development more important than ever. Sectors such as hospitality and retail which previously acted as “a critical bridge for young people into employment”^* are no longer guaranteed locations for young people to find work. Therefore, young people need to develop skills in different ways. It’s vital for organisations like Street League to give young people the tools to navigate this challenging time.   

Street League aims to incorporate all eight skills in our sessions and support plans for young people. By doing this we are ensuring there is a lasting impact, leaving a legacy of young people across the UK prepared for the opportunities that will give them sustainable futures.

Coaching change

Beyond the positive impact on young people, it has also given the community coaches in England an opportunity to share best practice and ideas for developing some of the more challenging and abstract skills.

Rashan McDonald, Youth & Community Coach in South London has really enjoyed the task of bringing the project to life within our London academies.

He said: “The Skills Builder framework helped me to identify the importance of essential skills. These skills are necessary in life for everyone, but for young people who aren’t in work, education or training, these skills are essential for them to become employable."

"The Skills Builder implementation helped me to develop my own project skills, developing a greater understanding on how to communicate with my manager on this project, how to delegate tasks to other staff members and develop my organisation and use of initiative. I’ve enjoyed taking part in the toolkit rollout and it is great to see it in action across our academies.”

Measuring success

We would like to thank Skills Builder for the impact they have had on our coaching team & young people alike and congratulate them on the successful completion of the Sports Toolkit & Coaching Handbook.

Alongside the amazing sessions, developed alongside many supporting organisations, there are also ways to assess and map progression with baseline and final assessments and a step-by-step guide to support participants’ progress at any level. The ability to measure and assess the impact of our work is important to Street League and aligns with our commitment to honest and sustainable impact reporting.

The framework has really benefitted the young people we work with too. Ricco, a participant from our South London academy, took part in sport sessions where he learnt the importance of teamwork & staying positive. After completing his learning aims, Ricco was able to get a job as a sports coach with Fit for Sport, showing his passion and new skills in the recruitment process.

He said: “Thanks to Taschan & Rashan for supporting me develop my skills and helping me through the whole application process, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Read the latest research publication from
Skills Builder Partnership. 

*Source: Skills Builder Partnership

We are proud that our programmes in England are recognised at the highest level by the Skills Builder Partnership.

Impact can be achieved at four levels:

Impact Level 1:

Raising awareness of essential skills

Programmes that are successful at this level make individuals more aware of the eight essential skills and their importance for success.

Impact Level 2:

Reflecting on essential skills

Programmes that are successful at this level give individuals the opportunity to become more self-aware of their skill levels and next steps by reflecting on their essential skills.

Impact Level 3:

Practising essential skills

Programmes that are successful at this level give individual the opportunity to apply and practise their essential skills and the steps.

Impact Level 4:

Progressing in essential skills

Programmes that are successful here combine the chance for individuals to reflect on their essential skills before and after applying them, with programme content that is specifically targeted on making steps of progress.

Street League achieved Impact Level 4 status in May 2021.