The Skills Builder Universal Framework is making waves across the globe, empowering individuals with the essential skills they need to thrive. We recently had the privilege of learning about the transformative experience of Layal Mansour, a dedicated Global Impact Fellow, and the remarkable work she's leading at Al-Mabarrat Association in Lebanon.
Skills Builder Partnership and Al-Mabarrat Association: nurturing future-ready students
Layal, a Senior Associate at Al-Mabarrat Association, is deeply committed to nurturing well-rounded, future-ready students. Her role focuses on curriculum development, specifically integrating the Universal Framework to build essential skills in their learners. She ensures the curriculum aligns with 21st-century competencies such as critical thinking, communication, leadership, and collaboration. She then works with schools and supervisors to implement, evaluate, and embed the skills across their institutions. Layal joined the Global Impact Fellowship in 2025 to embark on a learning journey with other organisations from around the globe.
"I saw the Global Impact Fellowship as an opportunity to further amplify the impact of our work at Al-Mabarrat and to connect with individuals who share our mission."
- Layal Mansour, Al-Mabarrat Association
For Layal, the Fellowship offered a platform to learn, share, and bring international best practices into their local educational context, as they aim to raise the standards of skills education in their region. She first discovered the Fellowship through her ongoing collaboration with Accelerator Programme for educators and immediately felt it was a perfect match for their direction in curriculum reform and skills integration.
"The Skills Builder Global Impact Fellowship offers a platform to learn, share, and bring international best practices into our local educational context, especially as we aim to raise the standards of skills education in our region."
– Layal Mansour, Al-Mabarrat Association
The power Of the Universal Framework
The Universal framework provided a structured and detailed roadmap for teaching and assessing skills, benefiting their beneficiaries by giving teachers clear skill definitions, progress steps, and evaluation forms. As a result, students are more aware of the skills they are building and are showing measurable improvements in areas like communication, critical thinking, and leadership.
"The framework provided a structured and detailed roadmap for teaching and assessing skills". As a result, individuals now have access to clear skill definitions, progress steps, and evaluation tool".
Achieving recognition: impact level 4
The most powerful aspect of the Fellowship for Layal was the community of practice, bringing educators from around the world together to share insights, challenges, and successes. She particularly valued the sessions on measuring impact, and the use of real-world case studies to inspire local adaptation. During a session with Senior Associate Bethan Jeffers, Layal's presentation of her plan was met with affirming feedback, highlighting its deep alignment with the program's vision. This guidance helped shape their roadmap toward achieving the Impact Level 4, a moment of significant recognition and validation for her team.
"Achieving Skills Builder accreditation at Impact Level 4 was a moment of recognition and validation that meant a lot to our whole team."
– Layal Mansour, Al-Mabarrat Association
Looking ahead: inspiring others through mentorship
Moving forward, Layal is most excited about the possibility of Al-Mabarrat becoming a mentor institution, supporting other schools in Lebanon and the Arab world to adopt the Skills Builder approach. They are also looking to develop a localised toolkit, enriched by their experience, that aligns with both global standards and their cultural context.
For those considering joining the Skills Builder Partnership, Layal offers the following advice…
“The Fellowship offers a rich, supportive space to grow professionally, contribute globally, and impact locally. Be ready to share your story, embrace new ideas, and challenge your practices. Most importantly, be open to collaboration- you'll find inspiration in every conversation".
– Layal Mansour, Al-Mabarrat Association
Find out more about the Global Impact Fellowship here.
Explore the Accelerator Programme for Educators here.
