Tom Ravenscroft travelled to Estonia to share the organisation’s work as Estonia considers how to create a more skills-focused education system.

It was a pleasure to travel to the University of Tartu in Estonia to share our work, with a particular focus on using the measurement of essential skills to transform outcomes for students.

Estonia is a small country, with a population of just 1.3 million – but it has a bold vision for the future. Over the last few years, the education system in Estonia has been re-orientating away from a traditional model, focused on didactic learning and the acquisition of knowledge. Instead, the focus has been on building the values and skills for the 21st century.

The questions from the audience were incisive, focusing on the rigour and measurable outcomes that make the Skills Builder approach different, the long-term impact for students who master essential skills, and the extensive training we provide for teachers to help them build skills in the classroom.

It’s a great privilege to be able to share our work internationally, particularly with the challenge that comes with different viewpoints. I left Estonia enthused that the challenge of developing students’ essential skills is receiving such thoughtful and considered attention. I also left with a renewed sense that measurability is a vital key – and that we still have plenty of questions to work on.